City Passes Ordinance Prohibiting Feeding of Wildlife

On April 21, the Arvada City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting the feeding of wildlife on City parks and golf courses.  A primary focus of this ordinance is to prohibit the feeding of migratory waterfowl, specifically Canada Geese.

Canada Geese have adapted well to Arvada’s environment.  Our golf courses and parks provide an ideal habitat, with expansive grassy areas as a food source and an adequate water supply.  Many larger bodies of water in the area do not freeze over completely, and turf areas are not covered in snow for long periods of time, enabling year-round grazing opportunities.  These factors have caused great numbers of Canada Geese to delay or completely abandon their migratory instincts, and their population has risen dramatically in the area.  The resulting large accumulation of Canada Geese droppings is a prevalent concern for park users, as well as a significant contributing factor to water quality problems. 

For a number of years, Arvada has worked with the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) to lower the population of Canada Geese.  A critical component in the management plan is to eliminate the feeding of wildlife. 

How Feeding Waterfowl Contributes to the Problem

Carrying a bag of bread crumbs to the park to feed the geese and ducks may seem like an innocent and fun family pastime, but the results are anything but nice.  Consider the following:

Waterfowl quickly adapt to the notion that handouts are available at certain locations.  The birds tend to crowd closely in the area and increase their own susceptibility to diseases such as avian cholera, duck plague, and avian botulism.

Aggressive behavior is learned quickly as the waterfowl compete for public handouts, resulting in people being bitten.  

Typical handouts such as bread, popcorn, and french fries are not good for waterfowl.  They have specialized diets which will be disrupted by these non-nutritious foods, leading to malnutrition and even death.

Overcrowding of waterfowl in areas where handouts are common can lead to starvation, overgrazing of surrounding grass, and polluted waterways.

While the City has posted signs and attempted to eliminate the feeding of wildlife through education, some well-meaning residents continue to feed huge numbers of birds on our parks and golf courses.  Therefore, the Arvada City Council passed an ordinance that makes it unlawful to feed wildlife on City parks and golf courses in order to provide an enforcement tool.  An exception to the ordinance allows for the feeding of certain birds in a controlled manner that is consistent with current Colorado wildlife management strategies.