Over two dozen small circular fences with a sliver of yellow caution tape attached are scattered across the Langley Middle School football field. Their purpose: Shield off holes dug by rabbits.

Unaware of the damage they are causing, nearby rabbits frequent the field and graze close by the fences, as if to say, “We’re not going anywhere.”

Therein lies the problem.

In response to the semi-wild/feral rabbits or hares and non-native Eastern cottontail rabbits that overpopulate the Langley area and have damaged the middle school’s athletic fields, South Whidbey School District workers have installed fences around the holes to prevent students and athletes from injuring themselves.

“It has everything to do with the rabbits, especially with the middle school fields, and what is happening with the rabbit population and the damage we’re experiencing from them,” South Whidbey School District Superintendent Jo Moccia said.

Potential solutions for how to permanently address the problem will be discussed at the district board meeting tonight at 6:30 in the Elementary School Board/Community room.

Langley Mayor Fred McCarthy and representatives of the Port of South Whidbey will also be in attendance.

It won’t be an easy task to handle due to the split of opinions on the rabbits, according to McCarthy, but he’ll go to the meeting with an open mind.

“The solutions are fairly complicated,” McCarthy said. “You’ve got people in Langley that say animals are one step away from being people, so they’re not excited about anything involving euthanizing them or trapping them.”

“I certainly want to appeal to the safety factor and the maintenance issue,” he added.

McCarthy said he knows different strategies that are available to them, but most are pricey and likely will be contested by bunny enthusiasts. For now, the city has taken advice from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to allow natural predators to level the population.

The most lethal method is to hire contractors from the Department of Fish and Wildlife or the Washington State Department of Agriculture to kill the rabbits. McCarthy said the cost of such an action would be heavy and based on a “per-head” cost. He also noted that the city doesn’t have a budget for rabbit eradication.

“I did not want to be the mayor to hire the contractors to come in and kill them,” McCarthy said. “There are people here who believe in natural consequences and the natural order and they think you’re messing with it.”

“If it’s a city-caused problem or health problem in the city, we certainly would consider making it a high priority,” he added.

The issue of rabbits overpopulating the Langley area isn’t a new problem. Ever since the last Barnyard Scramble in 2001, which contributed to the rapid growth of semi-wild/feral rabbits or hares and non-native Eastern cottontail rabbits in Langley, there has been ongoing debate as to what should be done about them.

“Nobody wants to poison them,” said Shawn Nowlin, president of the LMS Parent-Teacher-Student Association. “The other part I’ve noticed is that the coyote population has been seriously diminished, and that may be why the rabbits are so prevalent.”

Nowlin said that parents are aware of the problem and know the district is handling it accordingly.