FAIR HAVENITES QUACK OVER PET DUCKS
Nicole Stover, left, and her mother, Dawn, make their case to the borough council to keep six ducks as pets. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi; click to enlarge)
By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
The borough council in Fair Haven is faced with a difficult and unusual decision.
On Monday night, the governing body heard from Nicole and Dawn Stover, who for the last six months have raised six ducks on their South Woodland Drive property to the chagrin of their neighbors, who have health concerns and complain that the noise from the ducks is irritating.
If the council allows the Stovers to keep the ducks, it will upset the neighbors. If it denies the family’s request, then it will have broken the heart of 12-year-old Nicole, who’s raised the ducks she’s named them Jeffrey, Delilah, Daisy, Lucifer, Blue and Genie and says they’re “pretty much like my children.”
This is a touchy subject, especially in Fair Haven, where disruptions to the status quo tend to spin the populace into a tizzy.
Before the council makes any decision, there are assessments to be made and questions to be answered, the first of which is: are ducks permitted as pets?
If the council says they are, then the ducks can stay.
The borough has a non-domestic animals ordinance that allows the council to make judgment calls, and in the past has done so in favor of animal owners, said Mayor Mike Halfacre.
“We’ve had goats before,” Councilman Jerome Koch said.
“And a llama, too,” Halfacre added.
“And a pony,” Councilman Bob Marchese said, “temporarily.”
Yet applications to allow non-domestic animals as pets remain a rarity in Fair Haven, and in this particular case, the ducks have gotten neighbors in a squawking match of their own in an otherwise quiet section of town where people get along with each other.
“We’ve lived nicely for so long. I hate this,” said Cynthia Morea, who voiced opposition to the ducks being kept as pets.
Ann Tvaroha, of nearby Rustic Terrace, said Fair Haven is not the place to be raising animals that are normally wild.
“Colts Neck is a farm community. You should live in a farm area,” she said. “You should’ve gotten a dog or a cat.”
Another Rustic Terrace resident, Eileen Best, raised concerns about duck waste going into a creek that runs through the back yard of the Stover home and others, but Halfacre said that is not the chief issue.
“I generally recall seeing ducks in water,” he said. “So I’m not too concerned with that right now.”
The main concern for the council, and what neighbors have complained about, is the quacking.
“The noise is considerable,” Best said. “It is annoying. When the ducks start quacking the dogs start quacking, and it’s not just a couple of quacks.”
At one point in her plea to the council, Nicole, who’s raised the ducks since birth, started crying when the council indicated that she may have to get rid of some or all of the ducks. She and her mother said they’ll do whatever it takes to keep the ducks from being a nuisance to neighbors.
The council, strapped with a decision to balance property rights and the good of the public, asked that the family draw up a detailed mitigation plan. A council decision is expected at the April 9 meeting.
Meantime, council members are going to hear for themselves what kind of noise is going on in the neighborhood, “so we can really ascertain the noise generated by the ducks,” Koch said. “If this is loud, destructive quacking, no one needs to have that.”
Mar 15, 2011 @ 07:55:54
I am sure the snarky trolls will trash me, but I really do not care. How on earth can adults tease and mock a 12 year old? At the meeting adults were making comments like “oh now she is going to cry” and mocking her love for her pets. What is wrong with adults? Did they peak in Junior high? Of course she thinks of them as family, most pet owners do think of their pets that way.
The ducks in question are “domesticated ducks” They could not live in a wild environment. Kind of like if you were to adopt a mouse or rat at the pet store. They might make it in the wild but odds are against them.
I am glad Fair Haven council is going to look into the noise complaint before making a decision and not basing it on one persons word. I just hope before they make a consideration they actually compare that noise to neighborhood children, dogs, cars, airplanes etc. There are noises that many people dismiss these days.
If you read this and are one of those adults that teased this poor little girl… SHAME ON YOU!
Mar 15, 2011 @ 11:40:28
I lived in New Jersey for 35 years. I grew accustomed to the sounds of cars, horns, airplanes, trains, trucks, car alarms, construction, dogs barking, drunks screaming in the street, hookers yelling at johns, and even gunshots. If the “refined” people of fair haven can’t handle the sound of one of natures own creatures they need to buck up and deal with their own issues. If it was someones little purse toted rat dog barking at every passer by that would just be status quo.
How about enjoying the sound of nature over the usual sounds Jersey offers, instead of trying to break the heart of a 12 year old girl.
What kind of message are we going to send to a girl in her most fragile years? Love something, care for something , then the heartless will rip it away, or that others can care about the well being of her and these creatures and leave them with the person who loves them.
Mar 15, 2011 @ 13:05:39
How can these people think making a 12 year old cry is a good thing?
I don’t live in Fair Haven, but we have had children, chickens,wild ducks,geese,dogs,cats,ferrets,deer, parrots,and other tropical birds,owls and who knows what else in this neighborhood. The owls hoot at night……geese and ducks honk and quack…dogs bark……cats scream…….deer make awful noises……. tropical birds squawk, and the children made more noise than all of the creatures
We used to have wild ducks that landed here every spring, and happily lived here for the warmer months. we welcomed them back, because it meant spring was here. They brought friends. They all made noise. The kids gave them names, and could tell
them apart.
Can we outlaw children because they yell and laugh and giggle outside?
Mar 15, 2011 @ 13:54:32
Maybe those people should move. SHAME on them…
To bring humiliation to a 12yo girl they should be charged with child abuse!!!!
And the ducks? There is water running behind the house and ducks live in water.
get over it!!!
Mar 15, 2011 @ 14:23:23
I live in a small town where we have dogs barking, geese honking, kids yelling, adults talking and the ocean roaring. It’s called life. Deal with it. You want silence? Buy a farm in Montana. Shame on all the adults who have nothing better to do than make a young girl cry over the thought of losing her beloved pets. This is ridiculous – don’t you have anything better to do with your time?
Mar 15, 2011 @ 19:28:07
UM ok. Point 1 there is a stream that runs along the back of all the houses there. so do the neighbors take the geese to court or the mallards when they quack? point 2 so anyone who has a dog that barks should have to get rid of it cause it might annoy the neighbors?remember these are domestic ducks not wild hence it does not fall under non domestic pet. point 3 check what kind of ducks they are cause i believe only the females have any type of quack and that is not loud.
and by the way you might want to check what fairhaven was before it was a queit little i wish a was rumson community, guess thats right farmland like colts neck so learn your history neighbors.
Mar 15, 2011 @ 19:31:13
I so agree with Jim Freeman I would rather hear a quacking duck than a little rat dog barking I grew up in this town and still live here but I do not know what happened We were all like family People have moved into this town and are changing everything they thought was so special about it
Mar 15, 2011 @ 20:56:54
It’s the quacking dogs that I am really worried about.
Mar 15, 2011 @ 21:57:07
I can agree with all above…but Patrick Mason. I live in the country, and I can tell you this. It is not quiet by no means. All the wild life in the area can wake you, make it hard to go to sleep, get you nervous at night to walk outside, and at times invade your space via trash, lawn, garden, etc. It is quite special. Even dig into your water supply. (Just messing with you a bit). Be glad you just have to deal with these little ducks. Really? Just how bad is that??? Get over yourselves….she’s 12 years old for heaven’s sake. Just a baby. Leave her ALONE ! ! !
Mar 15, 2011 @ 23:49:41
Who decides what is someones pet a dog or cat ? Come on! Let thi young girl enjoy her pets. Shame of the neighbors gripping telnl others how to liv thei lifes. As fo3 r those adults saying mean things to a little girl should be ashamed,
Mar 16, 2011 @ 00:34:26
Neighbors really DUCKING issues!!!!
Most of these people opposed to this girl keeping her ducks have probably only seen ducks when they’re served at the county club with a nice orange glaze and a chilled Chianti.
Learn what your talking about before you start getting all upset.
First off…..the non-domestic animals clause. Ducks are broken down into 2 categories. Wild and domestic ducks. These ducks are domestic ducks https://www.liveducks.com/bread.html
which means they depend on human owners to live, such as a dog or a cat.
Second off…the Db (decibel levels) of a duck within 10 feet is 55 Db. Now yes, ducks are one of the only animals to echo, but in an open environment you can not hear that echo. It seems that these ducks have this such an environment. A dog’s bark is at 85 Db. I’m sure there were many other years of dog barking before these ducks invaded the neighborhood. Will this town next try to ban the ice-cream man for being to loud?
Third off….duck waste in the water. Duck waste is a fertilizer. It makes things grow. Dog waste on the other hand is a poison. https://www.doodycalls.com/resources_toxic_dog_waste.asp I am more than positive that if I follow all the dog owners in this town only about 25% clean up their dog’s waste. And cat waste https://www.ehow.com/facts_5366060_human-caused-cat-fecal-waste.html. So the town feels safer with these cat’s and dog’s feces in their parks and playgrounds then 5 ducks pooping in a creek?
This woman, Cynthia Morea, saying “Weve lived nicely for so long. I hate this”. Who’s this we’ve? Do you mean your own personal prison you call a home, or a collective group of neighbors you actually know the names of? I’d give you 10,000 $ if you could name all the people that live within 2 houses of yours.
With people like this it was first people of different racial backgrounds moving into town. But, than it was religion differences. And then, maybe? single parent families. Now its families raising a strange kind of animal that your not comfortable with. These people are crazy, they’re madcap, they’re not American. Maybe you people should worry less about what your neighbor does and get a hobby to occupy yourselves with.
Now,…..for making fun of a child that is trying to speak her mind in front of the council of the town. It seems the whole neighborhood was CRYING way before a little girl was crying when you threatened her she can’t raise her pets. Your type of people make others not want to get involved in government. Hopefully, this little girl, after seeing her fellow townsfolk in a meeting, decides she wants to become involved and make ignorance against the law, which would punish all opposed to this because they don’t know any facts before they start passing judgment. I hope you all get egg in your face…and it would be so much sweeter when it is duck egg.
-The Duck Whisperer-
Mar 16, 2011 @ 08:43:59
I agree with all of the sentiments stated above…ESPECIALLY Patrick Mason’s. Don’t know what you had against his comment, Robin, but I think it was a valid one.
Mar 16, 2011 @ 08:54:26
Let senses rule…For oaths are straws, men’s faiths are wafer-cakes,
And hold-fast is the only dog, my duck”
William Shakespeare
Pistol, HENRY V, Act 2
Mar 16, 2011 @ 11:50:38
I think the big issue for Cindy is she does not want her property value to decrease in any way because she is a real estate agent, its all about the mighty dollar in Fair Haven
https://www.coldwellbankermoves.com/BrandedHome.aspx?IsBranded=1&AgentID=9031&TemplateID=6
Mar 16, 2011 @ 11:55:04
I guess Ann Tvaroha’s $200 political contribution to the Republican party entitles her to tell her neighbors what to do and how to live. The true NJ structure of power.
Mar 16, 2011 @ 16:52:12
Seu Ben Noone, I think Robin was trying to point out that the country is not all that quiet either. Out here in the sticks we are bombarded by all those “awful” (where is the sarcasm font when you need it) sounds of nature that Rumson wannabes (as Erik put it) want to drive from their neighborhood.
Judd Zimmermann, That was so well stated I don’t know what to say. When I lived in jersey I wouldn’t have made that $10,000. I didn’t even know all the names of the people in my apartment building.
If this woman had actually ventured out of her personal crypt and knew her neighbors, she would know Nicole and Dawn. She may have even spent a little time with the ducks herself. Would she then be able to look into that child’s eyes and tell her she has to get rid of the pets she loves?
I still can’t imagine what kind of person would be willing to do that to a child.
Mar 16, 2011 @ 18:52:57
Michael:
Not sure why you’re criticizing a citizen making such a modest contribution to a political party.
Do you really think a lousy $200 will sway this process?
Maybe you should wait for the Council’s vote before concluding how powerful a $200 contribution is.
Mar 17, 2011 @ 06:29:05
Jim – that was my point – $200 does not make you a political powerhouse. My larger point is this is still America the land of freedom and live and let live – not sure where anyone gets off telling someone else what to do in their land.
Mar 17, 2011 @ 07:34:10
Michael,
That was Kevin who said that .. Yeah the name is under the line ..whatever.
I completely understand your point, and we need a sarcasm font.
I agree 100% that is is a bad sign for this country when people can dictate what pets you can have because they are somehow offended by animal sounds.
My neighbors have cows, and sometimes they get out. Have you ever stepped in a cow turd on the way to your car? Am I going to complain to the township? NO!!! he has a right to have what ever animals he wants. if they intrude on “my space” once in a while I can deal with it. Too many people have fought and died in the name of freedom, for some shmuck to try to take away the simple freedoms form others, let alone a 12 year old girl. all the people who make the final discussion are elected officials, and no matter how this goes I will see to it that this is a topic of conversation when they are up for reelection. Will they be the people who crush a little girl and take away her pets that she has been responsible for or will they be the ones who tell that little girl that she can keep her little animals and encourage her to continue to be responsible and caring?
Do these elected officials stand for freedom or oppression. I think that will be a point of interest when they want to continue in office.
Mar 17, 2011 @ 20:40:22
All of you should know these people go on all through out the night. These are not normal ducks!I wake up at six in the morning and hears the ducks honking away! they live in a dirty enclosed pen and when those blizzards came in january the ducks were left outside people. Those ducks would be better off on a farm then in a small backyard!
Mar 17, 2011 @ 21:57:40
Moira…… If you want to be taken seriously with any valid complaint you need to work on your sentence structures. Who are these people that go on throughout the night. If you mean ducks…they follow the same sleep cycle that most animals do. Normally laying down at sunset, to avoid night time predators, and awakening at dawn, in order to feed. And they’re not normal ducks? What are they…zombie ducks?, irradiated ducks? wolves in duck’s clothing? How do you know that the duck’s pen is dirty? Have you personally been near this pen to inspect it? If so, they have a word for that..it’s called trespassing. If you knew anything about ducks, you’d know they have down feathers which means they stay warm in below zero temperatures. Although…How could they be in a pen during the blizzard in 3 feet of snow? I’m sure they have a shelter for that kind of weather. Ducks pick up dirt with their bills, and place it in water to get any bugs to eat from it. they splash water all around. There is also a thing called rain.
Mar 18, 2011 @ 01:34:52
“…these people…”
Moira, one might call that a Freudian slip.
Is it the Ducks you have issue with or is it the people?
I think you need to truly understand what is at stake here.
Lets set aside the ducks happy home and the 12 year old girl.
If we set a standard where people can deem there neighbors animals “annoying” so they can be removed, where does it stop?
Are the dogs next or maybe the cats?
Birds are a rather standard pet.
in fact Ducks are far less exotic than the parrots and other birds people keep.
Perhaps they are slightly different for wanting ducks. More power to them. Perhaps you have a problem with people who are different.
You have a problem with “these people” because they have ducks. Perhaps you would have a problem with “these people” if they were a different race of different sexual orientation.
Moira, get over yourself and stop being such a hateful person.
Mar 18, 2011 @ 08:43:16
Wow. What hatred towards ducks. Moira, I’m with Judd, you should really think before you speak and/or write. & it’s better THAN not then. Geez. I guess educashun is not important when blasting a 12 year old & her pets. Quack quack!
Mar 18, 2011 @ 09:32:51
Such a sad commentary on today’s society. We have so removed ourselves from nature that we consider a handful of ducks a nusiance! I would much rather hear the quacking of a duck as opposed to dogs barking, honking horns, airplanes, trains and the other “normal” town noises.
I wonder… how many complaints occur when someone has a back yard bbq and kids are squealing and music playing.
There are some pretty ridiculous reasons noted as to why this family shouldn’t be allowed to have the ducks including the fact that the ducks might contaminate the stream water. Are you people for real? Do you know the types of contaminants that are in our water systems? For example, jet fuel, vinyl chloride, your lawn fertilizers and weed killers, just to name a couple and you’re worried about duck feces??? Seriously???
As for those individuals that mocked Nicole, you are nothing more than pathetic bullies. If you had a lick of decency you would be humiliated and more than apologetic!
Mar 18, 2011 @ 21:41:17
Jim:
You’re the one that needs to get over yourself.
I probably wouldn’t mind the ducks either.
But I’m not so arrogant as to think Moira is hateful because she does.
She may have her reasons.
You’re clever, but that’s not always a good thing.
Especially when you use your imagination to paint her as probably anti gay or racist too.
So I guess you’re saying you don’t like “intolerant” people
“Oppression” seems like a very strong word to describe the local government’s role in regulating pets as Gaddaffi is dropping bombs on his citizens.
Judd, everyone can clearly see you are a duck expert, and that you have impeccable sentence structure to boot.
So there’s no need to try to make Moira appear stupid for you to look smart.
Mar 19, 2011 @ 01:33:00
Kevin,
By no means am I a duck expert, and by no means am I trying to make Moira appear stupid for my benefit.
On my behalf…I weighed both sides of this argument, and the laws posted on the town’s website regarding the keeping of domestic and non-domestic animals. And I find that non of these people complaining did any research into what they were complaining about before they started reacting. All of their arguments about waste in the water, or the noise of the ducks can be debunked by scientific facts that are easily accessible by today’s internet. You just need to take the time to look them up. It seems they’re just afraid of ‘DIFFERENT’.
And as far as Moira. If we as a group are having a discussion on the pros and cons of fire, and she busts into the room, like Frankenstein, and starts screaming “Fire bad”, without anything but hearsay to back her statements, yes I am going to judge her on presentation. They have a thing called spell check on the computer. Don’t waste your time, my time or the time of others by just randomly sprouting of 5 sentences of rhetoric. If you want me, and I am sure 85% of the population to listen to you, put some thought into what you are going to say, in between your Facebook time and the time your listening to your Lady Gaga records, to actually think out a well written argument. I would have felt more sympathy for her cause if she didn’t type so “ghetto”. Obviously…she lives by these ducks, but does she have any actual proof to the claims she has made? On The Two Rivers Times website https://www.tworivertimes.com/issues/110318/news6.php it has been stated that the family has a large enclosure for these ducks, so how were these ducks left out in blizzard conditions. Also…as I stated earlier on the decibel levels of these ducks. During this hard winter was she sleeping with her windows open? I bet there is no way she heard this “honking” at 6 in the morning. She’s just trying to get a sympathy vote. She’s clearly upset for some reason and is fabricating things to sway attention her way. And has she put a grain of thought into the facts that somethings she does bothers these people. Maybe she has friends over and plays music to loud. Maybe she does other things that bother these ‘duck people’. But has she heard 1 iota of complaint from these neighbors. She just wants things her way, or the way she was brought up to think things should be.
One thing I hope…..If this family has to give up these ducks for neighbor fear of strangeness, and cries of help when nothings wrong, I hope they start cop-calling on every little tiny thing their neighbors do. Summers here and they’re having a loud BBQ…call the police. They’re dog is to loud…call the police. They’re cat or dog is loose on the street… call the ASPCA, and get it put down. They’re grass or yard isn’t kept up to town standards…call the police. They’re kid is riding a tricycle down the street without a helmet…call Child Welfare. They’re watering their yards during water restrictions at night (which is common in that area)…call the police.
Remember (which I’m sure a lot of these people are complaining don’t realize )…what comes around goes around. In the scope of life this is not a big issue, but if it were me, and someone started doing this for no other reason but ignorance, I would scrutinize every public aspect of their life and report it to the proper authorities.
Mar 19, 2011 @ 10:49:14
Judd:
My mistake.
Now I understand thanks to your references to:
1. Frankenstein
2. Lady Gaga
3. duck decibel levels and the likelihood of hearing their honks in the winter through a closed window
4.hearsay, although I’m a little unclear on how Moira saying what she’s experienced amounts to hearsay
5. your revenge fantasy where the police are used to extract revenge from her
Mar 19, 2011 @ 12:08:00
Kevin,
You don’t.
If it was a dog, and not a duck, there wouldn’t even be an issue. If it was a cute, everyday golden retriever outside barking the neighbors would accept it, but since its something unfamiliar to them, they don’t like it.
You know yourself people are very afraid of change and things they don’t understand. It’s human nature.
And if your going to write into a public forum take the time to write. Don’t just take 2 minutes to scrawl down a few sentences and not even check your spelling or grammar. That hurts the argument your trying to fight on the side of.
And another thing you know to be true is that people like to talk. And most people always like to talk about the bad things going on with others. You don’t think some of these neighbors happened to bump into each other at the post office, or wherever, before this all began, and said “Can you believe ‘that family’ is raising ducks?”..”I always knew there was something strange about them.”..etc.etc.
And it’s not a revenge fantasy. If they can’t mind their business on what this family chooses to do on their property, why should this family accept all the things their neighbors do that bother them in silence. I’m sure neighbors that have problems with the ducks have themselves loud dogs, loud gatherings of people, loud children, cats that go out and crap in others gardens, lawns, etc.
Mar 20, 2011 @ 18:11:24
Cindy and Ann –
It time to come out and apologize to the sweet girl and the Fair Haven Council!!
You both have waited WAY too long to do that!
signed: mrsugarofmadisonavenue-champion of 2 legged ducks!!
Mar 21, 2011 @ 18:45:03
Just to be sure I wasn’t so royally irritated by this entire situation for nothing, I did some math. a 55db duck at 200 uninterrupted feet is somewhere around 10db. my laptop fan makes more volume than that. my guess is that you couldn’t even hear it unless you were listening for it on a perfectly silent day.
Mar 22, 2011 @ 08:11:38
Dear Moira – I find your post offensive. One because you refer to the Stover family as “these people”. “These people” usually is reserved for people you look down on. You obviously have no interest in being neighborly, and harassing them just makes you look bad. Last I checked Ducks like dirt, heck my cats like dirt. Would you have complained about the snow had it been bunnies in a hutch? The Star ledger video made it very clear how quiet the ducks actually are. Take it from me, living next door to an exotic indoor parrot is much worse when the windows are open.