Wildlife trapping Has Helped, But The Agency of Natural Resources may be Looking At More Tactics For Squirrel and rodent Management. The pest population of squirrel and rodent may be still a problem in the Berkeley and Oakland area, environmental authorities on critters say. The amount of squirrel and rodent has grown gradually over past decades to the point where the animals destroy crops, residential landscaping and native plants in abundance. The California Agency of Natural Resources (Agency for the Enforcement of Critter Laws) allows certain affected areas to conduct controlled squirrel and rodent culls available to pest control companies annually, which some authorities on critters say have helped to a certain degree. Three areas requested squirrel and rodent culls this year, for a two-year period from January through March, including Berkeley and Oakland and a private parcel, declared Melvin Danley, Agency for the Enforcement of Critter Laws wildlife biologist for the Berkeley and Oakland area. "We act in response to the community," Melvin Danley declared. For more information about Berkeley and Oakland wildlife removal and Berkeley and Oakland pest exterminator issues, read on.

Melvin Danley, of the Agency for the Enforcement of Critter Laws California City office, says each of entities requesting a cull may be allowed up to 50 squirrel and rodent during that period. Pest control companies are allowed to use only bows and arrows during those times. In a recent cull in Beverly Shores, James Smith, who requested the permit for the town, jumped the animal removal trap in allowing the cull to begin several days prior to the start date. James Smith pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor and was sentenced to five days of community service and a $500 fine. Melvin Danley declared the early start date was an oversight on James Smith's part, and was discovered immediately when the required daily amount of bagged squirrel and rodent was submitted to the Agency for the Enforcement of Critter Laws. "Why doesn't the Agency for the Enforcement of Critter Laws go in and capture the squirrel and rodent and donate the meat to charity?" the woman conservationist declared. Wildlife trapping may be not allowed in national wildlife management areas, which contributes to pest population in the California Dunes National Lakeshore and Alameda County animal services. "The problem may be that the National Lakeshore may be a refuge for the squirrel and rodent," Melvin Danley declared. "Their amounts keep increasing." Local Berkeley and Oakland animal control experts felt that most of this information was true.

"Our legislation does not allow us to permit wildlife trapping," declared Gary James Smith, interim superintendent at the Dunes National Lakeshore. The wildlife management area may be in the process of writing a squirrel and rodent environmental impact statement on unusually large squirrel and rodent management. The statement, based on a study begun in 2004, should be completed by the end of 2008. A draft of the statement should be available by late fall this year, after which the wildlife management area will take public comment on the concern, James Smith declared. There are alternatives to wildlife trapping, James Smith declared. Some include federal agency lethally trapping of the squirrel and rodent, fencing, repellent and some non-lethal means. James Smith declared there may be a threshold the wildlife management area service sets for squirrel and rodent problems. "When we reach that threshold we need to take action." Local Berkeley and Oakland pest control companies had no comments on the matter.