Dear Friends,
I have seen many incidents and heard many more complaints this summer about sea gulls taking food from people on the beach and boardwalk. These birds have become very aggressive and pose a public safety hazard. Some people think it’s funny to feed the gulls and see them swarm. For the health and safety of both animals and humans, this must stop. Feeding gulls and wildlife in Ocean City is against the law.
The best deterrent is the simplest: Cut off this easy and unnatural food supply. That means not just refraining from feeding them, but protecting your food from them. I am urging boardwalk merchants to provide enclosed containers for customers carrying takeout, and I plead with parents to understand that these scavengers will swoop down and steal food even out of your children’s hands.
The administration will work with boardwalk merchants to explore the feasibility of netting, noise and other ways to prevent them from pilfering food. Please understand that you can’t hit them or throw things at them. But you can help by keeping food away from them.
Students in Ocean City High School’s television media program recently teamed up with the Ocean City Police Department Traffic Safety Unit to produce public service announcements on bicycle and traffic safety. The videos are a reminder of the importance of following the law when it comes to traffic safety in Ocean City. The kids did a great job with these messages – you can see all of the videos at www.ocnj.us/bikesafety.
I want to ask you all once again to help spread the word about not placing recyclables in plastic bags. With new guests in town each week, it’s important to keep getting the word out that plastic bags will cause entire truckloads of recyclable material to be diverted to landfills – at a cost to taxpayers and the environment. Please place bottles, cans and other recyclables directly into the labeled containers at curbside.
The ocean and its breezes usually offer a break from the stifling heat of the mainland. But the National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Watch in effect through Sunday evening. Please take advantage of our beaches and cool ocean, but use caution if the weather is extreme. And please keep an eye on your neighbors to make sure everybody is OK.
Warm regards,
Mayor Jay A. Gillian
