Falcon Scare Tactic Won’t Fly

A plan to use trained falcons to scare away seagulls at one of the most polluted beaches in Southern California came to a halt this week before it ever got off the ground.

State officials refused to pay for the $88,500 program that would have begun this month at Kiddie Beach near Oxnard. They said the unusual program did not meet guidelines for a grant from the state Water Resources Control Board, which requires projects to produce permanent solutions.

Furthermore, the county would be required to conduct an environmental analysis of the program before any falcons would be allowed to fly over Channel Islands Harbor, said Christy Madden, community development manager for Ventura County, which owns the harbor.

“We’re looking at other options,” Madden said Wednesday. “But from what I’ve learned, when it comes to seagulls, there is no permanent solution. They’ll find a way around whatever barrier you put up.”

Falconer Jeffrey Diaz, whose company is based in Northern California, had proposed using his raptors to chase away seagulls, whose droppings pollute the calm waters of the protected beach.

He said he had success with a similar program in Santa Barbara.

Recent tests conducted by the county showed that bird droppings caused 65% of the contamination at the popular children’s beach and human waste and sewage caused 18%.

Madden said the Kiddie Beach Task Force will have to decide what to do next.

But at least one environmental group is suggesting that the county focus on improving water circulation to disperse the waste and churn it out to sea.

“It seems kind of silly to be chasing birds away from the harbor, which is their natural habitat,” said Vicki Finan, director of the Beacon Foundation.