Environment

John Roach NBC News

22 hours ago

The world's remaining lions are in trouble. There are simply too many humans hungry for the same land the majestic cats roam. The more the human population grows, the more the lion population plummets. Only fences can keep one species from killing the other, according to a leading lion researcher.

In fenced reserves such as South Africa's Kruger National Park, which is as large as the state of New Jersey, "the population of lions is doing just fine," Craig Packer, an ecologist at the University of Minnesota, told NBC News from his research site in Tanzania.

"However, that is just a small proportion of the total African population of lions. The vast majority of lions live in unfenced reserves and the trends are pretty disturbing," he added.

Counting lions is notoriously difficult work. Current best estimates put the African population at around 35,000. Nearly half of the known populations in unfenced areas are declining to the point that within 20 to 30 years, they will be just 10 percent of their potential population, Packer said.

Humans pushing lions to the brink The reasons for the lion decline are many, most driven by humans, the researcher noted. The biggest is conversion of suitable lion habitat to farm land to support a human population that is projected to quadruple in Africa by the end of this century.

There's also a rise in human-lion conflict. "Lions kill cattle and eat people and people don't like that so there are a lot of retaliatory killings," Packer explained. The killings used to be done with spears and bows and arrows. Today poisoning is ubiquitous, he said.

Other factors behind the loss of lions include poorly managed trophy hunting and the bushmeat trade, which robs lions of their prey and often leads to lions inadvertently getting caught in traps.

Originally posted here:
Will fences save Africa's lion king?

Coral Springs has amended an existing law to allow residents living on canals to place fences within water-control district rights-of-way, subject to the district's permission. Fences and landscaping cannot be placed less than 20 feet from the water line.

The change comes after it came to the city's attention that Coral Springs Improvement District (CSID) and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) had granted approval for residents to locate private fences within canal rights-of-way. The city's original law prohibited installation of fences outside private property, except for properties in zero lot-line developments with off-set areas between homes.

Of the six water drainage districts in the city, only CSID and SFWMD were initially in favor of allowing fences to encroach into their canal rights-of-way. Subsequently, Sunshine Water Control District also sought the authority to allow or reject pleas from homeowners to install fences on its property. Not every district is in favor of the new law, but districts will not be mandated to approve fences within their rights-of-way.

According to the amended law, residents will be allowed to extend their fences into canal rights-of-way, if there is written approval from the water-control district. Fences and landscaping cannot be placed less than 20 feet from the normal water line. All landscaping within the district's property should be native materials and has to be maintained by the owner.

The city's Planning and Zoning Board voted against the change when it initially discussed the issue in November last year. After Sunshine Water Control, North Springs Improvement, and Coral Springs Improvement districts indicated they are in favor of the proposed amendment, the board, at its meeting in May, recommended changing the law.

Ted Mena, CSID vice president and former city official, was happy to see the law change. "This is about common sense and doing something for the public. We have to be flexible in times of change. We still have the authority to decline requests from residents."

CSID manager Ken Cassel said that the district was disappointed by the way in which the city had decided on amending the law. The district did not have enough time to provide input on the subject, he added.

City Attorney J J Hearn, however, said that the item had in no way "sprung up in the dark." Notices had been sent to all water-control districts informing them about the proposed change. "We do have home-rule authority," he said. "The districts may not agree, but we think this is the right answer."

The city is trying to do what is acceptable to residents and all drainage districts, City Manager Erdal Donmez said. "We try to figure out what is acceptable for everyone. CSID, initially, wanted no limitations at all. That was not acceptable. This is the city's minimum requirement. Each district can establish its own. If there is no minimum, we could have fences all the way down to the edge of the water."

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Springs allows fences within water district rights-of-way

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Nutley Revenue and Finance Commissioner Thomas Evans has introduced municipal ordinances that would restrict fences and building use, the latter where parking is inadequate.

FILE PHOTO

Nutley Revenue and Finance Commissioner Thomas Evans proposes a prohibition on fences in front yards.

An amended township code would prohibit any type of fence in a front yard. In addition, the ordinance details requirements for side and rear fences.

Evans also introduced an ordinance prohibiting certain building or premises use unless there is onsite parking.

This would include family dwellings, restaurants, retail stores, offices, hospitals and warehouses, according to the ordinance.

A two-family dwelling should have a minimum of four parking spaces, with at least one space being a garage. Restaurants and bars would be required to have a minimum of one parking space for each 10 seats, the ordinance states. Offices would need a minimum of one parking space for each 300 square feet of floor area.

Public hearings on the ordinances are slated for Tuesday, Aug. 20.

The Nutley Board of Commissioners approved a bond ordinance for capital improvements.

Sponsored by Evans, the ordinance appropriates an aggregated amount of $1.48 million. The amount also authorizes "the issuance of $1.4 million bonds or notes of the township for financing part of the cost."

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Nutley proposal: No front-yard fences

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Good old-fashioned suburbia will never be the same. Bigger, modern homes on smaller, modern parcels leave little space for gardening and trees. What is not shaded by the taller homes is shaded by the taller fences, which are needed for privacy since the homes are closer together. Building codes in most municipalities limit the height of fences, but lattice screens are often added on top for extra height.

Because lumber is not of the quality that it was when shorter, light-duty redwood fences were built decades ago, relatively expensive modern fences do not last nearly as long. They might last longer if they were repaired instead of replaced when only the posts rot. Green technology seemed to work better before it became trendy.

Ironically, no one wants these bigger and bolder fences that are closer to home to be so prominent in the landscape. We try to obscure them with vines that can tear them apart, or shrubbery that can push them over. Watering these vines and shrubs accelerates rot in the posts.

Shrubbery intended to obscure a fence should not be so voracious that it wants to displace the same fence that it is intended to obscure. Some types of pittosporum work nicely because they support themselves without leaning against other features in their surroundings too much, even if they eventually get quite large. However, they do get quite thick, and can obscure a fence so well that no one would miss the fence if it were to get pushed over. A good hedge without a fence is sometimes a better option.

Many types of vines can be kept much closer to a fence than shrubbery can, but most tend to be more destructive. Star jasmine works nicely if allowed to climb a trellis directly in front of the fence, but should not be allowed to get between planks in the fence, or to get too intertwined in lattice. If it gets too fluffy, it can be shorn back like a light hedge.

Clinging vines like creeping fig can be very appealing on fences, and can be shorn like hedges, but will eventually necessitate the replacement of the fences they climb. For those who appreciate such a tailored appearance, replacement of the affected fences every several years or annual hard pruning of the fast growing vines is a fair compromise.

Once established, most shrubs and many vines that are large enough to obscure fences do not need much water. Plants that want significant water can be problematic to fences they are adjacent to, since moisture in the soil accelerates rot in fence posts. Thick foliage and foliar litter on the ground shade the soil and hold moisture in. Irrigation systems (sprinklers), whether they are for shrubs or vines intended to obscure a fence or for something as simple as lawn, should not spray water onto fences. Unfortunately, most fences naturally involve neighbors who are not necessarily as concerned with the maintenance of the fences.

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Good fences make good neighbors

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