Melanie Lekocevic reports for Capital Region Independent Media that Mayor Bill Misuraca said Ravena has a duck problem at the July 20 town meeting. “Certain people, maybe a group of people, think they are cute. I think little fuzzy ducks are cute, too, but they are not cute when they are defecating in your swimming pool and on your patio and creating a health hazard,” Misuraca said. “Also, there is a noise factor, too.” Complaints have come in from Biechman Road, Cary Street, and Woodlawn Drive. “I have been talking to people who live in the affected areas and they are upset, understandably so,” Misuraca said. “We have tried to reach out to the people that are feeding them, that are enabling these ducks and keeping them around. The more they feed them, the more they breed, and there is overpopulation. It’s not fair to the animals and it’s not fair to the people.” The village cannot trap them, since ducks are a federally protected species. Instead Misuraca is proposing a local law prohibiting feeding any wildlife, with the exception of birds, as long as the bird feeder is at least four feet off the ground, so it is not accessible to ducks. At this stage, he's calling for a fine of $300 for a first offense and $600 for a second offense, but still finalizing the law's language. But it may not matter since, “We are really hoping that we don’t have to have the police enforce this law and that people finally get the point to stop feeding the ducks,” Misuraca said. Read more about this story in the Ravena News-Herald.