[Grant]

Time for my quarterly rant about these pests.

A warning from someone who's seen their destruction first-hand: Chase them away. If you are allowed to in your area, shoot them. Make sure they do not nest, do not reproduce, and do not hang around. They will destroy the Lake, or any other body of water where they decide to hang out.

Down here in SE Pennsylvania, they've fouled countless ponds, lakes, reservoirs, etc., making them unswimmable, unfishable. They now are permanent fixtures in office campuses, parks, schools -- anywhere they can have some grass to nibble.

The recent appearance of these nuisance birds on the Lake is really, really disturbing. If the state doesn't take some REAL action to reduce their numbers or eliminate them altogether, you will witness a rapid and DEVASTATING decline in Lake water quality -- and we're not talking about a slow process.

If you see them on your property -- chase them away. They need grass or open fields. They will not hang on a wooded property. They also need water access. Don't give them any.

Ignore them, and you'll eventually be treated to an infestation of vile green "tootsie rolls" all over your property....bordering your green and fetid, malodorous lake.