Establishing Gull Exclusion Zones at Public Beaches
Aren’t gulls part of….nature? Isn’t there a clue in the name Seagull?
Central Michigan University researchers will use trained border collies to chase geese and other birds from beaches in Ottawa and Muskegon Counties to improve beach water quality and reduce beach closings.
The EPA has approved a grant of $247,159 for the project. This project supports the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, pursuant to Public Law 112-10. Central Michigan University researchers will use trained border collies to chase geese and other birds from beaches in Ottawa and Muskegon Counties to improve beach water quality and reduce beach closings. The effectiveness of this approach will be assessed by measuring levels of E. coli and zoonotic pathogens in water near the gull exclusion zones.
Will they then get a grant to clean up after the dogs?
By chlorinating the whole of the Great Lakes, water quality could be improved even further!!
Ranks up there with hand-wringing over the swimming abilities of Ursus maritimus (AKA polar bears).
And what happens when the grant runs out? (Only politicians fund operating expenses with one-shot grants.)
Bird droppings are a large health hazard, and I’ve seen the mess left by a thousand grackles overnight. I can see how chasing off birds would improve beach quality for human use (as measured by droppings). However, I don’t see why the EPA would be involved in a well-known issue like chasing off birds, unless they are trying to make sheepdogs mandatory.
The EPA, imo, is an organ of the current Communist Regime, and often operates under “cover” of a cooperating Non-profit, but whether Gull chasing dogs or curved-dash Olds-driving frogs (“Wind in the Willows”),– the IDEA is to restrict Humanity, to a grave-degree…or site…(I hope I’m kidding)–Too bad the Gulls are too small to eat the “locusts” of the EPA, as they try to shut-down “this,” and over-regulate, “that”. After the Re-Election and Nobama’s returned like the Marxist-Zombie he is, thank your “lucky-stars” for SCYTL, vote-fraud hacking, and the EPA for $9.00/gal gas!
Indonesia’s equavalent of the EPA went balistic when they saw a few feral cats eating some shore birds so they exterminated every one on this particular island. Within about a year the feral rabbit population exploded and completely denuded the island. With no vegitation for food or cover the shore birds all moved to another island. It cost the government millions to clean up the mess.
Why not just say that the beachgoers would like to be able to sit down without landing in a pile of gull mess? No need for studies and justifications etc.
How about paying a bunch of kids with sling shots!
Why would anyone want to go to the beach with all that yucky UV light? see: http://oaspub.epa.gov/enviro/uv_search
OMG, the EPA says my area’s UV rating is 9 today — to heck with the birds, break out the SPF 1000! Must…find…shade…
Great Lakes fish don’t poop in the water?
Duh!? Don’t you remember the grant last year that covered putting diapers on all the fish?
“The EPA has approved a grant of $247,159 for the project.”
I am eagerly writing my grant proposal now, titled “Usefulness of Wind Turbine Installations at Beaches to Deter Avian Fecal Contamination”. In deference to the turbine maintenance requirements at such sites I have added a subtitle “Or Would The Sh** Impact The Fans”.
I figure this idea would fix the problem neatly – no more gulls and no swimmers either.
Then, after eliminating all the seagulls and geese, the people going to the beach would suddenly realize that most birds are scavengers who are actually keeping the beach relatively clean from dead and repugnant things that accumulate without them, and do not charge a fee for their services.