By Morgan Pilz, Staff Writer

Photo by Morgan Pilz
The members of the Ocean Pines Environment and Natural Assets Advisory Committee prepare to discuss a variety of topics during its monthly meeting on Wednesday, July 24.

(Aug. 1, 2019) With topics ranging from adding crosswalks to busy intersections to counting the number of geese this year, the Ocean Pines Environment and Natural Assets Committee had several topics to cover during its monthly meeting last Wednesday.

Committee Chairman Tom Janasek discussed several projects for the future, including plans for Bay Day in September, following the original event’s cancellation in May because of poor weather.

“We’re having meetings with Maryland Coastal Bays to [begin] outsourcing projects for us to do,” Janasek said.

The committee also has been working with Maryland Coastal Bays Program to secure a Department of Natural Resources grant. The committee is waiting for the program to hire a hydro engineer to perform corrective actions for draining projects in the future while collaborating with association President Doug Parks and Operations Manager Colby Phillips.

Janasek also suggested painting utility boxes in the community, similar to what has been done in Ocean City courtesy of the Art League.

“In Ocean City, you see utility boxes all over Coastal Highway with paintings all over them,” Janasek said. “They have a couple groups of people that go around and paint the utility boxes, beach scenes and different murals.

“I don’t know how we can start this program, but I’d like to look for volunteers in Ocean Pines,” he continued. “We have a ton of artistic people in the Pines.”

There are at least three utility boxes in each section of Ocean Pines, with 40 sections total. The committee would need the approval of the board and the companies that own the utility boxes before beginning this project.

The committee also discussed the number of geese in the community. Numbers have gone down to 100, as many hatchlings have matured, and adult geese are no longer molting and have begun to fly. Currently, there are around 50-60 geese in the north gate area. There were also reports of 100 geese in the south gate area.

On June 19, surveyors estimated there were around 200 geese combined. Now, there might be as few as 50 throughout the area as most prepare to migrate. This number was deemed manageable by the committee.

“It’s very clean and there’s a lot of kids fishing,” Janasek said.

The committee also wants to make sure residents know not to feed the geese, not only because it will make them reluctant to leave, but it could even cause malnutrition.

Lack of nutrition can cause a deformity called angel wings, which makes it impossible for the bird to fly and causes permanent disfigurement.

“Bread is not nutritional,” board member Sharon Santacroce said. “They need nutrition such as whole grains and corn and grass. Geese are vegetarians.”

Janasek also plans to meet with Police Chief David Massey to discuss the possibility of installing crosswalks and signs near Manklin Park and the Food Lion shopping center.

The committee is also speaking with Phillips about spraying for phragmites, an invasive plant species, which affects breeding ground and inhibits natural growth. Alternatively, the phragmites also prevent shoreline from eroding.

“There’s got to be a balance in there somewhere,” committee member Paul Rogers said. “So what we need to do is earmark those areas where there is reproduction of any species. That’s what we need to attack.”

Finally, the environment committee discussed replacing and repairing rundown mailboxes. Phillips had requested money from the budget to be allocated for next year to fix all the mailbox stands and refresh the concrete and add a roof over the mailboxes with lights.