11-08-2006 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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NOV 01 2006 11:17 FR US MARSHALS -ST PAUL651 848 1440 TO 97884048 P.08/08 Anything and everything that is done in the crawl space is done by Mr. Collins as Mrs. Collins and the daughter won't go near it. In researching this subject, we have found many negative factors associated with the situation; that is a food source so close to hour home attracting rodents INTO the house. The most obvious is the fear it instills in the average person that they have rodents living amongst them. Compound that with the aura of uncleanliness it brings, you have a pretty undesirable situation. Then there is the more tangible impact associated with rodents in your house. They are capable of destroying wiring, insulation and other structures in the home, which can be not only expensive to repair, but cause a fire hazard, as well. And perhaps the most significant malady it can perpetuate, is the diseases carried by various rodents. What we are looking for is an ordinance that would limit the provision of any grain, fruit, vegetable, nut or any other food that attracts wild animals' to bird feeding structures designed solely for the purpose of feeding wild birds. Actually we would prefer the elimination of bird feeders, for as any naturalist will tell you, birds have been provided, by nature, with sufficient food sources to survive without our help. What we've found in most places where people feed the birds...well there are many names for it, but we'll keep this piece of correspondence G rated. Now our neighbor does indeed have a `bird feeder'. But she not only fills it beyond overflow capacity, she does three more things that contribute to our dilemma. She fills it, most often, in the evening when most birds are done eating for the day. The larger pieces, such as cobs of corn, she simple tosses out on the lawn. And, lastly, her feeder hangs on a shepherds hook that leaves it less than a foot from the ground. At any given time, we have seen all of Minnesota's bird species outside our window, with the crow being the most obnoxious. Squirrels come in a very close second and what we're not seeing while we sleep are the nocturnal feeders 7