With over 95-percent of Willow Dale duck pond frozen over, and as temperatures continue to drop well below 10 degrees, time is quickly running out for the ducks at Willow Dale — and locals are beginning to step up, in what Bradford businessman Steve Cavallaro previously called “a community responsibility.”

“I’m concerned about the well-being of these rather docile, flightless ducks that aren’t going to have anywhere to go pretty soon, and I’m not the only one,” Zippo’s Beverly Sherman told The Era on Friday evening. “There is a lot of concern for these ducks, and I believe that, with cooperation from the local community, we can come up with a solution to save them.”

And Sherman, herself, says she has been working on that solution for several weeks now.

“I, as well as many of the people I know and work with, drive passed Willow Dale duck pond on an everyday basis,” Sherman explained. “I’ve been watching the pond freeze over and the conditions outside worsen, yet the ducks don’t leave — and that’s part of the problem. People raise them, drop them off to live and to grow at the pond during the spring and summertime, and then they forget come winter that these are tame ducks. They aren’t conditioned to survive in the wild.”

Sherman noted that she first got the notion to become involved from another concerned local, Cavallaro, and his wife, who stop out at the pond every other evening to throw corn to the ducks.

“It’s sad watching them struggle,” Sherman said. “A lot of people feel that way, and have expressed that sentiment to myself, and others. It’s not just the cold, or cars on the road; it’s predators and the likely possibility of them starving to death that has people concerned.”

One man, in particular, decided that he is willing to provide shelter for the ducks this winter, Sherman continued.

“He specifically came to me and said ‘I can take them in’,” she described. “But there are some complications even with that.”

First, the ducks will be difficult to gather. Sherman commented that perhaps people could get together and attempt to “corral” the ducks into a trailer, or a box of some sort, for transport.

“This gentleman, who I’d like to not name, can take the ducks, but it’ll have to be more than one person aiding in the gathering and transporting of them from Willow Dale,” Sherman explained. “From there, they’ll be taken to Willow Creek, where the gentleman can care for the ducks and then bring them back in the spring.”

However, food will also need to be provided over the winter — and that’s where the community comes in.

“One person really can’t afford to sustain 15 to 20 ducks at a time, every day, and he shouldn’t have to,” Sherman continued. “The community enjoys these ducks and continues to care for them and keep them around during the warmer months, so why should that stop in the colder months?”

She believes the responsibility, as Cavallaro stated, does not fade.

“Though the specifics need to be worked out, this option should be explored and supported by people who share in wanting to see these ducks survive,” Sherman added. “We’ve had some suggestions, and there has been talk, but what we really need is action — action from those who are physically able to help corral the ducks, and action from those who have some spare money to lend to feeding them through the winter.”

Sherman noted that, while Christmas time is a busy season, the time between Christmas and New Year’s is when action should be taken.

“I think the ducks can survive one more week, because I know everyone is busy planning and preparing for Christmas,” she stated. “But right after the holiday, we’re going to need several people to help make this happen.”

Sherman said she, and possibly five other Zippo associates, are willing to assist in the transportation of the ducks, if “someone can come up with a plan” on how to move them.

“I was told that live traps are a bad option because you’ll excite the ducks and they’ll break their wings, so there has to be another way; I’m open to suggestions,” she said.

In her opinion, Sherman commented that perhaps having domesticated ducks at Willow Dale duck pond is simply not feasible.

“It’s just not fair to these ducks, who grow tame after so much human interaction, to be left out in the winter to suffer the cold and become prey, all so people can enjoy their presence in the spring and summer,” she stated. “Wild ducks can fly, or leave. These ones are literally ‘sitting ducks’.”

Sherman added that the community should take a hand in protecting the ducks “year-round.”

“If someone is going to take it upon themselves to make this spot a little rural oasis, they have to follow-through, and Steve Cavallaro and a select few others can’t be the only ones to assume that responsibility,” Sherman said. “I just want people to know that the ducks that exist at the pond aren’t just a pretty backdrop; they are living, breathing animals that need attention twelve months out of the year — not just when it’s easy and warm.”

And, though she doesn’t know what the long-term solution is, Sherman is imploring the community to consider the short-term options this winter.

For anyone who has any further ideas, or serious interest in helping to save the Willow Dale ducks, contact Sherman at lady.riders@hotmail.com.