Our Mission
Tree Squirrels of California (TSOC) helps people understand and protect the state’s two native tree squirrels, the Western Gray and the Douglas, and offers guidance on living responsibly with the two introduced species. Through identification tools, habitat awareness, and citizen science, we guide California’s squirrel friends and foes alike toward better choices and peaceful coexistence.
Tree Squirrels of California isn’t a formal organization. It’s a personal education project, run by one person who’s a little squirrel-obsessed.
Some people adore squirrels.
Some… don’t. Let’s break it down.
Tree Squirrel Love?
- Delightful to watch, film and photograph
- Plant trees by forgetting buried acorns
- Help forests thrive by dispersing seeds and fungi
- They teach us about ecosystems and wildlife intelligence
- They’re just plain cute!
Tree Squirrel Woes?
- Digging up plants in gardens
- Chewing on wires, nesting in buildings and stripping tree bark
- Raiding bird feeders and picnic tables
- Non-natives threaten native squirrels and other native wildlife
- They sometimes carry parasites or disease
How I changed my mind
I’ll admit I started this site on the side of the natives because it seemed that the introduced species caused more problems, and I thought that they had displaced the natives.
I have lived with all four species at different times. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area near the Santa Cruz Mountains, where Eastern Grays had populated the cities and suburbs while Western Grays watched from the forested hills. For many years, the Eastern Gray’s established Bay Area range was concentrated south of the Golden Gate, although records now show populations in Marin County and scattered observations farther north. Now I live an hour north of the bridge, where Fox Squirrels have been expanding their territory through orchards, vineyards, neighborhoods, and regional parks. Different species, different county, but a similar pattern: introduced squirrels do especially well in the open, human-shaped landscape, while the native Western Grays remain much more closely associated with forest habitat.
So I set out to build a site that would convince people to love the natives more. Then I noticed what I had been leaving out. The Eastern species give people something the natives do not: camaraderie. They are wild animals, but they meet us partway, almost as if they liked us. They are funny and playful, sometimes annoying and pushy, and they will learn who you are. That is not nothing. It is much of the reason people brought them west to “renature” their cities in the first place, and it is much of the reason people love them now.
I still prefer the natives, but I wouldn't want to lose the fox squirrels in my local park, either. The problem I'm addressing is that many people do not know the difference between them. They take what they know of the bold, destructive newcomer and map it onto squirrels as a whole. Out here in the country I hear it constantly: squirrels are invasive, squirrels are pests. That is fair enough if your land backs onto an orchard. It is not true if you live at the edge of a forest where you are on the front line between the two. And these are people who could help protect the natives if they knew the difference. In a nutshell, the introduced species often give the natives a bad name.
Why This Site Exists
This site exists because squirrels are surprisingly hard to talk about objectively. Almost everyone has an opinion. Some people love watching and photographing them. Others are trying to identify the squirrel in the yard, or get one out of the attic. And most of us assume the squirrel we know is a good representative of squirrels in general. But if you’ve seen one squirrel, you certainly have not seen them all. Squirrels can behave very differently depending on the species, and even within a species, your local squirrels may have different habits than the same squirrels in another part of the country.
Squirrels are intelligent, adaptable, and genuinely fascinating. They can also dig up your garden starts, chew through drip lines, strip bark, and move into the attic, and in some situations they carry diseases that affect people or pets. Plenty of websites explain how to remove them. Fewer explain why they showed up in the first place, or that what you’re allowed to do depends on which species it is. Understanding what attracts them can prevent most conflicts before they start.
What We Do
Tree Squirrels of California is here to help you tell the four species apart, understand how each one lives, and see where they belong. You’ll find identification tools, species profiles, range maps, the story of how the eastern squirrels came west, and practical guidance for living with squirrels. It’s science-based, and it doesn’t take sides.
Squirrels are wild animals, and much of their behavior makes sense once you understand how they survive: finding food, raising young, competing for territory. Sometimes that brings them into conflict with people, and wildlife regulations can apply, especially when a squirrel is causing damage or needs to be relocated. Rather than tell you what to do, we’d like to give you the background to make informed decisions, and to clear up a few of the many misconceptions about these energetic rodents.
