Outdoors/Adventure

The upside of coronavirus? The world has gotten quieter, something Alaskans know all about

In spite of the discord and disagreement as to the necessity of the lockdown of our economy and accustomed freedoms, there is an upside to the COVID-19 pandemic. We Alaskans may not notice it much, but things are quieter all around.

Alaskans are used to quiet, but most of the rest of the world is not.

People heard the birds singing in Paris -- a first time for many. Los Angeles has less smog. If the shutdown continues, that city may see green leaves instead of brown.

Mono Lake in California has a huge population of frogs that normally croak in unison to keep predators from locating and targeting individual frogs. Jets, trains, chainsaws and other man-made noises kick the frogs out of sync. This year, with the new silence, the frogs are always in sync. Good for the frogs, bad for the owls that like to eat them.

The majority of the earth is a noisy place. Alaskans are not used to that. How many of us have been out in the woods on a cool summer evening and heard the hundreds (maybe thousands), of mosquitoes humming around? Have you walked by a patch of fireweed and heard bees buzzing quietly as they busied themselves collecting nectar? These are sounds many city folks in the Lower 48 will be able to hear for the first time.

People sheltering in their residences have allowed the wild goats near a Wales town move down from the hills onto the city streets. They seem to like the quiet streets and peoples’ gardens. Deer are moving closer to some American cities. Coyotes are becoming braver around the edges of New York City.

Animals that we consider “wild” have always poked around the outskirts of big cities. Coyotes and foxes consider stray cats and rats easy food. There is a puma that lives in an Los Angeles park. The late Vern Seifert of Alaska caught falcons in New York City when he was young. They nested on the high-rises and ate pigeons.

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Wildlife is opportunistic and food oriented. The coronavirus has lessened human-animal interactions, and that’s going to be a winning situation for wild animals in almost every instance.

Horned owls were getting hammered along the highways of the Interior as they chased down varying hares crossing the road., because a white hare crossing black asphalt is an easy target for an owl. Now, with fast traffic out of the mix, it is much safer.

Quartz Lake, near Delta Junction, is normally crowded with fishermen in mid-April. The few fishermen working the lake this spring have limited competition. The result has been some very good catches. Bolio Lake, another Delta hotspot in April, doesn’t have a track on it.

Spring is heating up fast and the great snow in disappearing quickly in the 40- and 50-degree days. Bear hunters will find the hills deserted, but may have trouble negotiating deep slushy snow. An early start wasn’t much help this morning with night-time temperatures holding near 40. My Tundra struggled with water and soggy snow.

Folks, get out of your house and get lost in the joys of spring. Half of the fun and enjoyment of the new life of the season is getting out by yourself and becoming part of the quiet around you. Social distancing is not a mandate for the outdoors -- it is the norm. Why stop at the local Quik-stop for a doughnut? Bring some cookies from home and give the crumbs to the white-crowned sparrows and juncos who have just arrived from places south.

John Schandelmeier lives near Paxson with his family. He is a Bristol Bay commercial fisherman and a two-time Yukon Quest champion.

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John Schandelmeier

Outdoor opinion columnist John Schandelmeier is a lifelong Alaskan who lives with his family near Paxson. He is a Bristol Bay commercial fisherman and two-time winner of the Yukon Quest.

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