Post by jcceadotcom on Sept 18, 2006 5:30:30 GMT -5
DNR says the birds are a threat and plans to reduce their ranks; others don't buy it
To Tammy Castleberry, the mute swans that glide among the St. James chain of lakes in Steuben County are graceful, beautiful creatures that deserve to be left in peace.
But wildlife experts say they're voracious, wasteful eaters capable of destroying habitats for other waterfowl. And some boaters and swimmers have discovered that they're short-tempered, territorial birds perfectly willing to defend their turf by force.
Now, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources is treading carefully as it finalizes plans to reduce the number of mute swans this fall, balancing a desire to prevent a population explosion with emotional pleas to spare their lives.
"The residents on the lakes enjoy the swans," said Castleberry, Fort Wayne, who has a cottage on Snow Lake in Steuben County and helped gather 900 signatures on a petition asking Gov. Mitch Daniels to intervene on behalf of the birds. "We need to examine how we can coexist so we can still enjoy the wildlife."
The DNR killed about a half-dozen swans after receiving complaints this summer about confrontations between the birds, which can weigh more than 25 pounds and have 8-foot wingspans, and boaters and swimmers. In one case, a swan reportedly pulled a 13-year-old girl under the water for several seconds.
The agency planned to reduce the population even more after Labor Day but will wait at least a few weeks more to get a better count and determine which waterways should be targeted, DNR Director Kyle Hupfer said.
Castleberry said most of the attacks were cause by boaters or swimmers getting too close to the swans' nests or by people deliberately harassing the birds.
"I'm not saying they can't be aggressive, but we don't (bother) any other wildlife and not expect them to retaliate," she said.
But natural resources officials say they're most concerned about preventing overpopulation by mute swans, which aren't native to North America. That could drive away native waterfowl, including the endangered trumpeter swan.
Each mute swan eats about 8 pounds of vegetation daily, ripping it from the bottom of lakes and marshes. But they tend to destroy much more than they eat and reduce the variety of plants, said Adam Phelps, Indiana's waterfowl research biologist.
Indiana is an important stopover for native migratory waterfowl, "and they need a food supply," Phelps said. "If the habitat is damaged because of mute swans, then we could see reductions of other waterfowl in Indiana."
But Castleberry said the DNR doesn't have enough information to say swans are overpopulating lakes and harming the ecosystem.
DNR officials concede their data are sketchy but say they want to prevent a problem in the first place.
Indiana is believed to have a few hundred nesting pairs of mute swans -- the population swells in winter as birds fly south -- but Michigan has about 7,000, "so we can see that it's just a matter of when it's going to occur," Phelps said.
Because Indiana's estimates are so uncertain, the DNR will undertake a more rigorous population count in the spring, Phelps said. Hupfer said it's likely that swans in some areas will be reduced within the next two to three months.
Call Star reporter Tammy Webber at (317) 444-6212.
To Tammy Castleberry, the mute swans that glide among the St. James chain of lakes in Steuben County are graceful, beautiful creatures that deserve to be left in peace.
But wildlife experts say they're voracious, wasteful eaters capable of destroying habitats for other waterfowl. And some boaters and swimmers have discovered that they're short-tempered, territorial birds perfectly willing to defend their turf by force.
Now, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources is treading carefully as it finalizes plans to reduce the number of mute swans this fall, balancing a desire to prevent a population explosion with emotional pleas to spare their lives.
"The residents on the lakes enjoy the swans," said Castleberry, Fort Wayne, who has a cottage on Snow Lake in Steuben County and helped gather 900 signatures on a petition asking Gov. Mitch Daniels to intervene on behalf of the birds. "We need to examine how we can coexist so we can still enjoy the wildlife."
The DNR killed about a half-dozen swans after receiving complaints this summer about confrontations between the birds, which can weigh more than 25 pounds and have 8-foot wingspans, and boaters and swimmers. In one case, a swan reportedly pulled a 13-year-old girl under the water for several seconds.
The agency planned to reduce the population even more after Labor Day but will wait at least a few weeks more to get a better count and determine which waterways should be targeted, DNR Director Kyle Hupfer said.
Castleberry said most of the attacks were cause by boaters or swimmers getting too close to the swans' nests or by people deliberately harassing the birds.
"I'm not saying they can't be aggressive, but we don't (bother) any other wildlife and not expect them to retaliate," she said.
But natural resources officials say they're most concerned about preventing overpopulation by mute swans, which aren't native to North America. That could drive away native waterfowl, including the endangered trumpeter swan.
Each mute swan eats about 8 pounds of vegetation daily, ripping it from the bottom of lakes and marshes. But they tend to destroy much more than they eat and reduce the variety of plants, said Adam Phelps, Indiana's waterfowl research biologist.
Indiana is an important stopover for native migratory waterfowl, "and they need a food supply," Phelps said. "If the habitat is damaged because of mute swans, then we could see reductions of other waterfowl in Indiana."
But Castleberry said the DNR doesn't have enough information to say swans are overpopulating lakes and harming the ecosystem.
DNR officials concede their data are sketchy but say they want to prevent a problem in the first place.
Indiana is believed to have a few hundred nesting pairs of mute swans -- the population swells in winter as birds fly south -- but Michigan has about 7,000, "so we can see that it's just a matter of when it's going to occur," Phelps said.
Because Indiana's estimates are so uncertain, the DNR will undertake a more rigorous population count in the spring, Phelps said. Hupfer said it's likely that swans in some areas will be reduced within the next two to three months.
Call Star reporter Tammy Webber at (317) 444-6212.
