Letter: Feeding Nanaquket Pond’s ducks, swans is no kindness

Posted 3/18/21

To the editor:  

People have always loved feeding ducks and waterfowl, and bringing children to local ponds and beaches to feed the ducks is a time honored tradition, but it is harmful …

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Letter: Feeding Nanaquket Pond’s ducks, swans is no kindness

Posted

To the editor:  

People have always loved feeding ducks and waterfowl, and bringing children to local ponds and beaches to feed the ducks is a time honored tradition, but it is harmful to the birds and the environment in many ways.  As a result the State of Rhode Island passed a law in 2003 banning the feeding of wildfowl.  (RI general laws Section 20-1-16).

Hand feeding the birds creates malnutrition, dependency, disease, overpopulation, water pollution and can lead to the prohibition of shellfishing which affects local fishermen. 

The foods most people feed the birds, such as bread, crackers, popcorn, cracked corn and pastries, lead to birth defects, muscle deterioration, loss of flight, and the inability to escape predators to name a few problems.  Most of the food people throw in the water goes uneaten by the birds attracting rats, raccoons and other unwanted vermin.  

A lovely pair of swans have recently taken up residence in the portion of Nanaquaket Pond in Tiverton known as the “gut”.  People have been hand feeding the flocks of ducks and geese who live here for years and the swans are attracting even more enthusiasts who feel obligated to feed them.  Hundreds of people throwing that many loaves of bread, bags of popcorn and other junk food into the pond isn’t good for anyone including the pond which is already polluted. 

The law makes feeding waterfowl a misdemeanor and carries a $500 fine, but as far as I can see is unenforced.  The town can’t put up signs because it’s a state maintained road, and the state says the DEM is responsible and so on. 

The ducks geese and swan are fun to watch so please just do that.

Nancy Kelley

Tiverton

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