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NAMPA, Idaho (AP) — City officials in Idaho are looking for volunteers to help ward off what has become a local sign of fall: The arrival of roughly 10,000 crows to the city of Nampa.

Nampa Chief of Staff Robert Sanchez tells Boise television station KTVB that he expects the annual migration of crows to start in the next week or two. The birds congregate around businesses downtown, creating a public health hazard with their droppings and sometimes breaking tree branches because of their combined weight.

Sanchez is looking for volunteers to help track when and where the crows show up to roost, and to use noisemakers and hand-held laser devices to scare the crows away.

The animals are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so the city takes only non-lethal approaches to crow control.

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Information from: KTVB-TV, http://www.ktvb.com/

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