Before Hill Air Force Base was built, wildlife were the only inhabitants of the expanse of land the base occupies. Now, employees and housing residents coexist with the remaining wildlife, and it is the duty of the 75th Civil Engineer Group Natural Resources division to balance that coexistence while maintaining the base's overall mission.
"The habitat here is more conducive to urban-type of wildlife, but we do have open spaces, like the golf course and the air field, that attract other wildlife," said 75th CEG Wildlife/Habitat Biologist Russ Lawrence. "There are quite a number of deer that come and go on base because they are able to jump over the perimeter fence. We conduct an annual deer hunt that is tied to our (Bird/Wildlife Avoidance Strike Hazard) program to keep the deer from running along the air field."
Deer hunting on base is restricted to bow hunters only. The opportunity to hunt is based on a random computer-based drawing administered by the Natural Resources Program, but authorized by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
"A secondary part of the hunt is we do not want our base employees to be at risk of hitting a deer with their vehicles. We have had two accidents in the past year caused by collisions with deer. The third thing the deer hunt does, other than reducing numbers of deer, it provides a recreational opportunity for people on base. They are restricted to certain areas where they are considered safe, and we've had great success this year."
Buck and doe hunting will be open on base to bow hunters until Dec. 1, and then it will be open for doe hunting only until Dec. 15.
Deer hunting on base has limits, which are mitigated by the Natural Resources division by monitoring deer populations throughout the year.
"We monitor the deer in a number of ways," Lawrence said. "We do biweekly surveys, done primarily in the early morning hours when they are most active so that we can see the different areas on base they are using and see how many in number we have. In the winter, they will migrate from the mountains and cross Highway 89 and travel all the way to Riverdale. The north end of base provides a desirable habitat for deer so some deer decide to stay.
"The other monitoring method is via trail cameras that use motion-sensors. This provides us a snapshot of the different wildlife that come through there."
Fox dens
Lawrence said the cameras have also been able to document the large fox population on base, as well.
"We have identified all the active fox dens on base and mapped them out. It might surprise people to know that we have between 15 and 20 active dens on base. We have two dens near Pond Three, which is near the housing area, and they have adapted well to an urban environment. The foxes near Pond Three are pretty visible, and I've had reports of one of the foxes being too friendly and not afraid of people."
However, Lawrence said the foxes generally prefer less populated areas. The foxes who have adapted to more populated areas may pose a threat, and Lawrence provided a few tips to keep Team Hill safe.
"Do not feed them!" Lawrence warned. "If they look aggressive, let us know. They may need to be removed."
He also warns not to approach the foxes and to just watch them from afar.
Lawrence said that the foxes are beneficial, overall, for the base because their main food source is rodents, which is also an ideal food source for predatory birds that pose hazards along the flightline for bird strikes. By reducing the rodent population, it makes the base a less ideal habitat for problematic birds such as hawks and falcons.
Wood ducks
The Natural Resources division is also monitoring the foxes to note their impact on other wildlife projects.
"We are trying to do other wildlife-related projects at Pond Three, including some wood duck re-population, and we don't want the foxes eating the ducklings," Lawrence said. "Wood duck populations have been on the decline in general and Pond Three seems to be an ideal habitat for this duck."
Lawrence has been working with Wild Over Wood Ducks, a wood duck conservation group, on this re-population project. "We have 10 wood duck boxes to put at Pond Three."
Lawrence added that this particular bird species will not pose a strike threat to aircraft.
"Unlike mallards, wood ducks will stay away from the air field. There is nothing at the air field that attracts this bird. They like secluded woody vegetations and overhangs on water and do not like large open spaces."
Like the foxes, Lawrence advises people not to feed the wood ducks.
"The worst thing you could do to these ducks is to feed them," he said. "I know families like to take loaves of bread to feed the ducks with, but that is the worst thing you could do to them. Not only would it get them used to an unnatural food source, but the bread also attracts seagulls, which will swoop down and take the young ducklings. I've seen it happen at a few ponds around here; it's pretty sad. The seagulls will eat them. If people don't feed the ducks, the seagulls will not be there."
If you must feed them, Lawrence said, feed them only cracked corn. "The cracked corn doesn't appeal to seagulls."
Other birds
Lawrence and his team conduct avian surveys both on and near the base as part of the bird strike risk assessment. "We want to know what types of birds are out there and what impact they are having and if they have a desire to cross into the air field. Many birds are found on the air field so we want to know what it is that attracts them there so we can mitigate those attractants. Geese are the largest birds that fly over occasionally, but it is the ferruginous hawk and the American kestrel that are more of a concern because they hunt the air field daily."
Catch and release?
Another wildlife project the Natural Resources division is working in conjunction with other base departments is to provide a fishing recreation area near the housing area in coming years.
"We are trying to get Pond Three to become an urban fishery, where kids can come and catch fish. It is a stormwater pond, however, so there will be residues that end up there and the fish may not be edible. It will be a catch-and-release fishery until we can determine if the fish are suitable for human consumption."
Snakes
Other wildlife that exist on base do not pose aircraft strike risks, but they can pose a health risk to humans, such as snakes.
"We really don't have a lot of problems with snakes, but they do exist," Lawrence said. "There are rare snakes, like racers, and we have quite large gopher snakes. The gopher snakes look a lot like rattlesnakes but without the rattle, and they will hiss at you. There have been some rattlesnake sightings, but they have been becoming rarer as areas become more developed."
Lawrence advises those who see a snake or other problematic wildlife, call the Natural Resources division at (801) 777-4618 or the 75th Civil Engineer Squadron Entomology division at (801) 777-4427.
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