Natural solution for a nature crisis
When flora and fauna present us with crises, we’re quick to look toward technology for a quick fix. Often, however, there’s a more natural solution. This quote, from an OC Register article by David Bro, explains how the city of San Clemente is putting high-flying crisis management to work to help clean up a local beach:
The city of San Clemente has hired falconer Jorge Herrera of Glendora to use three tethered birds of prey to help shoo away gulls that officials say are worsening bacterial contamination by pooping at the beach, at the border of San Clemente and Dana Point. City officials say they have been unable to accurately test water coming from a purification plant installed last year because gulls gather at the site by the thousands each day, polluting the area with droppings.
Although a crisis caused by too many seagulls pooping sounds pretty funny on the surface, the reality that drove the city to seek a solution is that not only are thousands of birds creating a serious health risk in waters that boaters and swimmers flock to every weekend, but also their new, expensive plant could be dumping some seriously nasty stuff in there as well and they wouldn’t even be able to tell!
There are quite a few paths the city could have taken that would have drawn flocks of angry activists, but by choosing a natural solution to a natural crisis, San Clemente officials have struck a nice balance between the rights of animals and the safety and well-being of their human constituents.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/