[BCNnet] Sun-Times article: Are gulls guilty of fouling beaches

[Randi Doeker - Chicago]

Below is the beginning of the long story in today's Sun-Times about gulls vs beach closings.  It
has info about what actions cities are taking. And it also explains why I keep hearing reps from
various Chicago agencies say "the Dept of the Environment says the only problem is gulls." 


 


In April the Shedd Aquarium had an expert on aquatic species from Notre Dame Univ. talk.  On his
long list of problems caused by the Zebra Mussels was "beach closings due to e coli."  He said he
is stymied by how little people appreciate how the invasives have changed the ecology of the water.


 


I bring this up only because there are plenty of people who will interpret this to mean that all
birds cause problems.


 


Randi Doeker


Chicago


 


 


 


 


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Are gulls guilty of fouling beaches? 


June 26, 2005 

BY LORI RACKL <mailto:lrackl at suntimes.com>  Health Reporter 

 

Nothing spoils a day at the beach like these two dreaded words: swim ban.

 

Summer only officially started last week, and the Chicago Park District already has hoisted the red
flag that renders beaches off limits for swimming 23 times. 

 

Trying to pinpoint the source of these bans often turns into an environmental whodunit. 

 

We know the weapon is E. coli, bacteria that are typically harmless but serve as a clue that fecal
contamination -- and the disease-causing microorganisms that go along with it -- might be lurking
nearby. When E. coli levels get too high, the "No Swimming" signs aren't far behind. 

 

But who, or what, is pulling the trigger? That's the mystery facing beach managers,
environmentalists, public health officials and politicians across the Great Lakes

 

Continued at www.suntimes.com <http://www.suntimes.com/>  

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