Wild pigs dig Portola Valley Wild pigs dig Portola Valley (August 14, 2002)

** Feral pigs appear to be spreading from Skyline to Portola Valley, where they have trashed people's yards and town fields.

By Marion Softky

Almanac Staff Writer

It all started on a recent Thursday night when the dog started barking.

Bill Vermeere and Diana Koin dragged themselves out of bed to see several pigs rooting around the oak tree in front of their Portola Valley home off Alpine Road near the foot of Windy Hill.

"The area under the oak tree is trashed," Dr. Koin told the Almanac.

This may be the first time the feral pigs that have been rooting hillsides and wallowing in wetlands up Skyline for several years have been spotted in the foothills as far north as lower Portola Valley.

If the visitations continue and spread, it's bad news for an area where residents treasure the natural environment and wildlife. Mr. Vermeere and Dr. Koin, for example, have no fence around the front of their house. "We always wanted it to be a wildlife corridor -- but I mean native wildlife, not invaders," said Dr. Koin.
Rossotti's Field

As of last week, Town Hall had heard of no other pig sightings. Nor had Corte Madera School or Portola Valley Ranch, across Alpine Road. However, the Town staff has been investigating pig damage on Rossotti's Field, across town from Mr. Vermeere. The damage was "very impressive," said Town Administrator Angie Howard. "There was a big patch where it looked like someone had taken a hoe and dug it up."

But the pig problem has been serious farther south along Skyline for several years. The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, state parks, San Mateo and Santa Clara County parks, the Peninsula Open Space Trust, and private landowners have been hit by the pig invasion; they are all currently trapping and killing pigs that are devastating their lands, streams and wetlands.

The open space district has killed 266 wild porkers -- "so far" -- since it started trapping pigs two years ago, said Cindy Roessler, resource management specialist for the district, which owns and manages thousands of acres along Skyline.

"We're not catching many right now. During the summer they move down into the coastal area," she said. "Pigs look where things are green and where the food is."

Dick Seever, who does most of the pig trapping locally and in the Bay Area, visited Portola Valley last week. He found evidence of two pig families on different sides of town. "There are probably a couple of sows and some babies," he said. "They're going to stay. You might as well get used to it."
What to do

In San Mateo County, Pig Central is down by Long Ridge Ranch Open Space Preserve in the South Skyline area.

Dick Schwind, chairman of the South Skyline Association, bought out Orchard Supply's last stock of heavy wire "pig fence" for his 1,500-foot perimeter. It has to be sturdy, he said, and it can be 4 feet or lower. "Pigs don't jump fences."

The second line of defense is trapping. Mr. Schwind said the open space district's trapping program has significantly reduced the number of pigs and their damage. "It's been marvelously successful," he said.

If the pigs continue to trash fields and yards in Portola Valley, the town will have to take steps. "I will take it to the council," Ms. Howard said.

Apparently trapping is the only effective way to get rid of pigs. They are tough, smart, prolific, and dangerous when caught. They can't be caught and relocated; nobody wants them. Ms. Roessler suggested you could help discourage them by not leaving cat and dog food outside. Even so, they eat almost everything -- acorns, bulbs, fruit, mice, grubs, red-legged frogs, and so on.

Trapping pigs requires a depredation permit from the California Department of Fish and Game. These can be obtained privately by individuals or groups, or by the town. It requires a site visit to determine damage and establish conditions, said Game Warden Lorraine Sinclair. Whoever gets a permit would also need permission to shoot the animal once caught.

The alternative could be further devastation to fields, streams, and yards. "If you don't keep them under control, the numbers can boost up so quickly," said Ms. Roessler.
INFORMATION

For information or to report damage, call Portola Valley at 851-1700; the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District at 691-1200; the Department of Fish and Game at 831-649-2801 - enforcement, or log onto www.dfg.ca.gov.