Suffolk Closeup
By Karl Grossman
A bill titled “A Local Law To Prohibit The Feeding Of Wild Animals in Suffolk County” has been introduced by Legislator Tom Cilmi.
For concerned readers with birdfeeders: the feeding of songbirds would be exempt. And as a result of comments from the North Fork Environmental Council, said Mr. Cilmi, he also intends to have the bill exempt giving food to woodpeckers and other feathered visitors who do not sing. It already exempts hummingbirds.
The complaint that “precipitated” the measure involved seagulls and a person who on a daily basis has been feeding them causing flocks of seagulls descending on the neighborhood.
The constituent who reached out to him, said Mr. Cilmi, told of these swarms of seagulls “swooping down” into her neighborhood leaving a mess of “seagull droppings all over”—on cars, lawns, houses and in pools. Mr. Cilmi recounted her saying: “I can’t live like this.”
He said he drove from his home in Bay Shore to the East Islip neighborhood where the seagull situation was happening and saw nearly “50 seagulls sitting on top” of a house across the road from the complainant’s residence.
Mr. Cilmi emphasizes that his bill is a “work in progress” and there might be other changes in the wording or the overall approach. He said a lawyer in the county attorney’s office said the bill infringes on state authority and there might be a way under “existing county law” to deal with the problem. A representative of the Suffolk Department of Health Services earlier visited the scene of the seagull feedings and told his constituent, said Mr. Cilmi, that the department couldn’t do anything about it. “I’m just looking for a solution to the problem,” said Mr. Cilmi.
The bill defines wild animals as “any animal which is not normally domesticated in New York State, including but not limited to coyotes, deer, foxes, groundhogs, opossums, racoons, skunks and birds other than songbirds or hummingbirds.”
There is a declaration that “Suffolk County strives to protect both its wildlife and the interests of its residents.” The legislature “also finds and determines that the feeding of wild animals is disruptive to the natural feeding habits of those animals,” that it “creates a dependency on human interaction for sustenance making them more likely to gather in large numbers and exhibit aggressive behavior.”
Further, it says, “over a period of time, wild animals which are fed by people tend to become both a public and private nuisance and present a public health concern for the communities affected.” Thus, “This legislature…finds that it is in the best interest of both the wild animals and the residents of Suffolk County to prohibit the feeding of wildlife.”
The measure states, “No person shall purposely or knowingly feed, bait or in any manner provide access to food to any wild animals in Suffolk County” and “no person shall…leave or store any refuse, garbage, food product, pet food, forage product or supplement, salt, seed or birdseed, fruit, or grain in a manner that would attract wild animals.”
“Feeding of songbirds and other backyard birds shall be permitted outdoors provided that such feeding does not create an unreasonable disturbance that affects the rights of surrounding property owners and….such feeding does not create an excessive accumulation of droppings on the property and surrounding properties.” Bird feeders would need to be “placed at least five feet from the ground.”
The proposed law would be enforced by the county Department of Health Services and implemented “on a complaint basis.” The penalty for a violation would be “not less than $50 and not more than $500 for each offense, together with the costs of prosecution.”
Longtime East Hampton Town Natural Resources Director Larry Penny commented that seagulls are “the least needy” of birds and do not require any intervention with food. “They don’t need any help. They’re doing fine.” The situation with other bird species can be problematic. Also, “bird numbers have plummeted,” said the naturalist. Further, said Mr. Penny from his home in Noyac, he’s heard from visitors to the nearby Elizabeth Morton National Wildlife Refuge that their feeding seeds to chickadees and other birds from their hands “made me open my eyes,” so impressed were they that “birds would trust humans.”
“There is a lot of humanity involved here. Go back to the Bible and Noah,” said Mr. Penny. “Anthropologists have found native groups have been feeding animals.” Caring for animals has “been going on forever; it’s part of the human psyche,” said Mr. Penny. “I don’t see anything wrong with people helping out wildlife. It’s so hard for them to make a living.”
Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books.