Ever since the first Europeans came to America there have been conflicts between people and wildlife. Increased population results in more conflicts. According to an article in the Bucyrus Telegraph Forum, or as the locals call it, the Telegraph Mistake, Santec Environmental Services, the managers of the Crawford County landfill, obtained a federal permit allowing for up to 75 gulls to be shot between January 1, 2015 and the end of April 2016. Most likely the permit was obtained because the gulls were defecating on the equipment and employees vehicles. With hundreds or more gulls being present, I doubt that shooting 75 will solve the problem. Between 2003 to 2006, ring-billed and herring gulls nested on the roof of a Shelby, Ohio factory currently named Arcelor Mittal, which in 2003 was Copperweld. Several methods were used to discourage the gulls from nesting including owl decoys, noise makers and wires ran across the roof. I believe they finally got the gulls to abandon the roof by maintenance people every couple of days removing the nests. In the early 1970s as few as twenty ring-billed gulls was a common occurrence at Clear Fork reservoir. Since the gull population explosion starting in the 1960s, we have gotten 3,000+ gulls at the reservoir in late November. I don't believe anyone knows completely the causes of this major population increase. As a birder I do not want to see gulls killed, even if they are the abundant ring-billed gulls. However, a business has a right to protect its property. The Shelby gulls were causing thousands of dollars of damage to the factory roof. If I was employed at the Crawford landfill and had a newer car, I wouldn't be happy about hundreds or more gulls defecating on it. Not to mention the possible safety hazard to the bulldozer operators that have windows obscured by bird droppings. Solutions to people vs. wildlife conflicts don't come easy. Hopefully intelligent people are making intelligent decisions. John Herman ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]