ELKINS — The Elkins City Council approved renewing the city’s contract with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for pigeon control, despite questions raised over animal safety.

According to the proposed contract, APHIS’ Wildlife Service (WS) will provide a feral damage management program to “minimize the damage to property and reduce the risk to human health and safety created by pigeons.”

“Elkins has used APHIS for pigeon control for many years–since at least 1999,” The City of Elkins stated in a released fact sheet about the agreement. “The original reasons for starting this program aren’t fully known today, but the problem was considered serious enough to take action at that time. Since then, downtown business owners have sometimes voiced concerns when the program was paused.”

To minimize the pigeon population, the contract states that the WS will use non-lethal decoy traps and the restricted use of avicide, DRC-1339 Concentrate. After the use of DRC-1339, all carcasses will be recovered prior to sunrise the following morning, the contract states.

“Traps will be monitored regularly to ensure humane treatment of all captive pigeons,” The APHIS-WS contract with the city states. “All recovered carcasses will be removed from the site and disposed of via deep burial.”

The agreement will be in effect from July 1, 2025 until June 30, 2026, however all WS activities listed in the contract “will be fully coordinated and approved by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) prior to any operational activities.” The contract for this service will not exceed $2,699 for Fiscal Year 2026.

During the council’s May 15 meeting, seven of the eight council members present voted in favor of the renewal, while Fifth Ward Council Member Cody Thompson voted against it. First Ward Council Member Cody Kerns and Fourth Ward Council Member Nanci Bross-Fregonara were not present during the meeting.

Thompson raised several questions over the need and safety of continuing such a contract with the USDA. When he asked if Elkins currently has or had ever had a pigeon problem, Elkins City Operations Manager Michael Kesecker immediately said yes, citing the rooftop of Elkins City Hall as a main example.

“We’ve even had them get in the building from the weather station area of City Hall,” Kesecker said. “It can get pretty nasty.”

The city’s fact sheet, which was released after the May 15 meeting, also addresses this question, explaining that the lack of any major issues with pigeons is because of APHIS’ prevention efforts throughout the years.

“Some people say pigeons aren’t currently a big problem, but APHIS has likely kept numbers low through ongoing control efforts,” The facts sheet states. “While no one wants to harm animals unnecessarily, APHIS is a reputable agency in this field and follows strict guidelines.”

Also a concern for Thompson was whether the DRC-1339 Concentrate was harmful for other birds. Elkins City Attorney Geraldine Roberts said she had the same question a few years ago and spoke to experts on the matter.

“Be assured, we’re not going to do anything that’s going to impact… adversely other wildlife,” Roberts said.

Kesecker added that, during his time as Operations Manager, he has yet to receive any complaints about other wildlife being affected by the WS’ pigeon control in Elkins.

Another concern for Thompson was if it could be possible for a bird that interacted with the DRC-1339 Concentrate to get loose and be ingested by another animal, like a dog or cat, as the concentrate is highly toxic to felines. He also asked if it was guaranteed that the WS would pick up every single carcass. Kesecker admitted that he did not know if there was a way to fully guarantee that.

“We do not get involved in this whatsoever,” Kesecker said when asked by Thompson if the city had a say in where the traps would be placed. “It removes a liability from us completely because it’s the USDA that is under the contract.”

In the fact sheet, the city explains that they are to open considering non-lethal alternatives if presented with such.

“If community members have ideas for non-lethal alternatives, the city is open to reviewing them,” The fact sheet states. “Proposals should be realistic, well-researched, and submitted well before spring 2026 to allow time for careful review before the next contract renewal.”