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When birds come back, so will our headache
By ANDREW SKERRITT
Published October 28, 2007
October was supposed to be quiet. And then ... BOOM! BOOM! Quick, check the calendar. Turns out this was only a test in the war against birds, the war to save the blueberries. The real battle begins in the spring. The noise that shook the homes in the Estates golf course community in Hudson came from air cannons. All part of an uneasy truce in a dispute pitting rural and urban interests. We've mentioned it here before. Blueberries are wildly popular these days, with all the health-conscious folks and their antioxidants. Last year, Florida blueberry farmers harvested 7-million pounds worth $32.9-million. Five years ago the crop was worth $12.2-million. Birds also love the fruit. Hence the noisy cannons, designed to scare off the cedar waxwings that attack the crop each spring. Neighbors hate the noise, as you might imagine. They want the county to help. In the middle stands County Commissioner Jack Mariano, whose district includes dozens of blueberry farms. That's why a recent Friday morning found Mariano, dressed in jeans, sneakers and polo shirt, ready to slog into the blueberry bushes. In a summit last month, county staff had asked blueberry farmers to come up with ways to muffle their air cannons enough to disturb the birds but not the neighbors. Mariano and staffers showed up with noise meters to see if shields made of plywood and Styrofoam would work. It didn't. The clock is ticking. In five months the cedar waxwings will return on their migratory path north. "We've got to resolve this," said Mariano, a first-termer who would like to minimize any political damage as he seeks re-election. Judging from this early test, the problem will not be settled easily. Mufflers don't muffle - enough. And using netting to keep the birds out, a strategy being employed by some, is too expensive for most farmers. No wonder old-timers pine for simpler times. Maybe you have a solution? Andrew Skerritt can be reached at askerritt@sptimes.com (813) 909-4602 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4602.
[Last modified October 27, 2007, 20:11:18]
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