Now, there’s moose 

by Frank J. Regan (September, 2007)

Lately, I’ve noticed in the Rochester-area environmental news that there are increasingly more stories about sightings of coyotes, bears, mountain lions, and now moose.  What is one to make of these alleged come-backs—animals previously lost to us, now inching their way back into our environment?  Could it be the enthusiasm of the editorial staff of our newspapers short on things to titillate the public with, or have there really been actual sighting of these animals? 

I know people have seen coyotes, some have seen bears, it’s really sketchy as to whether anyone has seen a mountain lion in these parts, and moose—I doubt it.  But, that just my opinion.  What I find interesting most, though, is the impressions each of these animals and their anticipated returns bring with them.  Few care about having the coyote around because there is so much misinformation about them and few think they do any good. 

Some like the idea of bears being back, but most have no desire to see one except through closed car windows.  Almost no one wants mountain lions around because of the fear factor.  But, I suspect everyone except speeders on our winding country roads are for moose coming back to our area.  Except for dangerous car collisions with these humongous beasts, what’s not to like in these majestic beasts making a come back? 

Overall though, we should be wondering what is causing these animals to return (though actually the Eastern Coyote is not really returning, but making its way East because there are no wolf populations existing here) to our area.  Why were they all killed?  Why are they coming back?  What role did they play in our environment?  What role would they play in our environment if anyone of these creatures made a significant come back? 

These top predators and plant eaters play a significant role in areas where man has not taken over, but do they still have a place in our local Rochester-area environment today—with all our houses and roads and factories and lawns and, you know, man’s ubiquitous footprint.  These are questions for scientists and though our opinions will ultimately decide whether or not these creatures are allowed to stay, if would be interesting if our colleges and/or governmental bodies actually went out and did a complete study on each of these animals and how each has and will help frame our environment. 

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