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wrnmmm • ■ . • -l-'j'k-Vi.; ;■ ■■ *■ <br />/sn. <br />\ja^ <br />Jl <br />y hull y <br />f <br />77 <br />, /TiLfi c <br />l.-v-’l- <br />UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA Freshwater Biological Iristitute <br />TWIN CITIES College of Biological Sciences <br />P.O. Box 100 <br />County Roads 15 and 19 <br />Navarre. Minnesota 55392 <br />January 18, 1977 <br />Mrs. Peggy O'Reilly <br />3928 Cherry Avenue <br />Mound, MN 55364 <br />Dear Mrs. O'Reilly: <br />1 support the passage of an ordinance to discourage <br />the feeding of ducks on Lake Minnetonka for the <br />following reasons: <br />» ' <br />1) Ducks are primary causes of the swimmers <br />itch parasite on our beaches. <br />2) Ducks have a very active metabolism and <br />consequently defecate about half their own body weight <br />a day. Therefore encouraging large populations of <br />ducks adds substantially to organic pollution of the <br />lake. <br />3) Organic pollution has been shown to encourage <br />the growth of toxic "blue-green algae**. <br />4) With the water level being low, ducks have been <br />feeding in areas rich in their own excrement. Last <br />summer many ducks died as a result of poisoning by a <br />botulisum toxin produced by anaerobic bacteria in the <br />feces-rich sediment. Therefore feeding ducks in shore­ <br />line areas is not even kind to the ducks in drought <br />situations. People are killing the ducks with kindness. <br />I support your actions and hope that common sense prevails. <br />urs sincerely. <br />/ <br />/J./ M. Wood <br />id/:rector