A supporter of the swans on the Barbee Lake Chain arrived to the Barbee Lakes Property Owners meeting with this swan float on top of his vehicle.

NORTH WEBSTER — Swans and what to do about them was discussed at length this morning during the Barbee Lakes Property Owners Association meeting, held this morning, May 20, at the North Webster Community Center.

Kathryn Schmidt, president of the association, opened the discussion saying several residents had posted their displeasure about euthanizing the birds on Facebook.

Chuck Brinkman, chairman of the association’s wildlife committee, explained the association’s by-laws state the association is to keep the lake from being polluted so people can swim, fish and boat on the water. The association has worked closely with the Department of Natural Resources for years to achieve this goal.

Brinkman pointed out years ago it was unique to see a non-native Mute Swan on the Barbee chain, but they have no natural predators so the population has exploded. He told the group 10 years ago he counted 60 swans on Irish Lake.

A few years ago, during a hard winter, 364 swans were recorded in one photo taken at Tippy Lake, which was the only lake in the Barbee chain not ice covered. The DNR does provide a permit for addling eggs. “It’s difficult to do. They put their nests in the deepest part of a sticker bush,” Brinkman said.

Through that program, which the association undertook for a number of years, the population on the Barbee chain did not increase, it also didn’t put a dent in the population.

Brinkman explained the swans eat a lot of native plants in the lakes and channels, up to 10 pounds a day for an adult bird. “Native plants support plankton which feed minnows, right up the food chain to fish,” he said. They also defecate about 6 to 8 pounds of waste a day.

The fecal waste dissolves in the water, making it musty and contributes to algae growth. “if you’re a fan of the lake, It’s not a good thing,” Brinkman said.

He pointed out the recent sewer project helps keep ecoli bacteria and other pathogens from entering the lakes while 2,000 pounds of swan waste a year contributes to ecoli problems. Pike and Center Lakes are closed two to three times a year due to ecoli from goose waste.

Brinkman explained public beaches are closed when ecoli numbers reach 235. He did some testing in Irish Lake and was coming up with numbers of 900-1,000. Concerned his testing may be off, he asked the public health department do testing. The health department came back with 950.

Brinkman ,who participates in Indiana’s Clean Lakes program, also reported water clarity has dropped by 2 feet  over the last 10 years. Visibility is down due to the nutrient load of fertilizer as well as human and animal waste. Blue algae numbers in the lakes are moderate.

In addition to problems caused by the swans fecal matter, Brinkman said the birds, which are two to three times larger than an Canadian Goose, can be aggressive. He had four attacks reported to him, two of them involving children. And several in the room acknowledged they had been attacked by swans.

“With swans 2 become 450 in their life time,” Brinkman siad. “It would be nice to have two, if that was all.” He pointed out there is no way to addle all the eggs.

Schmidt explained Canada Geese are native species and are federally protected. There is also a goose hunting season.

One resident said she didn’t have a problem with controlling the swan population, but she has only seen one on the lake she lives on and it was acting stressed. She suggested setting a cap on how many swans can be on the lakes. She and another gentleman were also upset the DNR issued permits for aggressive and nuisance swans. She and other people in the room claimed they haven’t seen the bird causing a problem.

Ron Hansell reported seeing two hunters “exterminating” a swan family near his home. He told the crowd he heard two gun shots and when he went out on his deck, there was one dead bird, while another “was flopping.” The swans had five or six cygents. Hansell claimed the hunters picked one up and chased another to the south end of the lake.

“I do not like swans, I am all for control, but not in this way,” he said. “I don’t care how you do it, but do it with respect of those who live on the lake.”

“I understand your concern,” Schmidt said. “But all of you agree there needs to be some swan control. ” She noted property values have gone up now that a sewer system is being installed, but they won’t stay up if the lakes are polluted by the swans waste.

Schmidt then asked three directors to create a committee and come up with a plan to have a sustainable population of swans in the Barbee chain. They are to report back their findings at the August meeting.

Another director said he thought it was “unwise to depend on volunteers to addle eggs.” Brinkman agreed saying it’s not easy to do. Brinkman noted the swans have been so aggressive they have been known to relocate sandhill crane nests.

The caretaker for the the Barbee Christian Camp said, “I see how quickly nature works with reproduction. I came here with the intent of saying let’s balance this. You have to come to a point where you say you have to eliminate because you can’t control it. Finding that number between control and an acceptable number is difficult. The toughest part for us is to remove the human emotion.”