I am writing in regards to the article entitled “Birds keen on leaving mark on new stadium,” by Nathan Whalen. In it, he discusses the costs of creating a bird exclusion program. However, the school district should look at this long term and see that addressing the problem of bird control now, rather than later when the birds settle in and it takes a lot more to get rid of them, will save them money.

As a professional in the realm of pest bird control, I notice that customers do not often realize how much money they waste by refusing to address their bird problem. Factor in the amount of materials and time that will be needed to clean up after a renewable source of mess, week after week. Not to mention, if anyone transmits a disease (like histoplasmosis which is spread through droppings) the district could find themselves spending a lot more than $36,000 — on a settlement!

Elana Moriarty

Chicago