During a recent Pismo Beach City Council meeting in April, they discussed different methods of squirrel control due to the damage they have caused to their parks and bluffs.
According to city officials, squirrel holes accelerate bluff erosion.
Locals at Eldwayen Ocean Park told KSBY how the squirrels impact the bluffs.
“We do have a squirrel population problem in some of our parks,” said Rosemarie Gaglione, City of Pismo Beach Public Works director. “Since we stopped baiting them a couple of years ago, the population has exploded.”
According to city officials, two years ago, the city council directed staff to stop using bait to control squirrels due to concerns it would be ingested by other animals.
City officials did not specify what kind of bait they used, but after the city stopped, they say the squirrel population increased over time.
Since then, the state of California has banned many common rat poisons except for Rozal poison that cannot be used within 50 feet of a dwelling, water, walkways, or near people.
“Our legal options at this point is a poison called Rozal,” said Gaglione. “The only problem is it's not recommended due to high toxicity to people and animals, especially dogs.”
Shell Beach residents KSBY News spoke with expressed their concerns about the damage the squirrels are causing.
“I'm OK with the squirrels,” said Marc Kent, a Shell Beach resident. “I'm not crazy about the holes because when it rains, it creates a lot of erosion, and this just makes it happen faster.”
“They're methodically destroying what's left of all these cliffs by burrowing holes all through here," said Clifford Felice, a Shell Beach resident. "And then it rains and washes all the dirt away."
There are currently signs advising the public not to feed the birds or squirrels.
Some community members told us they don’t mind the squirrels being at the park.
“I think the squirrels are really cute, and I understand that maybe some people think there might be a nuisance,” said Kitty Balay, a Santa Maria resident. “But I come up here and I see them flitting around and they're not scared of people.”
“Some people like them,” said an Arroyo Grande resident. “You know, they don't feed them, but they're here. Once in a while, you'll see somebody like this that comes in the tunnel throwing something. But most of the time, they're pretty calm. You know, they're just kind of like the seagulls. Everybody seems to enjoy them.”
Councilmember Marcia Guthrie recommended that their staff create an educational plan to inform the public about the dangers of feeding the squirrels.
“We have not considered that explicitly, but I think it's a great idea and it's something that we can easily do and put together,” said Jorge Garcia, City of Pismo Beach City Manager. “So I think I think that should be a component of any solution.
The Public Works Department is still looking at whether to work with a private contractor or tackle the squirrel issue on their own—a final decision has not been announced yet by city officials.
