After the April 13th Ocracoke Civic and Business meeting (read about it here), Ocracoke resident Carol Pahl, who is studying to be certified in environmental education, volunteered to take on this project after OCBA members agreed that euthanizing the ducks is not the answer to their overpopulation.
Pahl’s education program is under the Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs, which is in the Department of Environmental Quality.
Let's count the quackers!
She will work with Will Doerfer, special assistant Hyde County manager, who has been researching the duck situation since last fall after the county received continuous complaints about them.
The OCBA group agreed to the following actions, which Pahl will now coordinate:
- Continue to explore relocating them
- Conduct a census of the population and eggs. This will occur from 7 to 9 a.m. Saturday, May 7th. Anyone who can help count the ducks should contact Peter Vankevich, a birder, at info@ocracokevillage.com, who will lead the census-taking.
- Conduct an aggressive “Don’t Feed the Ducks” publicity campaign to include lodging and rental-house companies, flyers, social media and more.
- Talk to both islanders and visitors—when they are seen feeding the ducks--about the harm caused by feeding them.
- Determine the cost of either a wildlife professional coming to the island to hunt for nests and addle/oil eggs, or having a wildlife expert conduct training for islanders to do this.