Pacific Grove considers bringing back abatement program

The Pacific Grove city council plans to discuss bringing back the Downtown Seagull Abatement Program. The city originally implemented the program in 2015 and called it a success. However it wasn’t done last year, and people noticed.

The native birds can be a nuisance to people who live and work in Pacific Grove.

“Droppings on cars, we were constantly being hit, we were being hit and the odor got really bad,” said Bill Bluhm.

In 2015, city leaders implemented the Seagull Abatement Program. That meant hiring a falconer, making sure dumpsters and other trash receptacles were closed and removing nests before eggs were laid. Gulls are federally protected and cannot be disturbed once they lay eggs. Despite being called a success, the program was not brought back in 2016.

“The community noticed and we heard their complaints,” said City Manager Ben Harvey. “They were feeling the impact of not having a gull program in place, in particular, in the downtown.”

Business owners say their feathers were ruffled. One had flooding because nesting materials clogged its plumbing. Another installed reflectors and wiring to deter the birds. A third business owner spent thousands to stop nesting efforts.

“We’re still having issues with getting seagull poop off the sides of the building because we can’t really just spray wash it down because it will go into the bay,” Wendi Giles said.

This year, there’s a push to bring the program back with some changes, like adding more education and greater promotion. There’s $30,000 allocated to the efforts.

Locals agree something needs to be done.

“I think that there’s got to be some other ideas to help, like keeping property owners and residents aware that it is seagull season and maybe that can help keep the nests down and the birds away,” Giles said.

Seagulls aren’t just a Pacific Grove problem, it’s a coastal issue. The cities of Monterey and Santa Cruz so not have abatement programs. Capitola officials said it had several.