Nearly three years ago, lovers of the Manlius swans were outraged when a man destroyed swan eggs in a nest near the village pond.

Now the state wants the village itself to destroy its swans' eggs.

New state Department of Environmental regulations declare the mute swan an invasive species. The state wants to eradicate all mute swans by 2025.



The DEC says the birds displace native wildlife species, degrade water quality, threaten aviation and destroy submerged aquatic vegetation. Native to Eurasia, the elegant birds were imported in the late 1800s to grace parks and estates. Since then, they have established wild populations.

The new regulations allow "responsible ownership" of the birds in captivity, so the village of Manlius would be allowed to keep Manny and Faye - its male and female swans - if the village applies for and is granted an invasive species license, state officials said.

However, Manny and Fay will no longer be allowed to have offspring under a part of the rules that takes effect Tuesday. The village would have to outline for the DEC how it will prevent the swans from reproducing, or prevent the eggs from hatching.

"This is going to hurt our village,'' said Manlius Village Mayor Paul Whorrall. "Our swans are a symbol of Manlius, and people here enjoy waiting for the eggs hatch and seeing the swans when they are small.

"A lot of people will be disappointed that our swans can't have eggs,'' he said.

Swan images can be found on village signs, its website and its logo. People line the fence at the swan pond to see the swans, and admire the baby swans when they first venture into the Manlius Swan Pond. The swans and their offspring have become iconic symbols of the village, officials said.

Volunteers have even patrolled the swan pond to protect the swans' eggs from intruders.

Michael Bean, a wildlife biologist who has cared for Manlius' swans, is frustrated.

"This is so sad,'' he said. "So we can keep the swans with a special permit, but we can't have any cygnets. So that means destroying their eggs."

Bean, who gets calls from all over the country about the swans, said people come to the village to see the cygnets swim on the pond. "That is an economic benefit to Manlius," he said

Bryan L. Swift, game management section head for the DEC's Bureau of Wildlife, said he's looking into Manlius' specific situation.

Swift said he believes Manlius will likely be permitted to keep the swans they have now for public viewing purposes under the DEC's revised draft mute swan plan, which has not yet been released.

Swift said he doesn't see any wiggle room on allowing the eggs to hatch because the rules "don't allow for any breeding of mute swans." He did say he is still looking into this issue for the village.

Bean is asking the DEC for an exception for the village to the no-breeding rule.

"I'm doing everything I can to get the DEC to grant us an exception,'' Bean said. "I'm hoping people will write letters in our support."

Bean said it's unfair to target Manlius' mute swans when they bring enjoyment to the public and are not part of the wild mute swan population under fire by the DEC.

Bean said another reason to allow the swans to breed is that Faye is the carrier of a recessive gene for a rare mutation that give swans white bills and feet and blue eyes rather than the typical black feet, black-and-orange bills and brown eyes.

The DEC estimates the state's mute swan population at 2,200, with three distinct populations on Long Island, the lower Hudson Valley and along Lake Ontario. Many opposed the original DEC plan, with more than 1,500 comments coming from individuals and groups.

Contact Elizabeth Doran anytime: Email| Twitter | 470-3012