There has been increased activity among state and federal wildlife resource agencies in recent months seeking to manage bird populations perceived to conflict with human activities. Most visible in New York have been efforts by the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the NY State Dept. of Environmental Conservation to significantly reduce Double-crested Cormorant populations on Lake Ontario and Oneida Lake.

However, cormorants are not the only species receiving such attention. The US Dept. of Agriculture’s APHIS Wildlife Services agency recently released an environmental assessment of its plan to manage populations of Ring-billed, Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls as well as cormorants within the state. The plan envisions using Avitrol, a pesticide banned from use in NY City in 2000, as well as several other chemicals currently outlawed in NY State. Other lethal and non-lethal techniques are also included in the APHIS-WS plan.

To address the growing number of proposals to reduce bird populations, the Federation board has approved a resolution to be presented to the organization’s council of delegates for consideration at the 2003 Annual Meeting. The resolution calls for basing bird management decisions on sound science, and supports such management when scientific evidence indicates that such management will benefit endangered, threatened or otherwise at-risk species, or indicates that bird populations are significantly impacting human health or safety.

Read the resolution