Park district taking a number of steps
The district has installed grid wires and other bird-control systems to discourage birds from gathering on the shoreline. Among other recent steps taken to help keep beaches open for swimming, the district has:
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Started an educational outreach program that focuses on asking beachgoers to not feed the birds and to place waste in the appropriate garbage or recycling container. Signs alert beachgoers that feeding birds impacts beach quality, and park district workers deliver that message as well, Yermakov explained.
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Installed 25 Big Belly solar-powered trash compactors in 2007 to provide an alternative waste container and to provide more attention to waste placement.
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Placed lidded trashcans on the beachfront to reduce food sources available to gulls.
