April 15, 1970 (12 pages)

me. > 4 The Nevada County Nugget, Wednesday, April 17, 1970 Porcupines familiar here, but. Some people call this animal a walking pincushion but you may have another name for it if one of two events occur. If you are sailing down a highway and happen to run over one of these critters, you are very likely to have a big tire bill. If your dog has a run in with one of these critters, you are likely to spend some of your valuable time pulling pins out of your valuable animal. This is a porcupine. I's 2 familiar animal in our area, but according to an article prepared by George Seymore for Outdoor California, porcupines make their home in South America. Two species are found in North America. And one of these, thc yellow-haired procupine, is the only species found in California. The other is the Canadian porcupine. Like the skunk, the porcupine is one of the few California animals born with a readymade defense against enemies. Except for its throat and underparts, the procupine has a long yellowish coat of rough fur partially concealing literally thousands of sharp, barbed quills, The porcupine has short ears, a short blunt tail, and bright shoebutton eyes nearly buried in hair. As the animal waddles slowly along the ground on its squat bowed legs, it looks like casy prey for any meat-eater that finds it. When at ease, it appears deceptively inoffensive, for the quills lie flat and arc nearly concealed by. the thick dark fur and the long yellowtipped guard hairs. However, the quills are attached to a layer of muscl¢ beneath the skin that allows the porcupine, if startled by an enemy, to raise the quills rigidly, presenting a fearsome defense. If the hungry predator or unwise dog attacks, the porcupine whirls to present his rear toward the enemy and slaps and lashes around with his quillthatched tail to drive dozens of ‘needle sharp quills into the mouth and skin of the attacker. “In California the porcupine ranges from the floor of the valley all the way’ to timbér= line. They seem to prefer the ridges where food trees are must abundant, and yellow pine in the west seems to be the favorite, _2 They show a preference to the * ~ bia layer under the the pine needles and other coniferous foliage. Mistletoe is a favorite food during the colder months. Although they are not meat eaters, they do gnaw on and consume bones and the shed antlers of deer. Porcupines make their dens in the crevices of rocky ledges and in hollow trees and logs. Dens are frequently marked by piles of smooth greenish-brown pellets, and the animals travel to. and from the den to the feeding areas. Although they do not seem to mind the cold, in winter they will sometimes stay in the same food tree for weeks at a time rather than trudgc back and forth through the snow. Mating takes place in September and October, and the act is performed similar to that of other animals. The young are born in April and May, and each mother gives birth to only one baby; twins are very rare. Because of the long gestation period, the baby porcupine is born highly developed. it is nearly 12 inches long and weighs about one pound. Its eyes are open, the teeth are formed, and it is completely covered with dense black hair that later turns yellowish; hence the name, yellow-haired porcupine. In its fur already are hundreds of inchlong quills that become hard and sharp as soon as the baby is dry. 4 Some . lad ‘aa . a sort of dance, standing erect and rocking from one hind foot to .the other. If captured when only a few weeks old, the porcupine becomes quite gentle, makes an interesting pet, and displays a pleasing amount of affection. Foresters are often worried about the damage porcupines do in girdling the trees, and in yellow pine this damage can be considerable. However, surveys have shown that in mixed conifers and hardwood forests where the porcupine population may be 25 per square mile, the damage only amounts to a few cents an acre. In California the porcupine is Although unsteady on its feet, if not protected. Some control has startled the young porcupine will display its quills in defense and swing its tail sharply. Within two days it can climb and is soon following its mother on feeding trips. It eats green herbage with increasing enjoymen and after 10 days is completely weaned. The youngster stays with its mother for five or six months and then takes off. on its own to live a rather solitary existence, for except during the mating season and when denning in the winter, porcupines are seldom seen together. a Although seemingly slow, clumsy, and rather dull, porcupines like to play. They frisk individually with pine cones and Wherever the tail strikes, tne area looks like a huge pincushion. The pain, plus the shock of surprise, is intense. The tips of the quills are barbed and can only be removed by Sticks, and when together the young wrestle with lots of grumbling and whining. Even the oldsters have been observed doing ~ ee se a ee ie i eee Soe ld i .S. SAVINGS BON BS * :"ee een tas F . Sve 951247-7.~ oP meVe Herts es been tried on porcupines in areas where the damage seem severe; but sn the whole, few people Interest most live.in S. America outer bark, but they also eat ~ would animal exterminated for without the porcupine the forests would be far less picturesque. a strong pull with pliers, If the quills are not removed, some may work their way into tho flesh, although others may be harmlessly absorbed. But if imbedded quills reach a vital spot such as the heart or lungs, the attacking animal may die from infection. The porcupine does not shoot its: quills like darts. However, Lal ¥ es 3 » : : * An engineering firm which represents some of Nevada county's. largest developers wants things other than lot size considered in the proposed sewer ordinance. . The board of supervisors has ordered that a subdivision ordinance amendment be: drafted “ which would require sewers in all subdivisions where lots will Cy the loosely imbeded quills inthe tail may be thrown several feet by the violence of the switching action during an attack. Several hundred quills may be lost during an encounter, but these are being constantly replaced by new ones coming through the skin, money to aid buying of Gilmore Ten thousand dollars in con-struction interest money will be transferred to another account to complete the purchase of Gilmore School. Grass Valley trustees approved the transfer Thursday at the request of county officials who are trying to wind up the. long, involved condemnation case which began in 1967. The money--exactly $10,100 --comes from interest earned on the bond money used to build the school. Much of the money was not needed: immediately after the bonds were sold, ‘so was: * Tuesday. One of the previous owners of the land Wallace Butler, has.committed himself to purchase these bonds because high interest rates make it un, likely that financial institutions would bid beneath the five per school prove the transfer, explaining that it had been expected the $10,000 would come from the 1968 sale of Grant school, However, when county officials inspected the district's finafices last month, they found that the Grant school money wasnotreserved for this purpose as had been believed. . Bishop said $10,000 from the Grant. School sale “was commonly understood to be" available for the Gilmore purchase, "but maybe that was a little in crisis in which the district may have operating deficit of more than $100,000 this year. Bishop's explanation and the board's action took only 10 minutes. Two members were unable to attend the special noon meeting at the superintendent's office, Jack Montre and Harrel Ammon, The board's action instructs Acting. Supt. John Waggoner to cent maximum interest rate, write the county auditor's office ‘Dep. County Counsel Brian formally requesting the fund Bishop asked the board to aptransfer. — anes ween pra ree eS Ure HSyte ia ¥ aane pak be smaller than one acre. At present, the area's second-home subdivisions use septic tanks . primarily. been submitted to the county council's office by the public works office. ’ A letter from David Glendening of Raymond F. Murphy . Associates asked that other factors be considered. The Murphy firm has done much of the engineering for. Lake of the Pines and Lake Wildwood, both owned by Boise Cascade Properties. Murphy's firm now is working on Tahoe Northwoods, a completely separate project owned by a completely separate firm, Lakeworld Development Ce: The letter states: ~ "We w agree that there should some revision of the existing subdivision rules with respect to sewage However, we do not believe an “arbitrary lot size limitation is g23 Pt fy the proper type of amendment. “There are several factors involved in the use of individual sewage disposal systems at least as important as the size of the parcel. The type of system, the slope of the land, the water table, the type and depth of soil, are some of the things that should be considered." The letter suggests that the amendment "should provide for as many of the factors involved as possible--not just the parcel size." Snow depth way below average The snow -depth at Huysink -Snow Course is considerably befor the past from 2 g low the a dozen F i ee 40 g 3F a 2 ae j ; : of E al E j t i F ; 4 + ge F 3 : : if E at > a GE ae .

me. > 4 The Nevada County Nugget, Wednesday, April 17, 1970 Porcupines familiar here, but. Some people call this animal a walking pincushion but you may have another name for it if one of two events occur. If you are sailing down a highway and happen to run over one of these critters, you are very likely to have a big tire bill. If your dog has a run in with one of these critters, you are likely to spend some of your valuable time pulling pins out of your valuable animal. This is a porcupine. I's 2 familiar animal in our area, but according to an article prepared by George Seymore for Outdoor California, porcupines make their home in South America. Two species are found in North America. And one of these, thc yellow-haired procupine, is the only species found in California. The other is the Canadian porcupine. Like the skunk, the porcupine is one of the few California animals born with a readymade defense against enemies. Except for its throat and underparts, the procupine has a long yellowish coat of rough fur partially concealing literally thousands of sharp, barbed quills, The porcupine has short ears, a short blunt tail, and bright shoebutton eyes nearly buried in hair. As the animal waddles slowly along the ground on its squat bowed legs, it looks like casy prey for any meat-eater that finds it. When at ease, it appears deceptively inoffensive, for the quills lie flat and arc nearly concealed by. the thick dark fur and the long yellowtipped guard hairs. However, the quills are attached to a layer of muscl¢ beneath the skin that allows the porcupine, if startled by an enemy, to raise the quills rigidly, presenting a fearsome defense. If the hungry predator or unwise dog attacks, the porcupine whirls to present his rear toward the enemy and slaps and lashes around with his quillthatched tail to drive dozens of ‘needle sharp quills into the mouth and skin of the attacker. “In California the porcupine ranges from the floor of the valley all the way’ to timbér= line. They seem to prefer the ridges where food trees are must abundant, and yellow pine in the west seems to be the favorite, _2 They show a preference to the * ~ bia layer under the the pine needles and other coniferous foliage. Mistletoe is a favorite food during the colder months. Although they are not meat eaters, they do gnaw on and consume bones and the shed antlers of deer. Porcupines make their dens in the crevices of rocky ledges and in hollow trees and logs. Dens are frequently marked by piles of smooth greenish-brown pellets, and the animals travel to. and from the den to the feeding areas. Although they do not seem to mind the cold, in winter they will sometimes stay in the same food tree for weeks at a time rather than trudgc back and forth through the snow. Mating takes place in September and October, and the act is performed similar to that of other animals. The young are born in April and May, and each mother gives birth to only one baby; twins are very rare. Because of the long gestation period, the baby porcupine is born highly developed. it is nearly 12 inches long and weighs about one pound. Its eyes are open, the teeth are formed, and it is completely covered with dense black hair that later turns yellowish; hence the name, yellow-haired porcupine. In its fur already are hundreds of inchlong quills that become hard and sharp as soon as the baby is dry. 4 Some . lad ‘aa . a sort of dance, standing erect and rocking from one hind foot to .the other. If captured when only a few weeks old, the porcupine becomes quite gentle, makes an interesting pet, and displays a pleasing amount of affection. Foresters are often worried about the damage porcupines do in girdling the trees, and in yellow pine this damage can be considerable. However, surveys have shown that in mixed conifers and hardwood forests where the porcupine population may be 25 per square mile, the damage only amounts to a few cents an acre. In California the porcupine is Although unsteady on its feet, if not protected. Some control has startled the young porcupine will display its quills in defense and swing its tail sharply. Within two days it can climb and is soon following its mother on feeding trips. It eats green herbage with increasing enjoymen and after 10 days is completely weaned. The youngster stays with its mother for five or six months and then takes off. on its own to live a rather solitary existence, for except during the mating season and when denning in the winter, porcupines are seldom seen together. a Although seemingly slow, clumsy, and rather dull, porcupines like to play. They frisk individually with pine cones and Wherever the tail strikes, tne area looks like a huge pincushion. The pain, plus the shock of surprise, is intense. The tips of the quills are barbed and can only be removed by Sticks, and when together the young wrestle with lots of grumbling and whining. Even the oldsters have been observed doing ~ ee se a ee ie i eee Soe ld i .S. SAVINGS BON BS * :"ee een tas F . Sve 951247-7.~ oP meVe Herts es been tried on porcupines in areas where the damage seem severe; but sn the whole, few people Interest most live.in S. America outer bark, but they also eat ~ would animal exterminated for without the porcupine the forests would be far less picturesque. a strong pull with pliers, If the

quills are not removed, some may work their way into tho flesh, although others may be harmlessly absorbed. But if imbedded quills reach a vital spot such as the heart or lungs, the attacking animal may die from infection. The porcupine does not shoot its: quills like darts. However, Lal ¥ es 3 » : : * An engineering firm which represents some of Nevada county's. largest developers wants things other than lot size considered in the proposed sewer ordinance. . The board of supervisors has ordered that a subdivision ordinance amendment be: drafted “ which would require sewers in all subdivisions where lots will Cy the loosely imbeded quills inthe tail may be thrown several feet by the violence of the switching action during an attack. Several hundred quills may be lost during an encounter, but these are being constantly replaced by new ones coming through the skin, money to aid buying of Gilmore Ten thousand dollars in con-struction interest money will be transferred to another account to complete the purchase of Gilmore School. Grass Valley trustees approved the transfer Thursday at the request of county officials who are trying to wind up the. long, involved condemnation case which began in 1967. The money--exactly $10,100 --comes from interest earned on the bond money used to build the school. Much of the money was not needed: immediately after the bonds were sold, ‘so was: * Tuesday. One of the previous owners of the land Wallace Butler, has.committed himself to purchase these bonds because high interest rates make it un, likely that financial institutions would bid beneath the five per school prove the transfer, explaining that it had been expected the $10,000 would come from the 1968 sale of Grant school, However, when county officials inspected the district's finafices last month, they found that the Grant school money wasnotreserved for this purpose as had been believed. . Bishop said $10,000 from the Grant. School sale “was commonly understood to be" available for the Gilmore purchase, "but maybe that was a little in crisis in which the district may have operating deficit of more than $100,000 this year. Bishop's explanation and the board's action took only 10 minutes. Two members were unable to attend the special noon meeting at the superintendent's office, Jack Montre and Harrel Ammon, The board's action instructs Acting. Supt. John Waggoner to cent maximum interest rate, write the county auditor's office ‘Dep. County Counsel Brian formally requesting the fund Bishop asked the board to aptransfer. — anes ween pra ree eS Ure HSyte ia ¥ aane pak be smaller than one acre. At present, the area's second-home subdivisions use septic tanks . primarily. been submitted to the county council's office by the public works office. ’ A letter from David Glendening of Raymond F. Murphy . Associates asked that other factors be considered. The Murphy firm has done much of the engineering for. Lake of the Pines and Lake Wildwood, both owned by Boise Cascade Properties. Murphy's firm now is working on Tahoe Northwoods, a completely separate project owned by a completely separate firm, Lakeworld Development Ce: The letter states: ~ "We w agree that there should some revision of the existing subdivision rules with respect to sewage However, we do not believe an “arbitrary lot size limitation is g23 Pt fy the proper type of amendment. “There are several factors involved in the use of individual sewage disposal systems at least as important as the size of the parcel. The type of system, the slope of the land, the water table, the type and depth of soil, are some of the things that should be considered." The letter suggests that the amendment "should provide for as many of the factors involved as possible--not just the parcel size." Snow depth way below average The snow -depth at Huysink -Snow Course is considerably befor the past from 2 g low the a dozen F i ee 40 g 3F a 2 ae j ; : of E al E j t i F ; 4 + ge F 3 : : if E at > a GE ae .