Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media five months after the village of Ravena passed a law banning the feeding of wildlife within the village, ducks continue to be drawn to the area. Large flocks of the waddling waterbirds can still be seen on local streets, especially in the Faith Plaza parking lot on Route 9W, where there are sometimes dozens sitting and walking around the lot. In September, the village board adopted a measure prohibiting the feeding of wildlife, including waterfowl, in an attempt to discourage the birds from congregating in the village. They were causing property damage and creating a public health concern, village officials said at the time. The “Wildlife Feeding Law for the Village of Ravena” outlaws the feeding of all wildlife, with the exception of songbirds. Anyone in Ravena looking to feed a songbird must do it in a feeder that stands at least 4 feet from the ground, according to the law. At the village board meeting last month, a resident noted that the shopping plaza continues to draw ducks by the dozens in spite of the local law. Management at the Shop ‘N’ Save supermarket has posted signs asking customers not to feed the animals. Ravena Mayor Bill Misuraca said, “If the people didn’t feed them, they would leave. That is the bottom line.” Village officials have been unsuccessful in getting the state to relocate the ducks, the mayor said. Officials have also contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal agency that protects endangered species, to no avail. “These things (the ducks) are federally protected,” Misuraca said. Deputy Mayor Nancy Warner said she has been contacted by people who have seen others feeding the ducks, but she advised them to call the police instead so they can enforce the law. Read the full story at TheUpstater [dot] com.