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Stan’s Airboats Keep Airport Safe from Migrating Blackbirds

Airboats for Wildlife Hazard Management

Every November and December, Augusta Regional Airport in Richmond County, Georgia looks like Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” That’s why the Augusta Utilities Department relies on Stan’s Airboat and Marsh Excavator Service to humanely remove millions of migrating blackbirds that create a danger for inbound and outbound airplanes. 

Our Wildlife Hazard Management and Mitigation services create a safer flight pattern for the airport.


The Trouble With Blackbirds

Each year, the migrating birds make their temporary home at a retention pond near the airport runways. This creates a serious safety hazard for the airplanes coming in and taking off from the airport. To address this, our airboats flatten and crush the standing vegetation, making the area an unsuitable habitat for the roosting blackbirds. The program has been very successful, significantly reducing the number of blackbirds without causing damage to the wetland ecosystem, as the flattened vegetation grows back the following spring.

Why Use Airboats for Wildlife Management?

Airboats serve as an indispensable tool in wildlife management in swamplands. They can be used to access areas that cannot be reached in other ways, and to manipulate vegetation and other environmental features to make a place less desirable for an invasive species without causing environmental harm. Airboats can be used to conduct water and soil testing, and to safely observe wildlife up close. Airboats are also used for mosquito abatement projects to monitor and control pest populations.

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Why Choose Stan’s Airboats?

Stan’s Airboat and Excavator Services is preferred by the Augusta Utilities Department, and for good reason. With over two decades of experience and a large fleet of airboats and excavation equipment, Stan’s is well-equipped to handle even very sensitive or complicated projects. All operators are skilled, experienced, certified, and trained to fix any mechanical problems in the field to minimize downtime. 

When wildlife management is needed in remote areas with sensitive ecosystems, agencies and businesses trust Stan’s. That’s because in order for wildlife hazards to be safely mitigated, they have to be addressed swiftly and with great care so that the safety of the animals, the environment, and the people involved is not jeopardized.

Stan’s Airboats also provides other services to help manage and protect the natural community that exists along the Gulf Coast’s swamps and wetlands, including erosion control and land reclamation operations. If you have wildlife or wildland issues that need to be addressed on your personal or commercial property, talk to the experts at Stan’s to learn about the options you may have for safe, humane management.

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