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Cherished, though weird, mascot graces town
White squirrels scamper through Olney, Ill., providing community with rare idol

By Amanda Jacobson
Staff editor

In places where citizens strive for a sense of community, they often rally around a source of pride or distinction. For instance, Mattoon, Ill. celebrates the bagel, since it is the home to the Lender's Bagel factory. The entire state of Wisconsin unites over its skill and affinity for making cheese.

The little town of Olney, Ill. just happens to be extremely proud of its high population of albino squirrels. The flag of Olney, the key to the city, the daily newspaper and even the police cars all bear the emblem of the white squirrel. For those who live in Olney, being from the "Home of the White Squirrels" is a source of tongue-in-cheek fame. The approaching 2002 new year marks the 100^th year that the white squirrel has been Olney's mascot.

Mayor Kelly Henby thought Olneans have always been fond of the white squirrels. "It depends on how much time you spend in Olney. When you're close to something, you take it for granted. When people come to Olney, they say, 'I want to see the white squirrels.'" He said the squirrels are not only a source of tourism, but "something to hang on to."

Dr. John Stencel, a biological science teacher at Olney Central College, has headed a study of the white squirrels for 22 years. Stencel described the white squirrels as "true albinos" because they had pure white fur, white skin, and pink eyes. He has found that they don't come out in bright sunlight because they can't see, and the whites are less hardy than the grays.

Stencel published a 10-year study in the "Midland Naturalist," a scientific journal based out of Notre-Dame. He is eagerly working toward publishing a 22-year study to assure the data does not go to waste. He explained that when a study is published "it's science." The last 12 years of his work will not be official until it is published.

The study consisted of a yearly white squirrel count, which found the ratio of gray squirrels to white squirrels. His students and volunteers got together on the last three Saturdays of October to walk 34 routes and tally up the numbers of whites and grays. The participants count a total of three times and average the results for the year's ratio. The October 1999 count yielded a ratio of 4.14-to-1 (gray to white), which was a slight improvement in the albino population over the year before. Stencel said that they cannot find the total number of squirrels with the resources they have, and that the total number fluctuates. "What matters is the ratio," Stence siad.

The birth of a white squirrel is a matter of genetic chance, but they have managed to survive in Olney for over a hundred years. "One thing that keeps them around is the people feeding them," Stencel said. Although it usually takes 4 acres to sustain one squirrel, McDonald's french-fries and the generous treats of picnic-goers keep the population happy. If you sit down with any fragrant food in the park, expect to sit with birds and squirrels that will happily accept donations right out of your hand.

Stencel has also made non-scientific efforts to commemorate the white squirrel. "I was trying to get a U.S. stamp," Stencel explained. His idea was rejected, but the Postal Service suggested that Olney put the white squirrel in the cancellation instead.

Stencel feels the squirrels give Olney something unique; "It's a nice thing. I think (people) think they are neat. Everyone brags about them," he says of the squirrels, "They kept me here in Olney all these years!"

The squirrels face many dangers, including cats, cars, predatory birds, pollution and parasites. Stencel said an effort to bell the cats failed, but a leash law exists for both dogs and cats. The city has posted "White Squirrel Crossing" signs at intersections where the squirrels cross frequently.

Photo by Amanda Jacobson Staff photographer

Another friend of the white squirrels is Belinda Henton, the city clerk. Henton acts as a surrogate mother to orphaned baby white squirrels. She has obtained a rehabilitation permit from the Illinois Department of Conservation to raise orphaned baby squirrels. She said that people usually call her when they find an abandoned baby. She has different cages for each of the stages of their lives and when they are ready, she releases them back into the park or neighborhood. "A lot of the babies we get have fallen out of trees. I kind of take it from there."

According to Henton, the state of Illinois has a law stating that no one can "take" a white squirrel, meaning it is against the law to purposely kill a squirrel or hit one with a car. While it seems unlikely that anyone would hit a white squirrel on purpose, Henton said, "actually they probably would," and laughed. "We probably have more problems with people trapping them than anything," she stated.

The Olney Chamber of Commerce has assembled a  "Squirrel Committee" to oversee the commemoration of the mascot. The banners on the telephone poles all bear a squirrel welcoming you to the city, and at Christmas, plaster ornaments and squirrels in Santa hats bring in the holiday season. Many businesses around town include the little albinos in their logos, and visiting tourists can get postcards, shirts and statues of the white squirrel.

Some Olneans joke about their Olney citizenship. Samantha Fritschle, a college student, jokes that the safety of the children is placed second to the safety of the squirrels. A local band used the squirrel on their album cover, having a cartoon of a white squirrel intoxicated and passed out.

The question exists whether or not everyone in town is in love with the squirrels. But whenever Olneans travel out of town, even relatively far away, mentioning Olney, Ill. usually elicits a reply of "Oh! Home of the white squirrels!"

*E-mail Amanda Jacobson at theclearwatercrazy@hotmail.com
© 2000 Where It's @ Magazine - used with permission