Sea, Sun, Sand and Squirrels

At first glance, the rocks below the concrete promenade appear to be moving, rippling like waves across the ocean.

The scene is a blur of skittering, scattering rodent activity. The squirrels--hundreds of them crawling over each other--are multiplying. It’s bearing season, and the little ones, tiny next to their snack-fattened parents, have gathered an audience.

Some of the curious, leaning against the metal railings on the San Buenaventura State Beach promenade, think the squirrels are cute and funny. But lots of people--including spectators and public health officials--find the rodents to be a nuisance. They would like to banish the squirrels from their habitat on the beach, saying they’re nothing more than flea-carrying vermin.

Although they seem to have been here for as long as anyone can remember, the squirrels began to thrive in great numbers only in the last decade, after the city had 60 to 100 feral cats that prowled the area hauled away to a desert sanctuary.

“That allowed the squirrel and rat population to increase exponentially,” said Kathy Jenks, director of the Department of Animal Regulation. “It took a meeting of the minds to decide the cats were a problem. I don’t know what’s going to happen to the squirrels.”

Although no one can say for certain exactly how many squirrels there are along the beaches, all agree there are a lot. And with the El Nino rains last year, there has been a surge of new plant growth, the perfect habitat for rodents. And with the plants has come a new battalion of squirrels.

“To see them all right by the seashore is strange. They don’t strike me as cute. They have those especially ratty, skinny tales,” said Joann Larson, a visitor from landlocked Turlock, who found herself oddly fascinated by the varmints.

Although their brethren in northern Ventura County bear that scourge of the Middle Ages, bubonic plague, which is spread by fleas, officials say these squirrels probably don’t carry life-threatening disease.

“They do have the potential of spreading disease,” said Randy Smith, the county’s environmental health specialist. “But first they have to be exposed to it. The potential on the riprap by the promenade is very low,” since the squirrels are unlikely to come into contact with an infected species.

There have been no reports of squirrel bites, and as a result the city has done little to thin the rodents’ ranks. But, that doesn’t mean parks officials necessary like the critters.

“We have a problem, and it’s not a new one,” said Terry Murphy, a supervisor for the city’s parks department. “People in the community throw food over the sea wall. We’re really trying to prohibit folks from feeding them.”

What many squirrel fans may not realize is that it’s a misdemeanor to feed the scurrying rodents. And although parks officials rarely enforce the law, staff members find themselves frequently asking people to stop the handouts, Murphy said. Attempting to remove the squirrels, though, could raise a hue and cry.

“It’s a 50-50 tossup between people who like them and people who don’t,” said Murphy. “People call and ask how to get rid of them, but then a lot of people eat their lunch there and throw French fries.”

Besides their potential for carrying disease, they also cause some damage.

The squirrels deserve some blame for beach erosion, Smith said, because of their penchant for digging tunnels and weakening the ground, offering the chance for ocean water to seep in and wear the sand away.

At Carpinteria State Beach, where Wes Chapin was a supervising ranger seven years ago, officials trapped and removed squirrels--far fewer than live on Ventura’s beach--after beach-goers complained that the animals were squeezing under car hoods and getting into engines or chewing through brake lines.

“The problem you have is the balance of nature is disrupted,” he said. “You’ve eliminated the predators, and they multiply and increase exponentially.”

But they certainly have their supporters.

Joe and Lori Gaskill of Ventura make regular trips to the promenade with bags of peanuts. Surrounded by hordes of pigeons and squirrels, which crept up close to their hands with only a moment of skittishness, the Gaskills couldn’t imagine the beach without them.

“How could you not love them?” asked Lori. “They’re just like our little pets. They practically eat out of our hands.”

At this point, the city has no plans to remove them. But, Smith warns spectators against getting too close.

“They look real cute and nice, but they do bite,” he said. “They are wild rodents.”