Come for the Lifestyle. HOME Critter Time A few ounces of prevention now can save pounds of wildlife trouble around your home. Stay for the Friendships. Come and experience the incredible value and comfort of The Park at Trowbridge. Settle in and feel a genuine sense of belonging and purpose with a diverse set of friends both new and familiar. Our wildly popular LiveWelprogram offers over zoo scheduled social, cultural, educational and fitness opportunities and outings every month, so there's always something fun to do. Learn new arts and crafts, play billiards or attend one of our exciting and lively exercise classes. Whatever it is you're looking for, you'll find it all here. See for yourself why our residents love our lifestyle of simple excellence and truly believe that "life here is grand." pYlie Ycoez at Trowbridge Jonathon Schechter sets a skunk trap outside his home near Ortonville. Steve Raphael Special to the Jewish News The Brightest Tomorrows Begin Here. ® For more information or to visit, call today! (248) 352-0208 24111 Civic Center Dr. • Southfield, Ml 48033 www.horizonbay.com t Cr h A HORIZON as Sono Comaturrry 1431990 We will turn Your House into The Home Of Your Dreams! Complete Home Improvement Services! We Specialize in Custom Designed Kitchens & Bathrooms BgE3 — T- REMODELING, INC. You're going to love what we do! I I Nick Kadarjan • 248.476.0816 • www.kandkremodeling.com , N. Ns how do you get your news? Access the news, events and opinions important to this community check us out @ JNonline.us C4 September 18 2008 iN j I f you want to make sure your home will be free from critters this winter then walk a mile in their paws. That's the advice of Tim Payne, southeast Michigan wildlife supervi- sor for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The animals "will need food and protection:' he says. "People can look at their house, the landscaping and say, 'Well, is this a good place for a raccoon to rest and be comfortable?' If the human answer is `Yes!' than it's time to patch up holes around the house and make sure food is out of reach!' Coyotes and deer are proliferating and wild turkeys come and go, join- ing the crowded menagerie of skunks, possum, woodchucks and raccoons that have been around for so long now that it seems like they're part of the family. Black bears are now popping up north and west of Oakland County. Local naturalist and trapper Jonathon Schechter explains the rea- sons as the three S's — substance, security and sex; an abundance of food, lush habitat and a plentiful num- ber of mates. Black bears north and west of Oakland County "are mostly young males, wandering, looking for a mate he says. "We can control the first two to a degree, the substance and security. Sex is out of our control." Black bears have been spotted 10 miles north of Oakland County, in Genesee County, and in Washtenaw and Lapeer counties as well, Schechter says, noting that one bear was hit by a car in Grand Rapids this year. The driver was okay; the bear was killed. "Young black bears wander from 80 to 100 miles, looking for food, especially acorns," he says. "They can be predatory. More bear attacks on humans are occurring, but statisti- cally it is such a small number as to be inconsequential." If a human encounters a bear, the individual should stand and yell, rath- er than run or lie down as has been suggested in the past, he says. The critter that gives animal control officers in Bloomfield Township the most grief is a lot smaller and tamer than coyotes and bears and more destructive than deer. It's the cute, pudgy groundhog, or woodchuck.