Archived Chat with John Moriarty

Moderator: Hey, great chat session everybody! Thanks for participating. Also, a big thanks to John Moriarty for answering all of our questions! I hope you can join us for our next Bell LIVE! chat session. It will be with Host Researcher Lee Frelich tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. We hope you can join us!
john moriarty: logs off
john moriarty: Being able to get out into the parks to observe the wildlife and plants, especially in the areas that have been restored. This is because I know how bad it looked like prior to the restoration and how nice it looks now.
Moderator: The last question this morning comes from Anne in Menomonie 'What is your most favorite thing about your job?'
john moriarty: Moving or relocating deer has been looked into by the DNR and they found that it doesn't work. There are deer in most parts of Minnesota. If we move deer to rural Minnesota they are likely to be shot. Deer will also try to return to the original home range which causes them to cross more roads and orhter dangers. It was found that most relocated deer died within 1 year of the relocation
Moderator: Sarah from Minneapolis wants to know: 'Why do you have to shoot the deer? Why can't you just catch them and move them somewhere else?'
john moriarty: Sorry for the repeat. There are many volunteer opportunities in our parks and most park systems. Contact your local nature center to see how you can help.
john moriarty: Deer teeth continue to wear down. This wear is used to age deer. Eventually the deer wear the teeth down to the gum line (12+ years old). Most deer do not live long enough to have their teeth wear out.
Moderator: Nate from Duluth wants to know: 'Can people volunteer at parks like the kids on the video?'
john moriarty: Deer teeth continue to wear down. This wear is used to age deer. Eventually the deer wear the teeth down to the gum line (12+ years old). Most deer do not live long enough to have their teeth wear out.
Moderator: We have a follow up question from Kate: 'what happens if their teeth keep wearing down? Do new teeth grow in?'
john moriarty: Buckthorn is a tree that is native to Europe. It was brought over here as a hedge tree in the 1800's. Long before it was known to be invasive.
Moderator: Another question from Dan in Stillwater: 'Where did the buckthorn come from?'
john moriarty: Our teeth are different. Human teeth are covered with enamel which is very had. Deer teeth do not have enamel. This is difference found between carnivores and grazers.
Moderator: Kate from Anoka wants to know: 'Why do deer teeth get worn down? My teeth don't get worn down when I eat.'
john moriarty: If you hit a deer with your car, you should contact the police/sheriff. Do not approach a deer that is injuried because it can kick.
Moderator: Jim from Crookston wants to know: 'what should you do if your car hits a deer?'
john moriarty: There are no recent reports of moose in St. Paul, but there are moose reports in other parts of the metro. There are currently up to 3 moose just west of Minneapolis. Moose are not year round residents of the metro, just fall visitors.
Moderator: Jeanne from Duluth wants to know: 'Do you ever find moose in St. Paul?'
john moriarty: We burn prairies to control non-native and woody plants that compete with the prairie plants. Fires also release nutrients and removes buildups of thatch. Fires also stimulate flowering of prairie grasses and wildflowers.
Moderator: We have another question from Laura: 'I read your biography and you said you sometimes burn prairies. Why would you want to burn a prairie?'
john moriarty: We do annual deer surveys from helicopter. This way we know how many are in the parks. We use DNR recommendations of 25 deer per sq. mile of habitat ( We actually allow up to 40 deer). We then subtract the recommended number from our count to determine how many need to be reomoved. We also do vegetation surveys to see how much the deer are eating to see if they are eating too much.
Moderator: Luke from Chicago is wondering: 'How do you know how many deer need to be removed from an area?'
john moriarty: The deer like to hide in the swamps and wetlands. They also hide out in the open. When a deer beds down in tall prairie grass they cannot be seen.
Moderator: Erik is curious: 'where do deer like to hide out?'
john moriarty: Other "pesky" animals can include Canada Geese, meadow voles, turkeys, pocket gophers, raccoons, MOSQUITOES!!!. The pesky animals are good to have in the parks, but at times they are found in the wrong place or in too large of a population.
Moderator: Laura from Denver wants to know: 'What other kind of pesky animals do you find in your park?'
john moriarty: It depends on whether or not it grows in the sun or in the shade. In a sunny area a buckthorn will probably start producing seed at around 5 years.
Moderator: We have another question from Brooke in Bloomington: 'How long does it take a buckthorn tree to grow from seed?
john moriarty: The deer teeth are black becasue of tarter, just like your teeth would look if you didn't brush.
john moriarty: One disease that people are worried about is Lyme disease, which is spread by deer ticks. Deer ticks are actually spread by mice much more than deer.
Moderator: We also have another question from Lucy: 'How come the deer's teeth were all black?'
john moriarty: No. There are diseases that can be carried by deer or the bugs that live on them, but they are normally not spread to humans.
Moderator: We have another question from Erik: 'Do deer carry any diseases we should worry about?'
john moriarty: No, Buckthorn berries would not make a good jam. These berries are a cartharic (it gives you diarreha), not what I want on my toast. The best way to stop berry production is to cut the tree down.
Moderator: We have a great question from Brooke in Bloomington: 'Could the buckthorn berries be harvested for jam or something to keep them from spreading?'
john moriarty: A baby deer is called a fawn.
Moderator: Lauren all the way from Baton rouge wants to know: 'hey, what is another name for a baby deer?'
john moriarty: Yes, many people feed deer. This sometimes leads to problems, especially in urban areas. People normally feed deer corn or alfalfa hay. There are also special deer feed mixes that can be found a feed stores.
Moderator: Trevor from Duluth is wondering: 'Do people ever feed the deer? What do they feed them?'
john moriarty: There are several things you can do. You can use special sprays, like deer-away or Hinder, on your plants which make them taste bad. You can put a fence around your garden. I would also recommend that you contact your local DNR office for additional iformation.
Moderator: Lucy from Brainerd is wondering: 'The deer ate all of my mom's tulips last spring. How can we keep them away from the garden this spring?'
john moriarty: Yes, If the deer overbrowse the ecosystem it leads to decreases in small mammals and birds because of a loss of hiding and nesting cover.
Moderator: Erik from Westlake Academy wants to know: 'If too many deer come into an ecosystem, are any species displaced?'
john moriarty: I guess it would be wood turtles or bullsnakes, but I like most reptiles.
Moderator: We have another question from Sam: 'What is your favorite reptile?'
john moriarty: The deer have learned to live around people because there are few predators (mainly cars) and lots of good food. Healthly deer reproduce quickly and after several years the deer herds grow to large.
Moderator: Karsten from Duluth is curious: 'Why are there so many deer in your park?'
john moriarty: The hunters take the deer home to use as food.
Moderator: Dan from Stillwater wants to know: 'What do the hunters do with the deer after they shoot it?'
john moriarty: It takes a lot of practice. Most good archers spend several years shooting at targets before they shoot a deer. It is important to be a good shot, so that the deer is killed quickly and not wounded.
Moderator: Jill from Anoka is wondering: 'Is it hard to shoot a deer with a bow and arrow?'
john moriarty: I have red-footed tortoises, three-toed box turtles, Blanding's Turtles and Wood turtles (the last two species need a special permit to keep).
Moderator: Sam wants to know what kind of Turtles you have
Moderator: Our first question comes from Sam in St. Paul
john moriarty: Mary, Good Morning John
Moderator: Hello and welcome to the second Bell LIVE! Chat Session! This morning we are going to chat with Natural Resource Specialist, John Moriarty. We will start the chat at 9:00 a.m.