Photo By Pfc. Michael Neuenhoff | Justin Vollmer, a conservation law enforcement officer at Marine Corps Air Station...... read more read more
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Located within the Croatan National Forest, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina, is bordered by swamp-lands, heavily wooded areas and the Neuse River. A lot of these areas have hardly been touched by the human hand, leaving a perfect home for many critters and larger animals.
There are a large variety of animals that call MCAS Cherry Point home, many of which can cause serious harm or even death. Ranging from poisonous spiders, snakes and alligators, to include the occasional black bear.
“Here on Cherry Point, we’ve got your large mammals like coyotes, deer and occasionally a bear or two,” said Justin Vollmer, a conservation law enforcement officer at MCAS Cherry Point. “Then we also have your smaller ones like foxes, raccoons, and opossums, along with different reptiles and insects.”
MCAS Cherry Point is near a bear habitat, so during the spring and summer months, the season for bear migration, it is very common for humans and bears to come into close proximity or contact with one another.
“Black bear populations have been increasing and expanding,” said Alan Steinhauer, the MCAS Cherry Point game warden, “these bears will often times migrate through the base but, they don’t usually stay here for too long.”
There is a very low population of bears, if any, that live on MCAS Cherry Point. Most of the sightings and reports have been bears that were just passing through the area during the migration. The base doesn’t have much to offer bears, especially with the amount of development and large human footprint.
As always, safety is paramount when dealing with wildlife of any sort. Spring and summer are the most dangerous times of the year when it comes to encountering wildlife. Whether you are camping, hiking or merely just going to the beach you are constantly entering the food chain. The best course of action when you are outside is to be constantly vigilant of your surroundings and if you notice a dangerous wild animal, or signs one has been there recently, leave the area immediately.
The most highly populated areas of wildlife are the densely wooded areas, and areas that are damp and marshy near bodies of water.
“Around the marsh-lands is where you’ll find most of the dangerous animals here on base,” said Vollmer. “We have alligators that like to move around, venomous snakes, mosquitoes, and poisonous spiders.”
On MCAS Cherry Point, there are six different types of venomous snakes and two main species of poisonous spiders. There are Copperheads, Timber rattlesnakes, Diamondbacks, Pygmy rattlesnakes, Cottonmouths, and Coral snakes. Along with black widow spiders and brown recluses.
If at any time you encounter some sort of dangerous animal the best thing to do is leave it alone and get in contact with the MCAS Cherry Point Police Department or the conservation office.
“Most of the time, if you just give an animal its space and leave it alone, it won’t bother you,” said Vollmer. “But if you feel threatened or in any type of danger its best to contact us immediately.”
For further information on regulations and safety concerns, contact the Conservation office at 252-466-3242 / 3593, or call 252-466-5123 to reach the MCAS Cherry Point Police Department desk sergeant.
| Date Taken: | 07.20.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2020 12:58 |
| Story ID: | 374271 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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