Thanks, Dudley. Living in Louisiana, I'm sure that you have a lot of direct experience with these critters. My first strong recommendation to the Board President was to have the alligators removed and at the very least post signs that indicate their presence and discourage homeowners from feeding them. Unfortunately, they are being fed by the residents. Not good! However, since the lake has a channel with water flowing in as well as a channel for outflow the alligators come and go as they please. Some are territorial and stay. The first step before removal is to put bars on the entry and exit culverts to prevent entry by neighboring alligators. What I have not mentioned before is the presence of cottonmouth snakes; some as big around as your arm and several feet long. I don't know what's more dangerous to children and pets: poisonous snakes or alligators... I guess sometimes you don't get to choose the wildlife that inhabits your pond or lake.
