[Peace] Fwd: LOCAL ISSUE: Rally to protect-the-geese today at noon! And---2 weak spots in the Park's argument, that we discovered yesterday(there are many, but these two jumped out at us)

[Karen Aram]

Message from Susan Parenti: 
> 
> HI friends--At corner of Park Street and Broadway---Let’s meet today noon-1pm to protest the local issue of the Park District’s plan to manage the number of our geese by means of killing them (management by murder, is what I call it).
> 
> Many of us/you  have been trying a lot of things to get this management plan changed.
> 
> I want to point out three things we discovered yesterday during an intense meeting four of us had with Tim Barlett executive director of the Park, and Derek Liebert Superintendent of Parks (the person who is in charge of the killing action). 
> 
> 1. After an hour of head-to-head disagreement, Tim Bartlett said cheerfully, “Well, I’m looking forward to when we all can work together to figure out a regional plan for how to manage all the geese in the Champaign County area—not just the Crystal Lake Park geese. We’re going to need to coordinate with a lot of different organizations to get the geese situation solved.” 
> 
> This remark of Tim’s about needing to come up with a regional plan—and the cheerful cheerleading tone in which he said it—shows that the Park realizes killing the geese in Crystal Lake is only a temporary solution. Once the Park kills 100+ geese, that will leave an empty field for all the other geese in the region to come and live.  For other remaining geese, it will be like an empty apartment building—furnished—with all the doors and windows open. Viktoria had pointed out, very clearly, that the situation of the geese is a systemic problem, and will require a different set of questions/answers than simple extermination.  When she pointed that out, Tim and Derek were silent, stony-faced. But this sudden remark of Tim’s shows that they know very well that their plan has a big hole in it—once they kill the 100+ geese, they’re going to need a next step (which they don’t have) to deal with the consequences of the killing.
> 
> 2. THE PARK DISTRICT HAS NO DATA TO BACK UP THEIR CLAIMS OF ‘OVER POPULATION’, "THE NUMBER OF GEESE ARE INCREASING!!”  In talking with UPD yesterday, our 4-person committee decided we would concentrate on asking the UPD for data—numbers, graphs, etc—to back up their claims of over-population and of increase in geese population. Tim and Derek said they don’t have those numbers, that only in the last week has Derek been counting how many geese there are. When Ilir asked, “Then how can you say the numbers of geese are increasing if you can’t show the numbers? An increase means TWO numbers, right?” I, Susan, said, “You keep claiming over-population—by what standard do you measure OVER population? According to WHAT?” Tim  countered this by asking US, “Well, what’s the standard?”  We said, “We’re asking YOU—YOU’ RE the ones making allegations of increase of numbers of geese, and over overpopulation. You tell US” (Wow, Tim Barlett, head of UPD-- This is a man who is paid $125,000 a year—and he is asking US?) Tim went further and asked, “Well, do other Parks count their number of geese”. And again, we answered” YOU should know that—you haven’t done your homework!)
> 
> Yesterday, at the end of this meeting, we presented UPD with several FOIA  requests(Freedom of Information Act). 
> 
> 
> 3. If you go into the Park district’s website, you’ll find a chart there of the management of the geese since 2015—and there you WILL find numbers. But these numbers show that up to 2019, the numbers of geese have been DECREASING—so their management of the geese has been effective, without resorting to killing the geese. What the——?
> 
> From UPD website--https://www.urbanaparks.org/projects/geese-population-and-management/ <website--https://www.urbanaparks.org/projects/geese-population-and-management/>
> 
> PLEASE CALL Derek Liebert and Tim Barlett and ask them to account for what they’re proposing. 
> Derek 217-344-9583, daliebert at urbanaparks.org <mailto:daliebert at urbanaparks.org>
> Tim 217-367-1536, tabartlett at uabanaparks.org <mailto:tabartlett at uabanaparks.org>
> 
> A timeline of goose management in Crystal Lake Park
> 
> 2012    Goose beacons installed in the lake, proved effective in year 1.
> 
> 2013    Beacon habituation, no longer effective.
> 
> 2014    Urbana Park District Advisory Committee recommends increased management
>             Park district hosts area agency lunch and learn with Illinois Department of Natural Resources Urban Waterfowl 
>             Manager to help gather what other options are available for goose management.
> 
> 2015    Park district seeks public input on egg and nest management, public supportive.
>             Training on egg and nest management, 1st year (59 nests/ 118 nesting geese)
>             Turf application of chemical deterrents.
>             Coyote decoy hazing. 
>             Physical exclusion (limited fencing) installations in high impact areas.
>             Ropes along boat dock and bungee cords on boats added to block access to boats.
> 
> 2016    2nd year of nest management (44 nests/ 88 nesting geese). Ongoing turf deterrents and decoy hazing, exclusion through limited fencing.
> 
> 2017    Environmental education programming on the Canada Goose and negative impacts of feeding them
>    3rd year of nest management (50 nests/ 100 nesting geese). Ongoing turf deterrents and decoy hazing, exclusion through limited fencing.
> 
> 2018    Training and implementation of dog and laser hazing, both which mimic predators of geese.
>    Dock and deck application of chemical deterrents.
>    4th year of nest management (43 nests/ 86 nesting geese). Ongoing turf deterrents, exclusion through limited fencing
> 
> 2019    Lake rehabilitation engineering for habitat modification. 
>             5th year of nest management (39 nests/ 78 nesting geese). Ongoing deck/dock/turf deterrents, dog/laser hazing, exclusion through limited fencing.
> 
> 2020    UPD hosts area agency lunch and learn with Illinois Department of Natural Resources Urban Waterfowl Manager and U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services.
> UPD begins lake rehabilitation project and habitat modification: $2.5+ million investment on lake and park amenities.
> 6th year of nest management. Ongoing deck/dock/turf deterrents, dog/laser hazing, exclusion through limited fencing.
> 

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