My evening bike rides often end, as night falls, on the transitway between UMn main campus and Energy Park Drive (not too far from Como neighborhood), where one has to navigate a veritable peaceable kingdom of wildlife. I've seen 10 rabbits of an evening, four groundhogs on a different evening, skunks, a wild turkey, what appeared in the failing light to be a fox, and even a human being on occasion.
About a week ago, in my car, I passed three skunks together in the road, along the curb, where the Univ Ave exit ramp comes off of 280 South, looking like they wished they'd not left their transitway sanctuary. I hope that they made it home safely, and that this frightening experience has become just a foolish adventure with which to regale their friends. Chuck Holtman Prospect Park From: "Jim MCGUIRE" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sat, 26 Jul 2003 16:17:59 -0500 Subject: [Mpls] Urban Wildlife Greetings, I recall sometime ago that there was a discussion about the various critters we come across right here in our fine city. I live on 24th Ave Se and until today the most "out of place" thing I'd ever seen was a pair of deer crossing my street. It was a drought year and my guess is they'd wandered up the railroad tracks looking for food. I topped that today, however. Unfortunately, since what I saw was roadkill it doesn't really quallify as wild"life", but it was something I didn't expect in an urban environment. At first glance, I thought it was one of the many roadkill squirrels I've seen (some of them may well have been named Bill). I didn't pay close attention, but out of the corner of my eye I realized something was unusual. A tuft of white in the tail? A darkerr color than most gray squirrels? Sure enough, said roadkill was a skunk. Right on the sight of the road of 24th Ave SE (not far off Como). Niow, if that doesn't add to the potential of an urban environment I don't know what does... Neighbors have told me that we used to have Wild Turkeys running around, but I never saw them and rumor has it that (unfortunately) animal control has since carted them off. A skunk, though... It must not have had a chance to defend itself from the approaching vehicile that killed it, however, or I'm sure I would've, ahh, noticed it before. Jim McGuire Como TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
