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Some community members, including Don DelloStritto, believed it was caused by duck itch, or cercariae. But the Cayuga County Health Department said Friday afternoon that test results on water and snail samples sent to the state Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show no presence of cercariae, the organism that causes duck itch, or swimmer's itch.

Cercariae are a kind of a swimming larvae deposited from bird droppings that typically enter a mollusc host such as a snail. The parasite develops in the host. It is released and attaches itself to the skin of animals in the water, including humans. While its life cycle typically ends if it contacts human skin, it can still penetrate the skin, causing pimple like bumps.

While the CDC stated as part of the test results that there was no evidence of cercariae, that does not mean avian parasitic flatworms were not present during the time the rashes were reported. No further water or snail testing related to the incident is planned, according to a release from the county Health Department.

DelloStritto, who contracted the rash, meeting Tuesday night, calling on the body and the county Parks Commission to take action against the waterfowl.

"We agree, one way or the other, we got to do something with the birds to try to eliminate them," said Gary Duckett, superintendent of the county's Parks and Trails and Buildings and Grounds.

The Cayuga County Parks Commission met Wednesday night and decided that while something must be done, they would not promote hunting or allow dogs on the beach to solve the problem. 

While it will be legal for hunters to hunt geese on the shores of Emerson Park starting Sept. 1, aiming out into the lake and not over the lawn, the Parks Commission voted not to encourage that as a primary means of bird control.

Instead, Duckett said, there are plans to install light-reflecting prisms along the shoreline. A proposal for the prisms created by the county Parks and Trails Department with the help of the Owasco Lake Watershed Inspection Program, was sent to the Emerson Foundation for grant funding, and Dan Fessenden, executive director, said that proposal has been approved. 

"We have approved some grant funding for the deployment of some of those bird deterrent strategies," Fessenden said. "It was only coincidental with the timing of the discussion this week. We're going to help some funding with the county, and hope that there's an effective outcome of that strategy, particularly the prisms."

According to the proposal, the idea is to place the prisms alongside flags. The light is supposed to disorient the birds in flight, obstructing their vision and causing them to change course and land elsewhere.

"The combination of these devices will deter birds in a harmless, public-friendly manner from unwanted areas by making use of light beams reflected from direct sunlight or artificial light," according to the grant proposal.

Andrew Snell, Owasco Lake watershed specialist, said he's ordered the prisms and hopes they will be delivered within the next couple of weeks.

Anyone with questions on the water and snail test results from the NYSDOH and the CDC may call the county's Environmental Health Division at (315) 252-1560 or visit ./environmental for more information.