SPRING LAKE, Mich. — If you're thinking about throwing your extra scraps from lunch to the ducks or geese, now you'll need to think again if you're in Spring Lake.
It is now illegal to feed waterfowl in the village.
"We have brainstormed countless ideas on how to get rid of the geese," said Village Manager Christine Burns. "It's a very expensive proposition and we've tried everything to no avail."
At a meeting on Aug. 16, Spring Lake Village Council voted to add an amendment, making it illegal to feed geese, ducks and other similar wildlife on both private and public property.
"It's just been an ongoing battle and we hope that this will help us solve that problem," said Burns. "We are trying to make sure that the animals are not lingering and that we aren't incentivizing them to stay any longer than absolutely necessary."
According to the Grand Haven Tribune, the ordinance was adopted due to a large number of waterfowl causing "a public health nuisance by contaminating beaches in our public swimming areas, parks, riverways, sidewalks and pathways used by the public."
"The main thing is that they just create a huge mess," said Burns, "plus it's very costly to clean up the mess and it's ongoing, you just never get ahead of it."
Known as Ordinance 370, the amendment states that anyone feeding, causing to be fed or providing food for domestic waterfowl or gulls within the village limits is subject to a municipal infraction.
Anyone caught feeding the animals will get a $200 civil infraction.
Second offense is $350 and third offense is $500.
Burns said this will be monitored by local law enforcement and the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office.
"If they see something that's out of line with our ordinances, doesn't matter if it's this one or any of them, they will do the enforcement for us," she said, "so it's better to be safe than sorry, just don't feed the geese."
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