To All Residents

Please be advised. Police were notified and responded to an address on Settlers Lane in order to capture and destroy a copperhead snake. As I’m sure you are aware, a bite from a copperhead will most certainly send you to the hospital and in some cases cause death. Spring is the time of the year that snakes of all types generally emerge from their winter dens. The purpose of this post is to advise you to be aware and keep a lookout for these creatures. If you see one and you suspect it may be harmful, please stay away and alert the proper authorities listed below..

NOTE: Do not provoke or attempt to catch or handle any snake that you cannot properly identify – it may be a venomous snake. If you are bitten by a venomous snake, you should immediately get medical attention at a hospital.

Should you see a snake or any other creature you believe to be harmful, please call the Kure Beach Police dept. at (910) 458-7586. They will respond and determine what actions, if any, should be taken.

Dear Keys Owners,

The Board apologizes for yet another email concerning Canada geese.  However, there have been some changes to our plans.

Since we sent our last email, which informed residents that we would be removing the fence on June 15, several residents have asked why the fencing would be removed so early.

So, as we do with all wildlife questions, we went back to the NC Wildlife Resource Commission and asked how long a goose restraining fence should stay in place.

The following response was provided:

Recommendations for Habitat and Behavior Modification recommend fencing through mid-July

Based on the above recommendation, we will now be removing the fence July 29 at 5:00 pm.  Please let the board know if you can help with the removal and storage of the goose restraining fence.

Sincerely,

Keys HOA Board of Directors

Update on Geese Fencing

We will take down the geese fence around June 15, which is when they will be flying again.  Several residents have volunteered to store the fence until needed next year.

While we have had limited success this year, it is the Board’s plan to install the fence again in February -June 2017.   We continue to have stragglers that visit from time to time so it would be advisable install the fence next year.

As many of you may recall, at this time last year we had 20-30 geese as somewhat permanent residences.  This year we are down to one family (8 geese in total) and 2-4 visitors

As compared to last year, our yards and driveway are not covered in goose droppings and we are hopeful that will last throughout the summer.  However, there are no guarantees.

And finally the Center for Wildlife Management sums up why we continue to attempt to have the geese relocate on their own:

A single goose can defecate every 20 minutes leaving up to 1.5 pounds of feces each day. This problem is magnified when we realize that approximately 67% of those geese are non-migratory or resident geese. In other words, land and lakes frequently do not get a sustained rest from geese presence. If large numbers of geese congregate, one must wonder if there is a health risk related to the feces left on ground and in the water. French and Parkhurst (2009) noted, “Beaches and other public areas littered with accumulated goose feces have been closed due to the contamination.

If these geese remain as adults, this could result in up to 12 pounds of feces a day.