BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer
If you feed a bird in a local park, you are running afoul of a new ordinance.
The North Brunswick Township Council unanimously passed an ordinance that prohibits feeding waterfowl, including, but not limited to, ducks, geese and swans in local parks.
During Monday night’s meeting, the council imposed a no-feeding policy, to be in effect at all times, to try to control the overpopulation of Canada geese in township parks, according to council President Francis "Mac" Womack.
"People have increasingly complained about the number of geese in their neighborhood ponds and lakes over the last year," Womack said. "We had to do something, so we’ve started with the least intrusive ways to control the population."
The township will erect signs around local waterways alerting the public not to feed the waterfowl, Womack said.
Anyone found in violation of the ordinance could receive a maximum fine of $1,000 or 10 hours of community service, Womack said.
Nearby municipalities such as Sayreville and South Brunswick passed ordinances with similar fines in 2001.
The feeding of geese is already illegal in Middlesex County parks and recreation areas, with violators facing a $50 fine, Womack said.
"We anticipate the fines that our municipal judge will levy will be much lower than what we set at the top end," Womack said.
Womack said township police will use their discretion to issue warnings or tickets.
"We believe the absolute maximum penalties that we set will affect those who make a decision to feed the waterfowl after they are well aware of this ordinance," Womack said.
Residents around Boyd Pond and other local waterways complain that the overpopulation of waterfowl causes a public nuisance by contaminating their yards, ponds, lakes and parks with goose droppings, Womack said.
Aside from the nuisance the geese create, the creatures do not pose a public health risk, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection Web site.
Last year, in an effort to clean up the appearance of local waterways, the township sprayed nontoxic chemicals in areas overpopulated with geese as a deterrent, according to Department of Parks and Recreation Director Lou Ann Benson.
"The spraying was unsuccessful," Benson said.
In February, the township will work with professionals to start an addling program as another method to reduce the geese population, Benson said.
Addling is a control technique that deters a mother goose from hatching her eggs, Benson said.
In the first 10 to 14 days after the eggs are laid, trained specialists would extract the eggs from the nest and shake, puncture, freeze, or oil the eggs and return them to the nest, Benson explained.
The procedure costs about $100 per nest, according to Benson.
All of the control tactics the township has used or considered comply with federal regulations and conditions set forth by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Services, Benson said.
Womack said township officials agree that elimination of the waterfowl is the last resort.
Councilmen Robert Corbin and Carlo Socio were not present at the meeting to vote on the ordinance.