Pymatuning Spillway pellet plan dead

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February 18, 2009

Anonymous The Meadville Tribune Wed Feb 18, 2009, 11:22 PM EST

By Keith Gushard

Meadville Tribune

LINESVILLE —Visitors to the Spillway at Pymatuning State Park south of Linesville are going to be allowed to continue feed bread to the fish for the foreseeable future, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The move, announced Wednesday, reverses an earlier decision by DCNR that would have banned the feeding of bread and other bakery products to fish effective Jan. 1, 2010, and allowed only the use of fish pellets.

“You made my day,” said Mayor Chris Seeley of Linesville when informed of the decision by the Tribune. “A compromise was made.”

“That’s great,” said Ginny Headley, president of the 150-member Linesville Area Chamber of Commerce. “The Spillway attraction is huge for us as business owners. People look forward to bringing their own bread and feeding the fish.”

Feeding the fish bread had been allowed at the Spillway since the 1930s. The site is known internationally as the place where the ducks walk on the fishes’ backs as both scramble for bread thrown by visitors.

Last year, DCNR proposed a controversial ban on the feeding of bread and sought to require the use of fish pellet food only in an effort to keep the Spillway clean and to help control an overabundance of Canada geese. DCNR had received mounting public criticism of excessive Canada geese droppings throughout Pymatuning’s public campgrounds, swimming beaches, marinas and day use areas as well as the litter and increasing amounts of other products being tossed to the fish at the Spillway.

However, there was a huge public backlash against the bread feeding ban, with nearly 400 people attending a public meeting in Linesville in September 2008. Later that month, DCNR put the ban on hold until January 2010 in order to reevaluate the proposal.

John Norbeck, DCNR’s Bureau of State Parks director, said Wednesday’s decision to allow bread feeding beyond January 2010 came after hearing from residents, businesspeople, visitors and government officials.

“We will continue to look for successful approaches to addressing the overabundant goose population,” said Norbeck. “We will try to get voluntary compliance from visitors to only feed bread or fish pellets, and no other food materials at the spillway.”

Pete Houghton, Pymatuning State Park’s manager, said there had been a lot of calls and concerns expressed to the park from the public since the issue came to the forefront last summer.

“The Spillway brings out tourists and means a great deal to people. It’s tradition,” said Houghton. “It was never our intention to take away tourism.”

Pymatuning State Park draws some 3.3 million visitors a year with between 300,000 and 500,000 visiting the Spillway, according to DCNR. Statewide, Pymatuning ranks second only to Erie County’s Presque Isle State Park in visitation.

The feeding of fish at Pymatuning is an exception to a Bureau of State Parks policy prohibiting feeding of wildlife, as geese and ducks often compete with fish for the hand-outs.

Also, in line with federal and state wildlife agency regulations, Pymatuning’s comprehensive Canada goose management program requires a “no feeding wildlife” policy throughout the park.

“The Bureau of State Parks will continue to monitor litter and food accumulation issues at the Pymatuning Spillway, as well as the park’s overall goose management program,” Norbeck said. “Also, the park environmental education staff will work to convey to the public the importance of a ‘no-wildlife-feeding’ policy and the park goose management program. We ask for the public’s cooperation in addressing the litter, food accumulation and other related issues as we continue the Spillway tradition.”

Houghton said while the park doesn’t condone the feeding of wildlife, it respects the tradition of the Spillway.

“We want people out here,” Houghton said. “We still need to educate people about not feeding wildlife.”

Pymatuning is preparing a brochure about not feeding wildlife that it will distribute this year at the park and will incorporate it into its many nature programs, Houghton said.

Keith Gushard can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.

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Pymatuning Spillway pellet plan dead

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