Yianni Laskaris West Boylston October 7, 2013

Hello all,

I am a seasonal technician with Mass DCR and we are currently trying to develop a survey that identifies the barriers that prevent us from effectively informing the public and alter the behaviors of people who feed gulls, particularly gulls in parking lots.

We've used informational signs and found that most 'gull feeders' ignore these signs or don't even see them to begin with. So we've changed our approach and are trying to identify other ways we can reach out to these feeders.

We've seen an influx in roosting gulls in recent years on state owned reservoirs, and have identified gull feeding in lots as the cause of gulls remaining in this area. These roosts have altered reservoir water quality, though we want to express how feeding the gulls is detrimental to the health of individual gulls, flocks, and ultimately the public.

Has anyone had any experience with this, or does anyone know of any literature/surveys that address this issue?


If so I'd love to hear from you. I can be reached at Laskaris.j@gmail.com

Thanks.

Yianni Laskaris
Seasonal Gull Technician
Mass DCR
United States