Not feeling the (muskrat) love in Ventura

(Above) An estimated 2,000 to 5,000 muskrats call the Ventura Marsh their home.-Reporter photo.

by Marianne Gasaway

A muskrat invasion.  That’s what Ventura City Clerk Else Taylor says residents are calling it.

Conservation officials prefer the phrase “planned marsh management.”

Either way, it’s making for some interesting times on the west end of Clear Lake.

“I’ve had people tell me muskrats are running up and down Main Street, going by the Post Office and across peoples’ decks,” said Taylor, adding she takes about a half dozen calls a week from concerned, if not angry, residents.

Conservation Officer Matt Washburn and Department of Natural Resources Furbearer and Wetland Biologist Vince Evelsizer admit they’ve never seen migrations to this extent, but say it is simply a response to the drain down of Ventura Marsh done in early December.

Planned management of the marsh has been a key element in the success of the C.L.E.A.R. Project.  Lowering the water level effectively kills the carp in the marsh, and ultimately the quality of the water flowing into the lake is improved.  Healthy marsh vegetation is credited with tying up unwanted nutrients and preventing them from flowing into the lake.

“Basically what happened is that the muskrats had settled into their huts and when warm weather arrived they became more active.  They came out and discovered their water was gone and they have gone looking for it,” explained Evelsizer.

Problem is, there are an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 muskrats who call the 570-plus acre Ventura Marsh home.  The majority of the ‘rats’ reside in the east half of the marsh where water is deeper.  Evelsizer notes the rats help the marsh, as a whole, by eating vegetation, providing a good base for predators and naturally creating pockets of open water which draw in swans and Canada Geese.

“They create a great natural nesting habitat.  Muskrats are very desirable in marshes,” he added.

“Changes in water levels help marshes stay in good condition which helps lake water quality and wildlife,” explained Washburn.   “Recreational use of the marsh is up. Hunting and trapping numbers are up.”

The scheduled draw down of the marsh, combined with unseasonably warm weather throughout much of December, created  “an uncommon occurrence brought about by normal marsh management.

But what should residents do when confronted by a muskrat in their yard, on

[wlm_nonmember]To read more of this article, please login or sign up for our E-Edition[/wlm_nonmember][wlm_ismember]

the deck, or even in their ice shacks?

“We have to remember that we are in their backyard.  We moved in next to them,” said Evelsizer.

Truth is, they look more intimidating than they really are, say experts.

“They are not a dirty animal and no decontamination is needed.  They do not pose a health danger to humans or animals. They are not looking to hurt humans and are typically non-aggressive.  If people scare off a muskrat, it probably will move on,” said Washburn.  “They’re primarily nocturnal and inactive when it is cold.  They prefer to wait the cold out patiently in their huts.”

Despite the unlikelihood that a muskrat would cause damage to property, concerned residents may dispatch the animal themselves or contact Nuisance Wildlife Control officers who will remove the animal.  Those officers are listed on Iowadnr.gov.

Luke Brager, who lives on the west edge of Ventura, said he sees roughly eight muskrats a day in his backyard and one made its way into his garage.

“There is nothing but grass between my house and the marsh, so there have been isolated incidents of seeing muskrats, but never like this,” said Brager.  “There’s quite an influx when it warms up.”

Brager said he has not been worried about the rats and has not actively pursued killing the animals, however his dogs have caught two of them.  “They’re not very fast, so the dogs caught sight of them and had them before I knew it.”

Jim Cash, from Ventura, had a little more startling muskrat sighting.  Cash discovered a rat had come up through a hole in the ice he had left open in his ice shack.

“I had left the heat on and a bucket over the hole, which he must have pushed up to come on in,” said Cash.  “He made himself right at home.  It isn’t the first time it’s happened.  I’ve seen them come up the hole next to the fish line.”

Washburn and Evelsizer say the “muskrat invasion” should subside as snow melts and water levels rise again in the marsh in the months to come.  In the meantime, they advise everyone to be good neighbors.

“For 25 years we have been on a long, downward trend with numbers at the marsh.  Those numbers rise and fall.  It’s a good thing to have wildlife like this.”

According to the DNR, muskrats may be trapped until the end of the month with no license.  Those with concerns, or wanting more information should contact Washburn or T.J. Herrick at the County Wildlife Office, 829-3285.  The Iowa DNR office, where Evelsizer is stationed, may be reached at 357-3517.

[/wlm_ismember]