8
in other words
may18
2017
Diggin’ in the Dirt: A Mouse in the House
By Chip Bubl
Oregon State University
Extension Service - Columbia County
Homesteading in Vernonia
Homesteading in Vernonia will
be held at the Vernonia Public Library
on Wednesday, May 24 at 6:30 pm. The
class will describe the variety of plants,
animals, waterfowl, game birds, and fish
that can be grown and/or harvested with-
in Columbia County. There will also be
a follow-up discussion on raising meat
on your property within the city limits
or outside of them. The presenter is Chip
Bubl, OSU Extension agent. The pro-
gram is free and open to the public.
A mouse (or more) in the house
There are two different mice that
share our houses in Columbia County.
The native deer mouse (Peromyscus ma-
niculatus) is by far the most com-
mon species. In the more urbanized
parts of the county, the European
house mouse (Mus musculus) may
be a significant species, but rarely
the most abundant. They are easy
to tell apart. The deer mouse has
white feet, a white underbelly, and
white under its softly hairy tail. The
European house mouse has no pure
white coloration and it has smaller ears,
a chunkier, more compact body, and a
shorter, hairless tail in comparison to the
deer mouse. The upper color of the deer
mouse can be gray (when immature) and
red/brown to dark brown when mature.
Both of these species are very different
from the field mice (voles) that inhabit
our pastures and landscapes (and aren’t
interested in houses at all).
The deer mouse is very com-
mon in our forests and areas with mixed
shrubs, trees, and grass. They are om-
nivorous, dining on insects, fungi,
plants, seeds, and whatever else they can
find with their sensitive noses. In turn,
they are a meal for bobcats, house cats,
sometimes dogs, coyotes, fox, weasels,
skunks, owls, and snakes.
FORM LB-1
They are incredibly agile climb-
ers and can get in through very small
holes in structures.
In the absence of human struc-
tures, deer mice nest in tree cavities and
stumps, under rocks and logs, and in
other protected spaces. The nests look
like mouse nests and the droppings are
similar to European house mice as well.
Moss is a preferred nest material but in-
sulation is fine as well. They are very
social and generally are active at night.
They don’t really hibernate, especially
in heated houses, but they can slow way
down in extremes of heat or cold.
Deer mice breed rather promis-
cuously and a female can give birth to a
litter with several males’ genetics. They
generally breed two or more times a year
with litters of 1 to 9. The young are inde-
pendent after three weeks and can breed
at six weeks.
The perception is that deer mice
are more common this year in houses
and other structures. Rodent popula-
tions, in general, fluctuate in response to
feed quality and quantity and sometimes
disease. It is thought that Douglas fir and
big leaf maple seeds could impact breed-
ing since they are both preferred food
sources. I think it was a good year for
maple seeds but not sure about fir cones.
In addition, the cold winter may have
driven more to look for heated shelter.
Either way, it isn’t good to have
them as house guests. They can damage
wiring, causing serious fires. This isn’t
all that uncommon with mice, rats, and
squirrels.
Deer mice are also the only vec-
tor in Oregon for the hanta virus. This
NOTICE OF BUDGET HEARING
A public meeting of the Columbia County 4H & Extension Service District will be held on June 7th, 2017 at 5:30 pm at Columbia County Courthouse, St. Helens , Oregon.
The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017 as approved by the Columbi County 4H and Extension Service District
Budget Committee. A summary of the budget is presented below. A copy of the budget may be inspected or obtained at OSU Extension Office, 505 N. Columbia River
Highway, St. Helens, OR, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. This budget is for an annual budget period. This budget was prepared on a basis of accounting that is
the same as the preceding year.
Contact: Chip Bubl
virus has to be inhaled to cause the dis-
ease. The respiratory disease is very
serious since 40% of the people diag-
nosed, perish. Fortunately, hanta virus
incidence in Oregon is low and most of
it has been diagnosed east of the Cas-
cades. There has been about one case
a year for the past 20 years in Oregon.
Recently, there was an unusual cluster of
the disease near Seattle. Human expo-
sure to the disease comes from cleaning
up mouse debris with a vacuum and/or a
broom. The broom or vacuum aerosolize
the virus making it easy to inhale. While
a standard surgical mask is better protec-
tion than nothing, it isn’t perfect. The
CDC suggests spraying mouse infested
quarters with a 10% bleach solution and
letting it sit for 10-20 minutes and then
wet-mop the space.
Deer mice (and European house
mice) are easily trapped. They invested
(in their evolutionary path) heavily
on reproduction rather than brains.
They will visit traps baited with pea-
nut butter and seeing one trapped
mouse doesn’t deter the others from
coming to sniff and lick. In fact, I
am convinced that trapping the first
mouse is the hardest and that the
smell brings the others in rapid suc-
cession.
Closing off as many openings
in the outer “shell” of the house is the
best preventive approach. Deer mice
don’t gnaw like rats. Look for openings
around pipes that go from outside in.
Plug the gaps with steel wool. Same for
any other cracks you can find.
Baits are the last choice only
because there are concerns with direct
toxicity if domestic animals eat the bait
directly. Since mice are known to cache
bait, it may have been safe where you
put it but not where they moved it. Bait
stations help to reduce non-target poi-
soning but are not perfect. Finally, poi-
soned mice often die in the walls or un-
der the house and do stink for a time. But
their odor curve isn’t near that of a dead
rat. Still, since they are so easy to trap,
that management approach combined
with house tightening should be your
primary control measures.
For more information see: http://
ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/
pn74161.html. Photo courtesy of the
Center for Disease Control.
Food Safety or Food Preservation
Questions? OSU Extension Service
Has Answers.
Are you planning to preserve
food from your garden or purchased
from a farm this summer? If so, call or
visit the OSU Extension Service office
before you start canning, freezing, or
drying. Costly and potentially harmful
mistakes can be made by using outdated
canning recipes and instructions. You
can find free publications at the Colum-
bia County Extension office located at
505 N. Columbia River Highway in St.
Helens (across from the Legacy Clinic).
If you have questions, phone the office at
(503) 397-3462. You can download for
free all our food preservation publica-
tions at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/
fch/food-preservation. An additional
great resource is the National Center for
home Food Preservation at http://www.
uga.edu/nchfp/.
Take excess produce to the food bank,
senior centers, or community meals
programs. Cash donations to buy food
are also greatly appreciated.
The Extension Service offers its pro-
grams and materials equally to all
people.
Free newsletter
The Oregon State University Extension
office in Columbia County publishes a
monthly newsletter on gardening and
farming topics (called Country Living)
written/edited by yours truly. All you
need to do is ask for it and it will be
mailed to you. Call (503) 397-3462 to
be put on the list. Alternatively, you can
sign up for email notification of when to
find the latest edition on the web at
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/colum-
bia/.
Contact information for the Extension
office
Oregon State University Extension Ser-
vice – Columbia County
505 N. Columbia River Highway (across
from the Legacy clinic)
St. Helens, OR 97051
503 397-3462
Email: chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu
Email: chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu
Telephone: 503 397-3462
FINANCIAL SUMMARY - RESOURCES
TOTAL OF ALL FUNDS
Actual Amount
2015-16
429,950
Beginning Fund Balance/Net Working Capital
17,804
Fees, Licenses, Permits, Fines, Assessments & Other Service Charges
Federal, State and all Other Grants, Gifts, Allocations and Donations
Revenue from Bonds and Other Debt
Interfund Transfers / Internal Service Reimbursements
20,000
All Other Resources Except Current Year Property Taxes
Current Year Property Taxes Estimated to be Received
247,296
Total Resources
715,050
Adopted Budget
This Year 2016-17
504,519
23,000
Approved Budget
Next Year 2017-18
529,519
21,000
23,000
20,000
257,000
807,519
272,000
842,519
149,475
119,500
8,000
116,200
114,500
9,000
23,000
20,000
507,544
807,519
582,819
842,519
FINANCIAL SUMMARY - REQUIREMENTS BY OBJECT CLASSIFICATION
Personnel Services
133,554
Materials and Services
82,452
Capital Outlay
9,222
Debt Service
Interfund Transfers
20,000
Contingencies
Special Payments
Unappropriated Ending Balance and Reserved for Future Expenditure
469,822
Total Requirements
715,050
FINANCIAL SUMMARY - REQUIREMENTS AND FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT EMPLOYEES (FTE) BY ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT OR PROGRAM *
Name of Organizational Unit or Program
FTE for that unit or program
FTE Extension Programs
Not Allocated to Organizational Unit or Program
FTE
Total Requirements
Total FTE
3
3
3
0
715,050
3
0
807,519
3
0
842,519
3
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN ACTIVITIES and SOURCES OF FINANCING *
Transition in classified staff will lower personnel costs in FY 17-18.
Permanent Rate Levy (rate limit _________ per $1,000)
Local Option Levy
Levy For General Obligation Bonds
PROPERTY TAX LEVIES
Rate or Amount Imposed
2015-16
0.0571
STATEMENT OF INDEBTEDNESS
Estimated Debt Outstanding
on July 1.
Rate or Amount Imposed
This Year 2016-17
0.0571
Rate or Amount Approved
Next Year 2017-18
0.0571
Estimated Debt Authorized, But
Not Incurred on July 1
General Obligation Bonds
Other Bonds
Other Borrowings
Total
$0
$0
* If more space is needed to complete any section of this form, insert lines (rows) on this sheet. You may delete blank lines.
LONG TERM DEBT
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