Don't Feed the Wildlife

Among the many advantages to living in Somerset County is a remarkable combination of urban and suburban environments. Somerset County residents enjoy easy access to major commercial and cultural centers while living in a “green” county with open space purchases by the Board of Chosen Freeholders serving to ensure in excess of 15,000 acres of green space preserved in perpetuity.

These extensive active and passive recreation areas have created a unique interaction among humans and waterfowl, one that should remain at arm’s length because feeding may be harmful or fatal to wild birds.

Waterfowl have patterns by which they seek out and feed on nutritious marsh and grassbud plants. In our region, extreme cold and snow severely reduces the quality and quantity of important foods. Most waterfowl migrate south in search of a habitat that will support them before returning in the spring to their breeding grounds where they are a familiar part of the Somerset County landscape.

Many of these migratory birds are sidetracked when they stop to feed or rest in the lakes and marsh areas found in Somerset County. These new homes become even more appealing when they are fed by well-meaning individuals, delaying their migration and enticing them to become permanent residents.

Very often, the food provided is “junk food,” including popcorn, potato chips and bread. Unfortunately, though willingly accepted by the wildfowl, these foods lack important nutritional value, resulting in the birds becoming dependent upon handouts, no longer seeking the natural, more nutritious foods that they require.

In the end, the seemingly kind and generous act of feeding waterfowl can foster a continuing cycle of spreading disease and creating a nuisance by damaging park land, golf courses, residential lawns, and creating water quality problems caused by droppings in ponds.

Please remember that these marvelous creatures are wild animals that should be enjoyed through observation and photography, not through feeding.

Current information on all Somerset County Park Commission activities may be found at www.somersetcountyparks.org or by calling the Park Commission at 908-722-1200 or NJ Relay at 711 for individuals with a hearing or speech impairment.