By Greg Ellison

(Aug. 5, 2021) The Ocean Pines Environmental & Natural Assets Committee continued working on several initiatives to preserve wildlife and habitat during its meeting last Wednesday.

Committee Chairman Ken Wolf said final edits were approved for improved signs to discourage people from feeding the resident Canada geese at the South Gate Pond.

The language recommended by the Environmental Committee asks to “help conserve wildlife in their natural habitat.”

The text also states, “feeding geese, ducks and wild animals can cause the following harmful effects: overcrowding, poor nutrition, spread of disease, unnatural behavior, pollution, delayed migration, safety concerns and dependency on humans.”

“Now we’re just going to have to make the signs,” he said.

Canada geese, nests and eggs, are protected under federal law by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which prohibits capturing or killing except during legal hunting seasons.

Currently, there are basic “no feed” signs at the South Gate Pond, while nothing of the sort exists at two smaller ponds at the North Gate.

“We’re going to place signs liberally around the South Gate Pond and also on the north gate,” he said.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources attributes the increase of non-migratory Canada geese in the region to the release of decoy flocks and stocking programs conducted during the 1930s.

“We looked at other signs and we wanted to get something that was going to give you the reasons why this is harming the geese,” he said.

Wolf said the goal is to install highly visible educational plaques.

“It’s unnatural and there’s a host of reasons on the sign as to why not to do that,” he said. “I’d like to have a little peer pressure that develops.”

On other fronts regarding geese populations, Wolf said the committee is on the verge of seeking board approval to deploy a special turf grass to deter wildlife near Pines ponds.

“It’s not desirable to eat,” he said.

FlightTurf, which was invented by Christina Kobland nearly a decade ago, has proven effective at discouraging fowl from congregating near airport runway fields.

FlightTurf is currently used at numerous airports across the country, including Baltimore-Washington International and San Francisco International.

The turf vegetation management system, which requires only minimal mowing, has more recently been marketed as LymeX grass seed for roadside, commercial or residential applications.

Wolf said committee members are in the midst of preparing a motion for board approval to conduct a test application this fall.

“We’d have to get authorization for the expenditure and that would be [roughly] $7,500,” he said.

Contingent on board buy-in, several acres surrounding two ponds by the North Gate would be used for testing purposes, Wolf said.

“We do one half of it and then the other half would remain as a control,” he said.

Wolf also highlighted a recently completed inspection of a scarcely used pond tucked away in the woods behind the Ocean Pines Library.

“I had the opportunity to tour the pond with Kevin Smith, director of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program on July 12,” he said

Located just south of Route 90, the Off Shore Lake is roughly half the size of the adjacent South Gate Pond.

Wolf said members are consulting with Maryland Coastal Bays Program officials to find ways to enhance the wilderness refuge.

“This is a bit of an environmental treasure,” he said. “It’s wilderness that the vast majority of people don’t even know is there.”

The largely tree-covered plot includes a pathway circling a pond that typically contains tremendous fish stocks.

One initial suggestion is working with Coastal Bays to install basking platforms to provide prime sunning areas for turtles or other wildlife.

Potential pond upgrades being mulled are signage to identify wildlife and flora or other vegetation.

“Kevin [Smith] has told us that there’s been wild turkey on the site,” he said.

The next Environmental & Natural Assets Committee meeting is Aug. 25 at 11 a.m.