Some homeowners on Indiana lake mourn swans legally killed

HAMILTON, Ind. (AP) - Some homeowners on a northeastern Indiana lake say they’re saddened that a neighbor legally killed off a flock of white-plumed swans that had long been a presence on the lake.

Fritzi Nodine, whose family has owned property on Steuben County’s Hamilton Lake since 1959, said they have always enjoyed spending time watching the mute swans that frequent the lake about 30 miles northeast of Fort Wayne.

But when she and other residents returned to the lake this past spring, they found only a few swans remaining from what was once a large population. The swans had been “completely annihilated,” Nodine told The Journal Gazette (https://bit.ly/1Kkm6XY ).

“They are gone right now, and one of the things that we enjoyed so much about coming to the lake was that we loved to watch the swans in the evening. Many residents, I believe, felt the same way,” she said.

State Department of Natural Resources spokesman Marty Benson said one lake resident obtained a state permit last year that allowed that person to use firearms and air rifles to kill the swans. The person who sought that permit had obtained approval from the Hamilton Lake Association.

That permit was renewed this year and expires Dec. 31, he said.

Benson said killing the swans, which are invasive species that creates many problems, is the only effective means of controlling them at Hamilton Lake.

Mute swans are native to Europe and Asia, but in North America they eat native plants that keep lakes clean and they also make boating, fishing and swimming less enjoyable for residents because of safety concerns.

Mute swans also kill native ducklings and compete with other native waterfowl for nesting sites. And they’re highly prolific, with two mates capable of producing 30 offspring within five years. Each bird lives up to 30 years, Benson said.

“They are beautiful, and I can see why people get upset, but they still are very destructive to native habitats, and that’s what we’re out to protect,” he said.

Fort Wayne resident Kimberley Bastin, who owns a home on the lake, said many Hamilton Lake residents enjoyed watching the swans.

“I’ve never had a personal encounter, and I don’t know anybody that has ever had an issue with them,” she said.

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Information from: The Journal Gazette, https://www.journalgazette.net