raftingdog wrote:Steigerwald...is that huge wildlife preserve with no entry? Local complain that no spraying happens to control mosquitos ....was driving on W14 when deer from there had close call with my car....beautiful that such place is reserved in Columbia Gorge...
Steigerwald has a parking lot, pit toilets, an interpretive trail, and occasional ranger walks. Entry is allowed, the trail is handicapped accessible, but no dogs, bicycles, or jogging, and all must stay on the trail.
Steigerwald is not the source of the Washougal mosquito scourge. There are tons of other bodies of water, artificial and natural, and wetlands all over the area that are mostly on private land, and they aren't being sprayed or otherwise treated to prevent mosquitoes either. Steigerwald has wildlife that seems to deal with the mosquitos OK, the other areas that are good homes for raising the little bloodsuckers have very little to nothing that want to eat the little larvae. We used to put feeder goldfish in our seasonal pond until we found out we were just providing fresh fish to ducks and the occasional heron. Not a bad thing, but not what we were aiming for. The deer range from the rural home properties on the hills above and to the east onto the refuge, but deer don't like wet wetlands much, especially when there is plenty of good habitat in the wooded hillsides away from the refuge that can provide food, water, and places to hide from predators while bedded down.
How do I think I know all of this? Why, actually looking into it and observing the wildlife around here. Where I live now borders the refuge property up the hill from the highway. The deer, rarely seen cougar, and abundant coyotes don't want to sleep where its constantly wet, so they don't. They all need water, but they don't need to be
in it. There is a seasonal pond where I live now, and after it dries up, hardly any animals come by to visit in the daylight, and fewer than usual come through at night. But, a neighbor up the street with a year round pond has all kinds of visitors, and when I asked if they treat their pond for mosquitoes, he said that no one does, so why should he? He doesn't want to risk harming the other wildlife, and I don't blame them.
Mosquitoes are a heck of a nuisance sometimes, but are easily repelled. For the deer on the road, well, gotta keep them peepers peeled and don't drive any faster than you can stop. It's a beautiful area I live in, and probably have to leave soon, but I have had to adjust to living here in harmony with that which was here before I was, not the other way around. Trying to make everything conform to my desires was kicking my ass. Living within the cycles and nature out here is much better than going against them.
