Practical uses
When did the UK make it illegal to shoot pigeons?
Shooting
Passenger Pigeon Carrier pigeon Feral Pigeon Street Cinema Environment Agency Wales
Passenger_Pigeon-Hunting Carrier_pigeon-Wartime_use Feral_Pigeon-Poison Street_Cinema-Background Environment_Agency_Wales-Protect_and_improve_water,_land_and_air
The Passenger Pigeon was an important source of food for the people of North America. The Native Americans ate Passenger Pigeons, and tribes near nesting colonies would sometimes move to live closer to them and eat the juveniles. The juveniles were killed at night with long poles. Most Native Americans were careful not to disturb the adult pigeons, and instead only ate the juveniles as they were afraid that the adult pigeons may desert their nesting grounds; in some tribes disturbing the adult pigeons was considered a crime. Away from the nests, large nets were used to capture adult pigeons, sometimes up to 800 at a time. Among the game birds, Passenger Pigeons were second only to the Wild Turkey in terms of importance for the Native Americans living in the southeastern United States. The bird's fat was stored, often in large quantities, and used as butter. Archaeological evidence supports the idea that the Native American ate the pigeons frequently prior to colonization. After colonization, the Passenger Pigeon was an important source of food for the poor or common people due to its availability and low cost. It was of particular value on the frontier, and some colonies counted on the pigeon to support their population. In the early 19th century, commercial hunters began netting and shooting the birds to sell in city markets as food, as live targets for trap shooting, and even as food for pigs. Once pigeon meat became popular, commercial hunting started on a prodigious scale. John James Audubon described the preparations for slaughter at a known pigeon-roosting site:One method of capture was to hunt at a nesting colony, particularly during the period of a few days after the adult pigeons abandoned their nestlings but before the nestlings could fly. Some hunters used sticks to poke the nestlings out of the nest, while others shot the bottom of a nest with a blunt arrow to dislodge the pigeon. Others cut down a nesting tree in such a way that when it fell, it would also hit a second nesting tree and dislodge the pigeons within. Still another way was to simply set a nesting tree on fire, cooking the doves or collecting them as they tried to escape. There were a wide variety of other methods that were used to capture and kill Passenger Pigeons. Sulfur was sometimes burned beneath the nesting tree to suffocate the birds, which fell out of the tree in a weakened state. At least one trapper used alcohol-soaked grain as bait to intoxicate the birds and make them easier to kill. Salt was also frequently used as bait, and many trappers set up near salt springs. Stool pigeons, which traditionally were blinded, were also used to attract flocks of pigeons that thought that the stool pigeon had found food. Low-flying pigeons could be killed by thrown sticks or stones. At one site in Oklahoma the pigeons leaving their roost every morning flew low enough that the Cherokee could throw clubs into their midst, which caused the lead pigeons to try to turn aside and in the process created a blockade that created a large mass of flying, easily hit pigeons. Nets were propped up to allow Passenger Pigeons entry, then closed by knocking loose the stick that supported the opening, trapping twenty or more pigeons inside. Tunnel nets were also used to great effect, and one particularly large net was capable of catching 3,500 pigeons at a time. These nets were used by many farmers on their own property as well as by professional trappers. Passenger Pigeons were shot with such ease that many did not consider them to be a game bird, as an amateur hunter could easily bring down six with one shotgun blast; a particularly good shot with both barrels of a shotgun at a roost could kill 61 birds. They were frequently shot either in flight during migration or immediately after, when they traditionally perched in dead, exposed trees. The pigeons did prove difficult to shoot head-on, so hunters typically waited for the flocks to pass overhead before shooting them. Trenches were sometimes dug and filled with grain so that a hunter could shoot the pigeons along this trench. Hunters largely outnumbered the trappers, and hunting Passenger Pigeons was a popular sport for young boys. At a nesting site in Petoskey, Michigan in 1878, 50,000 birds were killed each day for nearly five months. The surviving adults attempted a second nesting at new sites, but were killed by professional hunters before they had a chance to raise any young. Neltje Blanchan documented that over a million birds could be exterminated at one time from a single flock, and that an equal number were left either wounded or orphaned before they could fend for themselves. Paul R. Ehrlich reported that a "single hunter" sent three million birds to eastern cities during his career. It was common practice to fatten trapped pigeons before eating them or storing their bodies for winter. Deceased pigeons were commonly stored by salting or pickling the bodies; other times, only the breasts of the pigeons were kept, in which case they were typically smoked. By the mid-1800s, railroads had opened new opportunities for pigeon hunters. While previously it proved too difficult to ship masses of pigeons to eastern cities, the access provided by the railroad permitted pigeon hunting to become commercialized. After being opened up to the railroads, the town of Plattsburg, New York is estimated to have shipped 1.8 million pigeons to larger cities in 1851 alone at a price of 31 to 56 cents a dozen. By the late 1800s, the trade of Passenger Pigeons had become commercialized. Large commission houses employed trappers to follow the flocks of pigeons year-round. In 1874, at least 600 individuals were employed as pigeon trappers, a number which grew to 1,200 by 1881. Pigeons were so commonplace that by 1876 shipments of dead pigeons were unable to recoup the costs of the barrels and ice needed to ship them, which led to the pigeons being caught alive instead. 
Before the advent of radio, carrier pigeons were frequently used on the battlefield as a means for a mobile force to communicate with a stationary headquarters. In the 6th century BC, Cyrus, king of Persia, used carrier pigeons to communicate with various parts of his empire. During the 19th-century Franco-Prussian War, besieged Parisians used carrier pigeons to transmit messages outside the city; in response, the besieging German Army employed hawks to hunt the pigeons. During the First and Second World Wars, carrier pigeons were used to transport messages back to their home coop behind the lines. When they landed, wires in the coop would sound a bell or buzzer and a soldier of the Signal Corps would know a message had arrived. He would go to the coop, remove the message from the canister, and send it to its destination by telegraph, field phone, or personal messenger. A carrier pigeon's job was dangerous. Nearby enemy soldiers often tried to shoot down pigeons, knowing that released birds were carrying important messages. Some of these pigeons became quite famous among the infantrymen they worked for. One pigeon, named "The Mocker", flew 52 missions before he was wounded. Another, named "Cher Ami", was injured in the last week of World War I. Though she lost her foot and one eye, her message got through, saving a large group of surrounded American infantrymen. 
Due to their non-selective nature, most avian poisons have been banned. In the United States market only 4-aminopyridine (Avitrol) and DRC-1339 remained registered by EPA. DRC-1339 is limited to USDA use only while 4-AP is a restricted use pesticide, for use only by licensed applicators. The use of poisons has been proven to be fairly ineffective, however, as pigeons can breed very quickly—up to six times a year—and their numbers are determined by how much food is available; that is, they breed more often when more food is provided to them. When pigeons are poisoned, surviving birds do not leave the area. On the contrary, they are left with more food per bird than before. This attracts pigeons from outside areas as well as encouraging more breeding, and populations are re-established quickly. An additional problem with poisoning is that it also kills pigeon predators. Due to this, in cities with Peregrine Falcon programs it is typically illegal to poison pigeons. 
"Street Cinema" was released on February 23, 1999 through Ruffhouse Records and was co-produced by Ski and Sporty Thievz member King Kirk. The album was one of the final to be released through Ruffhouse, as the label was shut down less than a year later. Chart-wise, the album did not make much of an impact, only making it to 66 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and 16 on the Top Heatseekers. The album's lead single, however, did. "No Pigeons" peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the group their only top 40 hit during their brief existence, as well as #1 on the Hot Rap Singles. In addition to "No Pigeons", "Cheapskate" and its remix also became minor hits on the Billboard charts. "No Pigeons" was certified gold by the RIAA on July 9, 1999 for sales of over 500,000 copies. 
Environment Agency Wales was responsible for ensuring that environmental legislation was implemented properly on behalf of the Welsh and UK governments. This included regulating businesses such as power stations, chemical factories, metal processors, waste management sites, construction industry, food and drink manufacturers, farms and the water industry – to make sure that their work did not damage the environment. Where people and businesses needed to take water for drinking, industry and irrigation, Environment Agency Wales ensured that they did so without damaging the environment. To do this, Environment Agency Wales gave advice and issued permits, authorisations and consents to businesses that complied with legislative requirements. When pollution occurred, Environment Agency Wales worked to minimise any environmental damage, identify the source and stop any further pollution. If businesses failed to comply with their permits, and pollution occurred, Environment Agency Wales took enforcement action against them, including prosecution on occasion. Environment Agency Wales also led on dealing with serious waste crime which is often organised, large-scale and profitable. Priority waste crime types include large-scale illegal dumping, illegal waste sites and illegal exports of waste. It also dealt with high risk activities such as illegal disposal of wastes, where there was an actual or imminent threat of significant flooding or pollution. 