Pgr. Jodice et Sr. Humphrey, ACTIVITY AND DIET OF AN URBAN-POPULATION OF BIG CYPRESS FOX SQUIRRELS- A REPLY, The Journal of wildlife management, 57(4), 1993, pp. 930-933
Maehr (1993) is correct that Jodice and Humphrey (1992) did not conduc
t a comparative, quantitative study showing that urban landscapes are
more valuable than native ones for the threatened Big Cypress fox squi
rrel (Sciurus niger avicennia). However, the evidence supporting ow st
atement that ''populations on golf courses appear much denser than in
natural habitat'' (p. 691) is substantial albeit mostly qualitative. I
nsistence on better data does not justify inaction when the best avail
able data clearly indicate opportunities to realize wildlife benefits.
Use of harvest data to infer population status by Maehr (1993) is ala
rming in view of the history of failure of this approach to natural-re
source management. We proposed the comparative study Maehr thinks we s
hould have done, but the funding available was insufficient. We reiter
ate that the golf-course squirrels present an opportunity for conservi
ng wildlife, promoting favorable land use, and engaging a pro-wildlife
constituency, and we argue for seizing conservation opportunities whe
rever they occur, whether in urban or native context.