This petition is now closed.
Thank you to everyone who signed!
|
Update March 3, 2009
Our efforts have made a difference!
US Fish and Wildlife has listened to our appeals and is in the process of officially reviewing the depredation permits they had granted.
The argument that has been made by WildCare and other environmentalists is that the Acorn Woodpecker population numbers originally presented by the Rossmoor during the permit process were false.
Over the past few weeks the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been contracted to do a bird count do determine how far off the original estimates were.
The latest update today from US Fish and Wildlife is that they are waiting to hear back from the USDA as to what those results are.
The current permit to shoot the birds expires May 2009 and it has been communicated to WildCare that Rossmoor would not kill any woodpeckers until the review process is completed.
This is good news!
Talking points about this issue:
- The depredation permit will not solve the Rossmoor's problem. This permit is a renewal of a permit to shoot 15 Acorn Woodpeckers that was issued in 2007. This shooting was carried out, and did nothing to stop the damage being done to the buildings in the complex.
- Shooting 50 Acorn Woodpeckers will decimate this wild colony of native birds (the current count should confirm this.) In the permit application, estimates of the woodpecker colony size were exaggerated at 30 to 100 TIMES the number of actual woodpeckers noted in any study done on the birds. Killing 50 of these birds will wreak havoc on the local ecosystem.
- Substandard materials and lack of planning have caused the problem.
The woodpeckers drill into the soft styrofoam siding on the affected buildings, and nothing has been done to "harden" these surfaces using stucco-covered fiberglass, sheet metal or other materials.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-mandated exclusion techniques have either not been implemented or were carried out incorrectly. The depredation permit states that “efforts must be made to find what is attracting the bird and alter it, or put up exclusionary devices when possible” and the Permit Amendment (dated June 2, 2008) further states "[the permittee] will continue to work on nonlethal means of woodpecker deterrence, and look into other alternatives such as erecting artificial granary trees, in addition to the continued effort to net the buildings to prevent damage.” None of this work has been carried out.
|
Terrible News!
As of Monday afternoon, January 26, 2009, the Homeowners Association at Rossmoor voted 3 to 2 to move forward with the use of the permit and shoot the fifty Acorn Woodpeckers! This happened despite WildCare's evidence that humane woodpecker deterrents do exist, and that shooting the birds will do nothing to solve the problem.
WildCare is in personal contact with the Fish and Wildlife representative who has the power to revoke the permit to shoot the birds. Revoking the permit to shoot is our best chance to stop this unnecessary and inhumane destruction of native wildlife.
We are also working with Representative Ellen Tauscher's office to help her bring political pressure to bear on Rossmoor and on Fish and Wildlife to revoke the permit.
|
WildCare Opposes the Shooting of Acorn Woodpeckers
A permit has been issued to the Rossmoor senior adult community in Walnut Creek, California to have a sharpshooter kill fifty Acorn Woodpeckers in a colony of birds that has damaged buildings in the complex.
We urge the Homeowners Association of Rossmoor to implement a long-term solution that is both non-lethal and humane in addressing the damage caused by these birds.
Click here to learn more about solutions to deter Acorn Woodpeckers!
|
The Story
Rossmoor is a senior adult community in the Tice Valley area of Walnut Creek. This scenic valley features oak woodlands and other habitats well populated by songbirds, including Acorn Woodpeckers.
Conflict between humans and woodpeckers arose when Rossmoor built two housing units very close to the woodland edge. This construction was done against the guidance of an environmental impact report which said the buildings were being built too close to wildlife habitat. In addition, the buildings' exteriors featured a low-grade substitute for stucco which the woodpeckers, having lost their granary trees to the building construction, found easy to drill.
Only Solution is Extermination?
Residents complained about the woodpeckers' noise and the unsightly holes in their buildings' walls. Exclusion techniques were improperly implemented and not carried out in entirety. Professional wildlife exclusion companies and other wildlife experts were not consulted. The homeowners association of Rossmoor decided that the only solution was to exterminate the Acorn Woodpeckers.
In 2007 Rossmoor was issued the necessary permits and twenty Acorn Woodpeckers were shot by a sharpshooter supplied by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA.) This year they received approved permits to kill fifty more birds.
WildCare calls for this unethical culling to be stopped and the depredation permits revoked by US Fish and Wildlife.
Recommendations for Discouraging Acorn Woodpeckers.
The following steps, if carried out and executed properly have been known to successfully deter woodpeckers. Our WildCare Solutions service is available to help the community of Rossmoor implement these simple guidelines as part of our humane approach to wildlife exclusion. Our approach will be multi-faceted, providing alternative sites for the woodpeckers to drill and store food while giving the building owners effective woodpecker deterrents to direct them away from the human structures. If only one aspect of this plan is implemented, the result will be failure and continued woodpecker damage to the buildings. Both approaches are necessary and should be used simultaneously.
Step 1: Creation of a replacement granary tree or alternate habitat
Woodpeckers need a place to drill holes and store their acorns. Dead oak trees (snags) and other appropriate wooden poles will give the woodpeckers a much better option for drilling and storing foodstuffs. The birds prefer trees and snags and will choose these replacement granary sites over the buildings if given the opportunity.
Scary Spiders
A commercial product called "Scary Spiders" has been proven to be highly effective in discouraging acorn woodpeckers from drilling into the sides of buildings. These are battery operated spiders that automatically descend and ascend while making noises to scare away woodpeckers. These "spiders" need to be installed at proper intervals and monitered for battery life, but can be extremely effective deterrents.
More info at http://www.attackspider.com/
Netting
Temporarily hanging netting or plastic sheeting from the eaves and suspending it several inches from the woodpecker-attacked walls will deter them. Making the preferred area difficult to access will encourage the birds to find easier places to drill their holes. Providing granary trees while implementing netting on a temporary basis will ensure that drilling does not continue.
Strips of Foil
Hanging strips of aluminum foil, scare tape or cloth that flutters in the wind from the eaves can serve to frighten the woodpeckers away. Mylar balloons have also been used successfully to discourage woodpeckers. Big, scary things that flap in the wind will discourage these birds. This solution can be implemented on a temporary basis until the birds have established a new granary site.
Replacement of Imitation Stucco
A longer-term solution for the Rossmoor community's buildings is upgrading the low-grade synthetic stucco material on the walls to a harder substance that is more difficult for the woodpeckers to drill into. This can and will discourage future drilling.
For more information on these or other wildlife deterrence methods, please contact Maggie Sergio, Director of Wildlife Solutions at maggiesergio@wildcarebayarea.org or 415-453-1000 x23
Additional Information for Peaceful Co-existence
WildCare leads the way in teaching the public to co-exist peacefully with our wild neighbors. It is through education and public awareness that we strive to help people better understand the natural behavior of wildlife and take the necessary precautions and preventative measures to avoid potential conflicts.
The planning phase
Prior to the construction of any homes, buildings or communities it is vital that the findings of the Environmental Impact Report or EIR be considered. With the loss of open space and natural habitat, local wildlife will adapt to their changing environment. The recent occurrence at Rossmoor of Woodpeckers drilling into two of the buildings is evidence of this. The initial EIR report mentioned the heavily wooded area nearby and advised against building too close to the natural habitat of many species. This guidance was not followed and as a result, the colony of Acorn Woodpeckers was displaced. In addition, a lower grade, imitation stucco was used that was extremely soft and easy for the woodpeckers to drill into, which they did and continue to do.
WildCare strongly recommends that when taking upon any new building project, the findings of the EIR been factored into the building plans and preventative steps be taken to avoid any potential conflicts.
LEED Certification
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Efficiency Design) is a Green Building Rating System, developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) which provides standards for environmentally sustainable construction. Since it's inception in 1998 LEED has focused primarily on energy efficiency design, the use of sustainable woods and materials and reducing the carbon footprint when erecting building structures. Currently, there are no "wildlife friendly" standards incorporated into the LEED rating system. Wildcare would like to see standards that take into consideration any materials that could potentially be inviting or encouraging to local wildlife.
At Rossmoor, the synthetic stucco material was very inviting and an easy substitute for their displaced habitat. The encouraging news is that LEED is an open and transparent process where the technical criteria proposed by the LEED committees are publicly reviewed for approval by the membership organizations that currently constitute the USGBC.
For more information on these and other wildlife solutions, please contact Maggie Sergio, Director of Wildlife Solutions at 415-453-1000 x23 or maggiesergio@wildcarebayarea.org.
|
