Wildlife, Environment in Pfafftown, Part V

Until now, I've focused on people life in Pfafftown.

As for wildlife, today is different compared to the 1950's and 60's for which I can attest. During those decades, there wasn't one deer or wild turkey anywhere in this area. There were no Canada geese. Foxes and raccoons were rare and the ones here were being chased all hours of some weekend nights by hunters using trained dogs.

Hawks would have been shot at the first sighting.

Rabbits were trapped or chased by hunting dogs while squirrels were stalked by young hunters like me.

A person could not get within a thousand feet of crows. Crows would post a sentry in a tree to alert the others of approaching humans and then fly away if people approached them.

Today, all is different, many hunters put away their guns and bought golf clubs, tennis rackets, or swimming pool attire. In large part, hunting gave way to other activities or old-timers lost interest. Now, deer and wild turkey sightings are common and exciting to see. Red-tailed hawks, crows, and Canada geese do not fear Pfafftown residents as we cohabit these spaces.

As for the environment, most people didn't throw their garbage and rubbish into the edge of the tree line behind their house or use isolated roadside dump sites, but some did. Lots of people burned trash in metal barrels in their backyard. Maturity, improved standard of living, and curbside garbage collection service caused most people to turn away from these disposal practices.

Many people now embrace the concept of sorting their package materials and taking those items to recycling centers instead of mixing them with garbage. Roadsides are cleaner today because motorists litter less as volunteer groups adopt highway segments for trash pick-up.

Have a good day!