Getting Boared

GETTING BOARED… As a member of a marine ecosystem, Squid knows the laws of nature: Without predators, a species can flourish – good for them – but also upset the balance of the ecosystem to the point where it’s bad for everyone else.

Such appears to be the case now for wild pigs in Monterey County, where in the 1920s, George Gordon Moore – a wealthy socialite, and an avid hunter – released wild boars at Rancho San Carlos in Carmel Valley, introducing them to the West Coast. They have since run rampant. They breed so fast you must kill 70 percent of them annually just to keep the population even – that’s a lot of hunting and trapping.

Dan Burton, owner of Seaside-based Urban Trapping Wildlife Control, which is contracted by the county to manage wild pigs in Monterey County Parks, says it’s not a matter of if there is an impending pigpocalypse, but when. He says pigs are starting to come down out of the foothills after the recent rains to feed on roots and bugs and whatnot – they love tearing up well-tended lawns, a problem for county parks – but on the phone with Squid’s colleague he shared a warning: “Once we do go back to a period of severe drought, I believe there will be a massive pig bomb in Monterey County,” he says. “It’s not hard to imagine feral pigs running down the streets of Salinas. It’s just a matter of time.”

Squid’s never had a wild boar taco, but that might be a silver lining.

TEETOTALING TIMEOUT… During the holidays Squid considered doing “Dry January,” but indulged in mimosas on New Year’s Day and decided “damp January” – focusing on moderation instead – fit the bill. A week later, Squid learned the Carmel City Council discussed whether or not to go dry at the city’s “Third Thursdays” events, held the third Thursday of each month, March through October during the weekly farmers market. (Except August because, Car Week.)

Third Thursdays are festive affairs that include music, artist demonstrations and activities for children. In January 2023, the City Council officially approved the sale of alcohol. It’s been sold during three different events, with no reported issues.

On Jan. 8, councilmembers revisited the topic for 2024, and there was resistance from councilmembers Alissandra Dramov and Karen Ferlito who declared serving alcohol was antithetical to the “family-friendly” events. “I love the Third Thursday events, I really do. I don’t happen to think alcohol is necessary,” Ferlito said. Parents, she said, should be minding their children and imbibing could be a distraction. Mayor Dave Potter and councilmembers Bobby Richards and Jeff Baron disagreed and the measure passed 3-2.

Squid is not impressed by such clutching at pearls. A glass of wine that benefits local nonprofits is hardly worth the protest.