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<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class="" style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;"><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: inherit; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;"><span class="" style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;">Thousands Oppose Unethical Slaughter of Crystal Lake Park’s Geese for “Charity Harvest”</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="blog-content__teaser" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: Ubuntu, serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254); box-shadow: none !important;"><img src="https://www.idausa.org/assets/components/phpthumbof/cache/blogmain-urban-goose-round-up-ny-052720.ae323e5abf123958a6f65314abb1f862.jpg" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; border-style: none; display: inline-block; vertical-align: middle; max-width: 100%; height: auto; width: 636.656px;" class=""></div><div class="hide-for-small-only" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: Ubuntu, serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254); box-shadow: none !important;"><h1 style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; font-size: 2.5rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; padding: 2rem 0rem; color: rgb(45, 35, 120); text-rendering: optimizelegibility; line-height: 3rem; box-shadow: none !important;" class="">Slitting the Necks of Geese is No “Harvest for Charity”</h1></div><div class="relative" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: Ubuntu, serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254); box-shadow: none !important;"><div class="blog-content__info hide-for-small-only" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 1.5rem 0px; position: relative; border-top: 4px solid rgb(231, 228, 239); border-bottom: 4px solid rgb(231, 228, 239); font-style: italic;"><div class="blog-content__info__category" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-weight: 700; font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 1.05rem; text-transform: uppercase; box-shadow: none !important;">NEWS</div><div class="blog-content__info__data" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0.25rem 0px 0px; font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 1.05rem; box-shadow: none !important;">May 29, 2020 - Posted by Lisa Levinson</div><div class="blog-content__info__tag" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 1.5rem 0px 0px; font-size: 0.75rem; line-height: 0.925rem; color: rgb(107, 181, 71); text-transform: uppercase; box-shadow: none !important;">TAG: <a href="https://www.idausa.org/campaign/wild-animals-and-habitats/latest-news/tag/geese/" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(107, 181, 71); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;" class="">GEESE</a>, <a href="https://www.idausa.org/campaign/wild-animals-and-habitats/latest-news/tag/in-defense-of-animals/" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(107, 181, 71); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;" class="">IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS</a>, <a href="https://www.idausa.org/campaign/wild-animals-and-habitats/latest-news/tag/wild-animals/" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(107, 181, 71); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;" class="">WILD ANIMALS</a></div></div><div class="blog-content__share" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0.5rem 0rem; border-radius: 0rem 0.5rem 0.5rem 0rem; position: fixed; left: 0rem; bottom: 3rem; background-color: transparent; width: 2.5rem; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-right: 2px solid transparent; z-index: 90;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.idausa.org/campaign/wild-animals-and-habitats/latest-news/slitting-the-necks-of-geese-is-no-harvest-for-charity/" target="_blank" class="js-social-share" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(107, 181, 71); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;"><div class="share-icon share--facebook" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 2.5rem; height: 2rem; background-size: cover; background-image: url(applewebdata://A2D2BDD3-3DCE-4B35-A55E-50029AE662F0/images/icons-share-facebook.png); box-shadow: none !important; background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"></div></a><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.idausa.org/campaign/wild-animals-and-habitats/latest-news/slitting-the-necks-of-geese-is-no-harvest-for-charity/&text=Help+us+save+80+%23geese+from+having+their+necks+slit+for+a+gruesome+%E2%80%9Ccharity+harvest%E2%80%9D+approved+by+%40UrbanaParks.+Innocent+geese+are+counting+on+%40dwmarlin+to+choose+compassion+over+killing%21+%23ProtectGeese+" target="_blank" class="js-social-share" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(107, 181, 71); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;"><div class="share-icon share--twitter" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 2.5rem; height: 2rem; background-size: cover; background-image: url(applewebdata://A2D2BDD3-3DCE-4B35-A55E-50029AE662F0/images/icons-share-twitter.png); box-shadow: none !important; background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"></div></a></div></div><div class="js-content-read-more" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: Ubuntu, serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254); box-shadow: none !important;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;" class="">On May 12, the Urbana Park District Board of Illinois unanimously voted to kill 80 geese who live at Crystal Lake Park, despite strong public opposition. The District has even had the nerve to call this violent goose killing a “charity harvest.” Nothing could be further from the truth! Terrified geese will be herded, separated from their families, and carted away to a slaughterhouse if we don’t act right away. <strong style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; line-height: inherit; box-shadow: none !important;" class="">Help us stop this madness and save 80 innocent geese!</strong></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;" class="">If this monstrous plan moves forward, dozens of unsuspecting geese will be rounded up during molting season, while they are flightless and defenseless. Most of the geese will be separated from their goslings and violently pushed into cages, while the rest will be left vulnerable, terrified, and traumatized.</p><div class="video-container" align="center" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px; padding: 30px 0px 358.109px; position: relative; height: 0px; overflow: hidden;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/07CoDbb-xB8?rel=0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 636.656px; height: 388.109px;" class=""></iframe></div><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;" class=""> </p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;" class="">The Board’s rash decisions were pushed through to begin the park’s $2.5 million renovation plan. Local activists weren’t notified about the goose roundup in time to voice their concerns, so they <strong style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; line-height: inherit; box-shadow: none !important;" class=""><a href="https://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/parks-recreation/urbana-park-district-board-unanimously-approves-charity-harvest-of-geese-at-crystal-lake/article_50f40ff2-d9ca-5adc-a1da-d7d4f21e9ffb.html" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(107, 181, 71); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;" class="">staged a protest</a></strong>.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;" class="">The Urbana Park District’s <strong style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; line-height: inherit; box-shadow: none !important;" class=""><a href="https://www.urbanaparks.org/projects/geese-population-and-management/" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(107, 181, 71); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;" class="">own reports</a></strong> show five years of steady improvement and a marked population decrease of 12% in the last two years using nonlethal strategies like habitat modification, nesting management, and humane hazing. Despite the District's lip-service, no efforts have actually been made to plant taller grass or to set up a "tolerance zone" for geese away from human activities as long-term solutions to help control population sizes in the future.<img src="https://www.idausa.org/assets/files/campaign/wild-free/blogextra-geesecaged-052720.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="900" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; border-style: none; display: inline-block; vertical-align: middle; max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px;" class=""></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;" class="">Goose poop complaints can easily be remedied by hiring companies to clean the waste, which is an effective fertilizer and not a health hazard as claimed. Sadly, the birds’ lifeless bodies will become actual waste because no credible charities will risk feeding pesticide-laden goose flesh to food pantry patrons.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;" class="">Please tell Urbana there is no rush to kill the resident Canada geese who live in Crystal Lake Park., and to take the necessary time to implement effective and humane management strategies. This roundup must be cancelled before helpless animals are traumatized and senselessly killed!</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-align: center;" class=""><img src="https://www.idausa.org/assets/files/campaign/wild-free/blogextra-protestors-052720.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="900" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; border-style: none; display: inline-block; vertical-align: middle; max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px;" class=""></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;" class=""><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; line-height: inherit; box-shadow: none !important;" class="">What YOU Can Do:</strong></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;" class="">1. Call Urbana Park District Superintendent Derek Liebert and Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin to urge them to cancel their plans to traumatize and kill 80 geese who live peacefully at Crystal Lake Park.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;" class="">Urbana Park District, dial (217) 344-9583, and leave a message for Superintendent Derek Liebert</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;" class="">Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin, (217) 384-2456</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;" class=""><em style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; line-height: inherit; box-shadow: none !important;" class="">You can say, “I implore you to cancel the wasteful, cruel charity goose slaughter. Please give effective humane alternatives a chance!”</em></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;" class="">2. Comment on the Urbana Parks District <strong style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; line-height: inherit; box-shadow: none !important;" class=""><a href="https://www.facebook.com/urbanaparkdistrict/" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(107, 181, 71); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;" class="">Facebook</a></strong> and <strong style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; line-height: inherit; box-shadow: none !important;" class=""><a href="https://twitter.com/urbanaparks" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(107, 181, 71); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;" class="">Twitter</a> </strong>pages. Please tag <strong style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; line-height: inherit; box-shadow: none !important;" class=""><a href="https://twitter.com/dwmarlin" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(107, 181, 71); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;" class="">Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin</a></strong> and reporter <strong style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; line-height: inherit; box-shadow: none !important;" class=""><a href="https://twitter.com/bzigterman" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(107, 181, 71); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;" class="">Ben Zigterman</a></strong> in your comment.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;" class=""><em style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; line-height: inherit; box-shadow: none !important;" class="">You can say, “Practice compassion for animals, including geese! Cancel the wasteful, cruel charity goose slaughter @dwmarlin @bzigterman now.”</em></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; outline: 0px; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;" class="">3. Please sign our letter urging the Urbana Park District Board of Directors, the Urbana Park District Superintendent of Planning and Operations, the Mayor of Urbana, and the Urbana Parks Foundation Board of Trustees to cancel their planned goose roundup.</p></div></div></body></html>