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YOUR BALANCE
Should we stop releasing balloons as part of our pre-game
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Should we stop releasing balloons as part of our pre-game


Oct 17, 2013, 1:08 AM

tradition?

I was checking out some of the Clemson sites on Facebook and found quite a few comments from people asking the university to stop releasing balloons. They claim it hurts animals and the environment. Anyway, before seeing all that, I never gave it any thought. I do think the balloons look cool being released but I don't know if the cost is worth it. I don't have an opinion on the matter yet but if animals are getting hurt, I would want the practice stopped.

Has Tigernet had a discussion about this?

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Re: Should we stop releasing balloons as part of our pre-game


Oct 17, 2013, 1:40 AM

More animals are probably killed by all the vehicles traveling to and from the game than by the balloons.

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maybe clemson should release more balloons?


Oct 17, 2013, 1:53 AM

Happy squirrels causing unhappy officials at Clemson campus

By John Staed
Posted December 28, 2009 at 8:09 p.m.

A squirrel sits in an oak tree near the Kinard Laboratory of Physics on the Clemson University campus. The school has tried to control the population of the tree infesting animals, which officials claim has contributed to the loss of trees, property damage and 'at least one major power outage.'

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY —

A 1-pound rodent with a brain the size of a walnut is causing a lot of grief at Clemson University.

Too many Eastern gray squirrels apparently are running amok on campus, killing trees and costing the university about $100,000 a year in tree damage, according to university officials.

That’s why the great squirrel roundup was held this month. Clemson contracted with U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Service biologists to remove an abundance of the critters and then euthanize them.

By Dec. 19, 200 squirrels were trapped on campus, said facilities director Bob Wells. All work is conducted in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and was limited to 200 squirrels because of federal guidelines, Wells said.

Clemson’s 800-acre campus has two to three times the normal population of squirrels per acre and that creates “safety, environmental and economic problems,” Wells said.

“At least 100 mature trees have died as a result of squirrel damage in the last 10 years, and arborists estimate that at least 10 percent of the trees on campus have been affected,” Wells said.

Greg Yarrow, a professor of wildlife ecology at Clemson, said squirrels chew on bark for food and to mark their territory. With two breeding cycles a year, they mark a lot of trees.

“They chew all around the limbs, chewing the bark off all the way to the cambium (layer) of the tree,” Yarrow said. “Eventually it kills the tree.”

Normally, there are about four to five squirrels per acre in a wooded area, Yarrow said, but at Clemson there are about 14 per acre.

An outside arborist estimated the costs from the loss of each tree to be about $13,000, including seedling, planting, maintenance over time and removal of mature trees after damage by squirrels — driving the university’s 10-year total to exceed $1 million, according to a statement.

Wells said the estimated costs could be as high as $100,000 per year, not considering the potential safety hazard if a tree limb or whole tree fell on someone. Several tree limbs have landed on vehicle windshields, damaging them, officials said.

Clemson has tried the past two years to reduce its squirrel population through a birth control research program, but it has not proven to be able to control the population on a large enough scale.

The squirrels’ natural predators, such as hawks and owls, do not exist on campus in sufficient numbers to maintain a natural balance, Yarrow said. Also, students and staff feed the squirrels, helping to keep them on campus.

“We are trying to discourage that,” Yarrow said.

This year trees have produced a lot of acorns, so “we’ll probably have a another good population of squirrels,” he said.

Clemson is not unique to the problem of too many animals. Yarrow said Cornell University in New York allows limited deer hunting on the edge of its campus and squirrel hunting by archers.

Wells said Clemson officials will determine if the trapping succeeded or whether more needs to be done.

“We don’t know if other squirrels outside of campus are going to come in and take their place,” he said.

The $7,000 contract for the trapping mostly covered the expenses and lodging for wildlife service staff, Wells said.

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2009/dec/28/happy-squirrels-causing-unhappy-officials-clemson-/

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That's really interesting***


Oct 17, 2013, 2:17 AM



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dsp posted something interesting? Wow even a blind squirrel


Oct 17, 2013, 8:10 AM

finds a nut every now & then ;)

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Aspiring member of the TigerNet Sewer Dwellers


All the wind turbines in the world combined produce less


Oct 17, 2013, 1:57 AM

than 1/2 of 1 percent of the worlds power and kill 1,000's of endangered and protected birds of prey every year. Yet libturds & environmentalists think they are wonderful.

Battery factories for electric cars in China are destroying rivers, streams, and lakes and the land yet libturds & environmentalists think it's wonderful.

Let the balloons fly!!!

Maybe, maybe a few birds eat a balloon and die. I can count them on one hand every year. They gonna die from something anyway.

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I believe there are EPA regulations regarding balloon releases


Oct 17, 2013, 2:30 AM

I don't think you're allowed to release balloons with strings or attachments or something of that nature. I'm willing to bet there's even a bio-friendly balloon they recommend.

I do know that we once held a record for largest balloon release ever, in the 80's I think.

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Re: I believe there are EPA regulations regarding balloon releases


Oct 17, 2013, 10:03 AM

Latex balloons biodegrade at the same rate as oak leaves. I can live with that. Strings and other attachments to the balloons are another issue. And I think of that as more of a littering issue than anything else. I mean, putting the environmental concerns aside, since when are we in favor of littering?

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Re: Should we stop releasing balloons as part of our pre-game


Oct 17, 2013, 2:56 AM

Why would you post this?? It s a dumb #### post and I don't give a S^%# about birds!! BEAT FSU!!!

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Yeah, there's nothing of value in this post. I'll just post


Oct 17, 2013, 3:33 AM

a bunch of the same crap that's always posted.

Quit being an ignorant jerk.

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no, please, think of the animals. The cute ones.***


Oct 17, 2013, 7:21 AM



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"Anybody that says Coach Brownell is the best coach to come through Clemson is going to start an argument." -JP Hall


Yes, it should be stopped. Man is killing Mother Earth.


Oct 17, 2013, 3:51 AM

Those poor birds, squirrels and turtles.

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Re: Should we stop releasing balloons as part of our pre-game


Oct 17, 2013, 4:38 AM

I'm guessing y'all weren't around for the 600, 000 balloon release in the early 80s !

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no***


Oct 17, 2013, 5:49 AM



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Mississippi Tiger --------- Clemson University - 8 Time National Football Champions - 1900, 1906, 1948, 1950, 1981, 1983, 2016, 2018


We are surrounded by idiots


Oct 17, 2013, 6:22 AM

Would you people please stop screwing with our football traditions? We have had balloons at every game since forever. GET OVER IT. We are Clemson and we have balloons before the games and kids on the field after the games and those of us with 2 brain cells to rub together like it like that. If you want vanilla football in a tree hugging vanilla atmosphere, there are season tickets available at the upside down cockroach in Columbia. Otherwise, shut up and leave it alone.

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I see you can't engage in a civil conversation.***


Oct 17, 2013, 5:18 PM



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I see you are just here to stir up trouble***


Oct 18, 2013, 1:42 PM



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if you read it on facebook, it MUST be true......***


Oct 17, 2013, 6:25 AM



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Re: Should we stop releasing balloons as part of our pre-game


Oct 17, 2013, 6:46 AM

of all the things to cry about, this one is lame. Can't you find a real cause to support in life that actually accomplishes something useful?
Sheesh....go hug a tree and leave CU be

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NOBODY cares about this balloon crap during FSU week!***


Oct 17, 2013, 6:49 AM



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Balloon releases are so far down the world's list of trouble


Oct 17, 2013, 7:09 AM

...I honestly have difficulty conceiving of why folks should GAS about it.

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You're talking about "Balloons Blow" and they're a radical


Oct 17, 2013, 7:12 AM

group of complete morons.

There is no harm to animals or the environment based on several studies...

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Cole @ Beach Cole w/ Clemson Hat


Helium shortage and finite resource


Oct 17, 2013, 7:59 AM

The waste of Helium is what I'm concerned about. I would prefer Pyro techniques or fire works.

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Re: Naw I think we're good


Oct 17, 2013, 10:17 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Helium_Reserve

Stupid a$$ government laws that are outdated and aren't done away with

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Whatever you do, always give 100%.....unless it's donating blood


You kids stop using condoms and we'll stop with the balloons!


Oct 17, 2013, 8:03 AM

Otherwise, stPHu.


Message was edited by: ClemsonTiger1988®


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Im pretty sure some dept. did a study on it


Oct 17, 2013, 8:40 AM

And recommended some changes which were made. No strings, and they use a biogradable ballon I think, to minimize and problems all the ballons may cause.

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This^^^ It doesn't hurt the environment.


Oct 17, 2013, 9:53 AM

Also, who gives a ####?!

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exactly..they use biodegradable balloons.


Oct 17, 2013, 10:09 AM [ in reply to Im pretty sure some dept. did a study on it ]

this alum would not abide the practice, otherwise..it matters.

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GoTiguhs!!


Re: Im pretty sure some dept. did a study on it


Oct 17, 2013, 5:33 PM [ in reply to Im pretty sure some dept. did a study on it ]

I am a senior BioSci major and was part of the ENR department that did this study during my freshman year. We not only tracked the balloons after release, measured their degradation in different environments, but did feeding trials of pieces of the latex balloons. They went as far as the northern limits of NC (280 miles) but a median distance of 28 miles before shredding upon reaching a terminal height. They are 100% biodegradable and some show they degrade faster than a mere oak leaf. Additionally after months of daily feeds of latex (far and beyond anything an animal could stumble across in their environment), none of the animals demonstrated any negative effects. Even blood test showed no heightened immune/inflammatory response to the latex.

Safe to say, I'm not worried about he balloons! Go Tigers and Beat FSU.

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so...end of dicussion.***


Oct 18, 2013, 1:53 PM



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Re: Should we stop releasing balloons as part of our pre-game


Oct 17, 2013, 10:14 AM

I'm a member of Central Spirit, the organization in charge of blowing up the balloons before the game. About three years back, we helped with a creative inquiry project about the effects of the balloons on the environment. Turns out they don't really have any effect.

We use biodegradable balloons without strings and I'm pretty sure the strings caused a bigger problem than the actual balloons.

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Maybe, maybe not. But we #### sure won't stop


Oct 17, 2013, 10:19 AM

just became ######### cry about it. When will people learn to stop trying to tell folks in South Carolina what to do? You have to let us think it is our own idea.

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Just tell them "You should have seen what we did to baby


Oct 17, 2013, 5:20 PM

seals back in the day..." Then tell them to go mind their own Co2

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Negative Ghost Rider.***


Oct 17, 2013, 5:20 PM



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I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks; but I do fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. - Bruce Lee


They did stop for a while for the reason you gave.


Oct 17, 2013, 5:21 PM

If I remember correctly, they found some sort of "eco-friendly" balloons and started it back up.

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GO TIGERS!!


I think the whole balloon thing is blown out of proportion.***


Oct 17, 2013, 6:25 PM



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"I've played multiple sports and would bet any amount that I'm still more athletic than you at this present time...."


Re: Should we stop releasing balloons as part of our pre-game


Oct 17, 2013, 6:34 PM

The emissions from cars coming to the game do more harm than balloons. I think we should continue to allow both.

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Re: Should we stop releasing balloons as part of our pre-game


Oct 17, 2013, 6:40 PM

Oh good grief! Grow a pair you pansies!

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Re: Should we stop releasing balloons as part of our pre-game


Oct 17, 2013, 6:42 PM

i love animals, they are delicious.

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Balloons can be deadly what with their sharp edges and stuff***


Oct 18, 2013, 1:51 PM



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Replies: 39
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