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c: • Environmental Degradation 2 Waterfowl naturally congregate in wetlands, when and where natural foods are plentiful. However, when hand feeding occurs, the over -concentration of birds may ultimately cause overgrazing and degradation to the landscape. Feeding attracts birds in unnatural numbers, beyond natural food and water supplies, and frequently in numbers beyond what people will tolerate. Over -grazed and badly -eroded lawns, golf Over -grazed and badly -eroded lawns, golf courses and school playing fields are often the result of overcrowding. Grassy areas such as ball fields and golf courses can become unsanitary and unusable. courses, and school playing fields are often the result of overcrowding. Grassy areas such as ball fields and golf courses can become unsanitary and unusable. Some parks have been forced to close down until goose droppings could be cleaned up, which can be quite costly. High concentration of birds cause: Overgrazing of vegetation, leading to soilerosion. Degradation of the landscape, making it undesirable for other species and unsightly for humans. Unsanitary conditions due to large quantities of birdfeces. Water Pollution' People will often feed Canada geese or ducks at the local pond or lakeside beach. This not only causes a nuisance situation with birds begging for and stealing food, but also contributes significantly to water pollution in the form of fecal coliform bacteria. activities. As a direct consequence of the concentration of this organic matter, water quality suffers from the excess nitrogen that subsequently runs off the land during the usual storm events. Too many nutrients in the water then leads to an overgrowth of algae, called an "algae bloom," which blocks sunlight from entering the water and, thereby, adversely affects fish and other organisms in the aquatic environment. Vegetation around the immediate feeding site is also impacted, because the overabundant waterfowl pull up the grass, trample the banks and otherwise damage the plants in adjacent habitat. In areas where waterfowl congregate to feed, E -coli counts can swell to levels that make the water unsuitable for recreation or other activities. events. Feeding the ducks and Canada geese can: • Cause them to become a nuisance by begging and stealing food andgarbage. • Can cause unnatural amount of water contamination, leading to algal blooms, and the death of fish.