Saying it has been a public relations nightmare, the Pinnacle Ridge (Mutual 59) board voted to stop the shooting of woodpeckers for two months.
What? Bad dreams at Rossmoor? Disrupting the rest of the most deserving? I realize this is the best news that we pesky “think of solutions other than killing” types can hope for. Give them enough spotlights that it gets very difficult to be stupid under the glare of them. Hmm.
Pinnacle Ridge puts off shooting woodpeckers for two months
By Cathy Tallyn Staff writer
The two months will give the Audubon Society time to implement its suggestions on how to keep the pesky birds from pecking at the Styrofoam on buildings in the Mutual. It will be a temporary fix until the Mutual replaces the Styrofoam, said Mutual President Walt Foskett at the board’s meeting last Tuesday.
It could take the Mutual as long as five years to remove the tempting Styrofoam (at last they admit it) because that’s when scaffolding will be erected to paint the three-story buildings, said Bill Friesen, building maintenance manager.
It’s very expensive to put up scaffolding, he said. It would also be expensive to put a man on a 40-foot ladder to do the job.
(You hear that? Its hard work to put up scaffolding, it’s much easier to pull a trigger. We are innocent victims of Audubondage!)
The woodpecker problem also affects buildings in Eagle Ridge (Mutual 68). The two Mutuals have spent seven years and $170,000 trying to solve the problem of the woodpeckers pecking into the synthetic stucco homes as well as on the wood trim.
Representatives of the Audubon Society met with Mutual 59 officials recently to discuss possible solutions that don’t involve shooting the woodpeckers.
Among other things, the nature group suggested putting in artificial granaries to attract the birds away from the buildings as well as putting nets on the buildings to stop the birds from nesting. It also said it would work to get grants of up to $500,000 to pay for the mitigation measures.
“They’re saying, ‘Stop (the shooting) and we’ll help,’” said Mutual Operations Director Paul Donner. He suggested the two-month break.
Foskett said, “We’re throwing the ball back to them.” If the Audubon Society doesn’t do anything, the board will re-evaluate its position on shooting the woodpeckers, he said.
The vote to temporarily put the permit in abeyance was 4 to 1 with Shirley Magarian casting the dissenting vote. (shirley my friend, we need to talk)
The Mutual has three months left on its depredation permit from the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, which allows up to 25 woodpeckers to be shot by a marksman from the Department of Agriculture.
It’s doubtful that Fish and Wildlife will issue another permit when this one expires, said Donner. “I don’t think you’ll get a permit next year because of all the negative publicity.” (Ohhh those pesky wildlife publicity hounds. If only people didn’t watch what we did we could do it easier!)
Foskett said no matter what the board does, it will generate bad publicity. “The press is not going to be kind to us,” he said. (Really? You don’t think a clever ad exec could turn this press momentum into a massive Rossmoor media coup? Rossmoor: Because we listen. Rossmore: Its in your Nature. Rossmoor: Where creative mind solve life’s toughest problems.)
Rossmoor’s shooting of the woodpeckers has become a national story, said Mutual 59 board Director Sara Cornell.(hahahahaha)
Fellow board member Jo Fasciona noted there have been a number of negative letters to the editor about the bird problem. “We’re going to get a lot of flack,” she said. (You could also get alot of praise and goodwill, Jo. Remember.)
Well that has made my little animal rights day. We’ll visit this again I’m sure! For now pat your fellow birdbrains on the back. Well done!
