Contacts
Marcia Heer (907) 271-2440
A shoreline replanting/restoration project along Westchester Lagoon’s "Duck Walk" will make this popular wildlife-watching and recreation spot a better place for birds, fish and the people who enjoy them.
Because the eroded grassy banks that had previously existed at the restoration site lacked habitat diversity, they did little to attract or hold many of the fish and birds that might otherwise have inhabited the area. Worse yet, the species that are drawn to such artificial lawns, notably Canada geese and mallard ducks, tend to congregate upon them in unnatural numbers, which can contribute to the spread of disease among the birds and result in concentrated deposits of droppings. These can over-fertilize the waters and lead to algae production, increase the risk of people contracting "swimmer’s itch", and simply create a stinking mess that no one enjoys.
The replanted shoreline will develop into several different habitats, providing shelter and food sources for juvenile salmon, perches for birds, improved water quality, and, ultimately, a wider variety of wildlife for visitors to the lagoon to enjoy. The restoration, made possible by a Partners for Fish and Wildlife program grant and the work of the Municipality of Anchorage, the Anchorage Waterways Council, volunteers from the neighborhood, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is described in detail on one of two new signs that mark the site.
The second sign is also there "for the birds." It explains that feeding waterfowl is more harmful than helpful. Westchester Lagoon’s Canada geese, mallards, shovelers, greater scaup and other species need wild and healthy "food for fowl," not the empty calories they get from such "foul food" as bread scraps. Human handouts can prevent young ducklings from getting the insect-based protein they need to adequately fuel their rapidly growing bodies, and can even cause intestinal changes that make it difficult for the birds to digest nutritional natural foods.
So the next time you’re enjoying the annual waterfowl spectacular at Westchester Lagoon, notice the restored shoreline. And take a moment to read the signs, too. "If this information can help more people understand why feeding waterfowl is harmful, and explain the benefits of habitat restoration and diversity," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist Marcia Heer, " all of the creatures that use Westchester lagoon, from kayakers to kingfishers, will benefit."
Before and after photographs of the shoreline restoration site are available to the media at no charge. Call Bruce Woods at (907) 786-3695.
You can find more information about Anchorage’s urban geese and how we can be better neighbors to these summer visitors at http://www.r7.fws.gov/mbm/ancgeese/index.html. Or, to learn more about the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program in Alaska, steer your browser to http://www.r7.fws.gov/es/pfw2.pdf.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 535 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
-FWS-
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov
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