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I know about hantavirus and have thought about it. I wonder if weasels would or could live here. I'm about 1/4 mile from a riparian community but my property is a mixture of prairie grass and sagebrush.
I saw a weasel in Grand Teton out among the sagebrush once. It was near Kelly Warm Springs. Do weasels need to live in a riparian community?
I've encountered this attitude many times reading about rural areas, and in real life (being a resident of a "rural" area).
The simple fact is this divide exists. Urbanites, especially wealthy urbanites, are often portrayed as having a much different attitude than life-long residents of rural areas. Urbanites often establish a retirement or vacation or permanent home in rural areas seeking "peace" and "tranquility", only to find that they cannot take their nature hike on their newly-purchased acreage because it's hunting season and the risk of stray bullets hitting them is worse than in the toughest urban ghetto, or to discover on their weekend retreat that the "serene" and "ecologically precious" trails running through their wooded country estate have ruts in them from youth on ATVs and dirt bikes.
What do you think of this? City-people who have moved or established a home country-side, what was your perception of the natives, and was there any culture shock? Did you bridge it, and if you did, what did your "peace offering" consist of?
I'm a pastor of a small country church. I live in the city and commute on the weekends. As soon as our house sells, we will move to the country. I'm starting to hear a little bit of that--people are questioning why they don't find a more local guy, and why do they need to bring in a "city guy"?
Most of the people have been tremendously nice and welcoming. We are looking forward to country life.
Developers buy a farm, put up a couple dozen cookie cutter houses an sell them to clueless cityfolk, who then try and close down neighboring farms because of odors, dust, or sound, without the first thought about where the food on their table came from.
What you really want in your yard to get rid of deer mice is weasels (provided you don't have chickens). That's one of their main food sources and they actually can get into burrows. I don't know if there is a way to attract them in or not but it could help. Be careful if you find deer mouse droppings. I guess they are the biggest carriers of hantavirus.
I don't know about weasels, but friends in the N. England states had fisher cats (a relative of weasels) reintroduced for basically the same use ( kill off vermin) and they are becoming a total nuisance, wiping out too many of what they were brought in to control. Definitely unsafe for chickens and such where they live - like serving horsd'oevres when chicken are in an enclosure
Large snakes eat the mice and rats where I live. They all stay down in the creek and play together. Haven't seen hide nor hair of a mouse or rat in years. Snakes keep to themselves too. You may see the occasional cat out here, but there aren't many. Too many coyotes... I would recommend snakes for your rat problem, but then you might end up with a snake problem! LOL
Developers buy a farm, put up a couple dozen cookie cutter houses an sell them to clueless cityfolk, who then try and close down neighboring farms because of odors, dust, or sound, without the first thought about where the food on their table came from.
So, whose fault is it? The local who sold the farm? The developer? I mean, the developer did not "beat" the farm out of the local? Is it maybe the real estate agents and misleading advertising? I mean, I am sure nobody mentions to the "stupid city folk" before buying that the place will smell bad, have gunshots and hunting season etc. The real estate guy just wants their money . I have seen a lot of places advertised heavily to city people as a "clean getaway", "going back to Nature", "endless hiking opportunities", "dark skies".... Nowhere does it say a pig farm is part of Mother nature . Neither does it say "hiking in the middle of hunting season, better wear an orange vest"...
So, whose fault is it? The local who sold the farm? The developer? I mean, the developer did not "beat" the farm out of the local? Is it maybe the real estate agents and misleading advertising? I mean, I am sure nobody mentions to the "stupid city folk" before buying that the place will smell bad, have gunshots and hunting season etc. The real estate guy just wants their money . I have seen a lot of places advertised heavily to city people as a "clean getaway", "going back to Nature", "endless hiking opportunities", "dark skies".... Nowhere does it say a pig farm is part of Mother nature . Neither does it say "hiking in the middle of hunting season, better wear an orange vest"...
OD
The most important piece of whats missing with this simplistic theory is acknowledgment of the endless supply of developer money to local officials to make sure rural areas can be ruined with sprawl. There's a little more to it than a local selling a piece of land. If a rural area goes suburban, you can be 100% assured there was a lot of unethical dealings going on in the background. Money always wins
So, whose fault is it? The local who sold the farm? The developer? I mean, the developer did not "beat" the farm out of the local? Is it maybe the real estate agents and misleading advertising? I mean, I am sure nobody mentions to the "stupid city folk" before buying that the place will smell bad, have gunshots and hunting season etc. The real estate guy just wants their money . I have seen a lot of places advertised heavily to city people as a "clean getaway", "going back to Nature", "endless hiking opportunities", "dark skies".... Nowhere does it say a pig farm is part of Mother nature . Neither does it say "hiking in the middle of hunting season, better wear an orange vest"...
OD
caveat emptor, is something I have kept in mind before, during and after I have ever pulled my money out.
There are nice small towns that welcome people, and there are mean-spirited small towns where the locals aren't even friendly with each other. I've worked in both types.
It has a lot to do with the leadership in the churches and the schools.
If you have churches that for the most part cooperate with each other and tolerate each other's differences, the whole town will probably go that way.
If you have churches that compete with each other, denigrate each other, or are excessively controlling, its not going to be a pleasant community. You can't underestimate how big "church" is in the lives of a small town.
It has a lot to do with the leadership in the churches and the schools.
If you have churches that for the most part cooperate with each other and tolerate each other's differences, the whole town will probably go that way.
If you have churches that compete with each other, denigrate each other, or are excessively controlling, its not going to be a pleasant community. You can't underestimate how big "church" is in the lives of a small town.
Wyoming is very friendly to newcomers but church attendance here is only 34%. Apart from the LDS Church's providing a full social life for its members churches are inconsequential here. Government schools play no role whatsoever in the lives of people who don't have children in them. In ten years of living here I've never heard anyone mention either.
The most important influence here overall is the Republican Party. Community leaders are often active in the party.
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. I have seen a lot of places advertised heavily to city people as a "clean getaway", "going back to Nature", "endless hiking opportunities", "dark skies".... Nowhere does it say a pig farm is part of Mother nature 
