National Seashore’s Crow Poisoning Plan
A wildlife scientist with the Humane Society said this week that the Seashore failed to allow the public to properly weigh in on its controversial proposal to balance visitor access to the beaches with piping plover protection by eliminating crows. In two public meetings held on the plan in February and March, Seashore administrators said that to avoid closing Marconi Beach, a plover nesting spot, the park will kill crows that prey on piping plovers in other areas, thereby making up for the damage to the plover population that occurs when humans infiltrate Marconi.
“They’re planning to proceed with a program that was never put out for public review,” Boyles said. “Giving an informational meeting about a decision you’ve already made does not allow the public to [weigh in]. Folks that are going to be impacted by the decision are going to be powerless to have any input.”
Seashore Supt. George Price, at the Feb. 25 gathering, did establish for the record that the meetings were informational in nature and were not public hearings, a distinction he was careful to make.
The one recommendation the Seashore did take under advisement was Provincetown resident Polly Burnell’s suggestion that the Seashore lay crow carcasses around plover nesting areas to keep crows away — a method that has worked for a biologist in Southern California in preventing crow predation on terns.
But instead of postponing the crow poisoning while it investigates that alternative, Price announced recently that the Seashore will proceed with its original plan while it “experiments” with the crow carcass method.
“That’s just unacceptable,” said Boyles. “All the public is asking them to do is practice due diligence before doing something that is extremely controversial.” She said there is no evidence that the piping plover population will be put into immediate jeopardy by refraining from killing crows.
Boyles confirmed the HSUS is investigating its legal options for challenging the plan.
