Where Did They Go?
By Mona Lease

Hi, all!! I've been watching a piece of property for the last few years or so, now. It sets in a very small village - no gas stations, no business at all - of any kind. A major highway runs through a small section of it. The realtor worked two interested buyers against each other and raised the buying price every so often until neither party bought it. Some time back, it finally sold.

Now the new owner has torn down the house and all of the trees - all of them!! The new owner intends to put in a convenience store or, if that fails - a housing project (I was personally told). I realize that people can do what they want with their properties but - environmentalist that I am - I see trouble. Businesses have come and gone in this little "burg." They simply can not compete with the ones that are a corporation - Speedway - Pak.A.Sak - etc.

For the environmental part - convenience store or not - the grass will go - replaced with asphalt. Now that the trees are gone - where will the birds that nested and rested there go? As a rule - Darke County is home to deer, racoons, squirrels, chipmunks, buzzards, owls,coyotes, wild turkeys, pheasants, possums, various hawks (I've seen red-tailed hawks), hummingbirds (they migrate here from South America!),turtles, snakes,spiders (Brown Recluse and Black Widow have been seen here), Bald Eagles have been seen here (that's our Nation's Symbol of Freedom, by the way), etc. You get the idea here - right?

When was the last time you saw an earthworm on your sidewalk or patio after a rain? We need those to keep the soil aerated - they crawl around and leave little tunnels as they go - kind of a "triple play" here - 1)they keep the soil churned, 2)their "droppings" are a natural fertilizer, and 3)they are food for birds and other "worm eaters." Remember - the bird eats the worms, cats eat the birds, something eats the cat, etc. This is why we see coyotes in towns - where did their food go? They don't know and they're looking for it.

Now for the hated "starlings: and such (crows?)..they are "tougher birds" - maybe that's where the saying "tough as an old bird" originated. Since the quest for food is on - only the tough survive - and the "tough" chase off the weaker ones...hummingbirds, bluebirds (I've seen one "for real" bluebird - dark summer sky blue - in southwest Darke County), etc.

As a reality check - Greenville had 13,105 people and Darke County had 52,507 - according to the 2012 census. And that was not enough to support Marsh's, Eikenberry's N, and now, Staples & K.Mart. - you get the idea here, too - right? So - the last I checked gas was $3.59 a gallon, (cheap stuff), cigarettes $4,29 a pack (cheap ones), "big slam" sodas were $2.29 at a "convenience store." You can usually get a hotdog for $1.00 or a "two-fer" - two dogs for maybe $3.50 - give or take.

For the above mentioned property - it sets in a residentially zoned area. - rules will need to be "by-passed" - surrounding homeowners will vote on whether to let him build the convenience store. As a side note - being as it is "in the country" - so to speak - the well and septic will need to be brought up to Ohio's new code - starting January 1, 2014.

If you've not seen a "bunch of earthworms" on your sidewalk or patio after a rain (We used to collect them as a kid and sell them.- easy money as a kiddie!), there's trouble. If you don't see butterflies (we had Monarchs in abundance), there's trouble. If you're not seeing wildlife the way you used to, there's trouble. If you're seeing wildlife that kept hidden in years past and it bothers you or even scares you - it's because the "something that eats something littler, that eats something littler" - is out of balance. And I don't think the answer to this one is more money or another convenience store...do you?

Remember the kiddies and our service people. Take good care of the furry and feathered ones out there. Be safe and healthy. See ya next time. Ever Toodles!! MONA