[Peace] to keep a balance, Urb Park proposes to kill 60-100 Crystal lake geese-- read & take survey

Mon May 11 17:06:42 UTC 2020

On Mon, May 11, 2020 at 12:04 PM Lois Steinberg <loisiyoga at gmail.com> wrote:

but there are alternatives to murdering them...
> Lois
>

Perhaps there are.  But if you read the actual report from the Urbana Park
District, you'll see how many different strategies have already been
employed, in vain.

> On Mon, May 11, 2020 at 11:35 AM John W. via Peace <
> peace at lists.chambana.net> wrote:
>
>> On Mon, May 11, 2020 at 8:00 AM Debra Schrishuhn via Peace <
>> peace at lists.chambana.net> wrote:
>>
>> Some are non-native--sort of. They were here; wild populations were
>>> destroyed; captive geese were introduced
>>>
>>> From the book "Wild Neighbors":
>>>
>>> "Once decimated by hunting and habitat loss, Canada geese rebounded
>>> after captive birds were released throughout the country.
>>>
>>> "People may be surprised to hear that birds learn to migrate from their
>>> parents and flock—they don't hatch with this complex knowledge. So released
>>> geese never learned to fly north and instead took up local residence
>>> year-round.
>>>
>> "We've provided food and safety right here in our cities and suburbs. The
>>> geese have no reason to go elsewhere, so they settle in and raise
>>> families....
>>>
>>
>> And to sound a discordant note in this whole conversation, this is why I
>> don't like the geese around here.  The geese may be native to central
>> Illinois at certain times of the year, but they're not native to urban
>> areas and they're not native year-round.  i don't know what the answer is
>> for Crystal Lake Park, but I think it's ridiculous to see flocks of geese
>> sauntering across busy streets in the vicinity of North Prospect in
>> Champaign.  As we humans have done with so many species (like the damned
>> grey squirrel), we've introduced them to habitats where they don't belong,
>> and more or less domesticated them until their population gets out of
>> control and becomes destructive.
>>
>>
>>
>>> "It's one thing to shoo a few geese off a back lawn and another to
>>> convince a large flock that has used a park for years that they ought to go
>>> elsewhere. That requires a plan. A coordinated program
>>> <https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/plan-ahead-make-peace-canada-geese> will
>>> save in the long run and be more successful....
>>>
>>> "Scientific studies do not show that goose droppings pose any special
>>> health threats. Obviously, people want to avoid contact with any animal
>>> droppings. Ordinary good hygiene, such as washing hands and leaving shoes
>>> at the door, are adequate prevention if you accidentally contact animal
>>> droppings."
>>>
>>> On Mon, May 11, 2020 at 7:52 AM Debra Schrishuhn <
>>> deb.pdamerica at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Yes, please! And thank you (honk).
>>>>
>>>> Yesterday in a local place with a pond (not Crystal Lake) I watched
>>>> goose families move from one pond to another just before a rainstorm. When
>>>> the goslings were not  going fast enough, the parents shooed them forward
>>>> by vocalizing and running at them with wings flapping. When crossing roads
>>>> the adults will not abandon their young to save themselves, but rather urge
>>>> the young ones ever faster. Geese also form family coops, with multiple
>>>> broods of youngsters grazing surrounded by multiple pairs of watchful
>>>> parents.
>>>>
>>>> Non-lethal means of control could be by the innovative geeseherd idea
>>>> or the more usual human nest robbers as the park has done in the past. In
>>>> fact, given the number of broods at Crystal Lake Park this year I'd say
>>>> that the nest robbing/egg destruction project was abandoned--dare one
>>>> suggest that it was done to make the goose problem look more acute? It
>>>> cannot be because the geese are particularly good at hiding their
>>>> nests--the park's so-called renovations have taken out much of the
>>>> underbrush and scrub where they nested (and also decreased significant
>>>> habitat for local songbirds).
>>>>
>>>> On Mon, May 11, 2020 at 7:36 AM Karen Aram <karenaram at hotmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Thank you Niloofar and Deb,
>>>>>
>>>>> I just completed the survey, having just now seen it, and I’m furious
>>>>> over the inhumanity of slaughtering these love creatures. I’m just as
>>>>> outraged at the genocide or culling as they usually refer to it, of
>>>>> wildlife, animals as I am of humans.
>>>>>
>>>>> The upgrades or improvements they are planning would be better left
>>>>> alone if it requires this slaughter.
>>>>>
>>>>> I will with your permission, circulate your letter below, along with
>>>>> Niloofar’s on FB, along with the link to the survey and phone number.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On May 11, 2020, at 05:01, Debra Schrishuhn via Peace <
>>>>> peace at lists.chambana.net> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Outstanding, Susan and Niloofar. I took the survey last week and have
>>>>> been spreading the word. The geese are native, just like our corn-fed
>>>>> whitetail deer that sometimes form a traffic hazard in the rural parts of
>>>>> the county. If Crystal Lake kills all but 20 geese, by next year there will
>>>>> be another 80-100 geese in the park because they are widespread in this
>>>>> area.
>>>>>
>>>>> Absent natural predators (which the park officials would no doubt find
>>>>> even more of a "nuisance") the geese can and should be managed without
>>>>> wholesale slaughter, disingenuously called "Collection and Charity
>>>>> Donation" by park officials who want to soft-pedal their plans. And the
>>>>> plan to donate the meat to food banks may be well-meaning, but it is
>>>>> seriously flawed, as anyone who has ever tried/ learned to cook wild goose
>>>>> meat can attest.
>>>>>
>>>>> Besides people taking the survey, who can we call today? Here is the
>>>>> main number--call and protest on behalf of the geese. 217.367.1544
>>>>> <%201-217-367-1544>
>>>>>
>>>>> Now here are the commissioners
>>>>>
>>>>> *Michael Walker / President*-since 1983, reelected in 2019
>>>>>
>>>>> *Nancy Delcomyn / Vice President*
>>>>> Commissioner since 1993
>>>>> Next up for election 2023
>>>>>
>>>>> *Roger Digges / Commissioner* elected in 2019
>>>>>
>>>>> *Meredith Blumthal / Commissioner*
>>>>> Commissioner since 2010
>>>>> Next up for election 2021
>>>>>
>>>>> *LaShaunda Cunningham / Commissioner*
>>>>> Commissioner since 2015
>>>>> Next up for election 2021
>>>>>
>>>>> These folks need to feel some community heat.
>>>>>
>>>>> One for the honkers!
>>>>> Deb
>>>>>
>>>>> On Mon, May 11, 2020 at 1:57 AM Niloofar Shambayati via Peace <
>>>>> peace at lists.chambana.net> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Susan,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thank you so much for spreading the word about the horrific proposal
>>>>>> to slaughter the Crystal Lake's geese to supposedly attract more visitors.
>>>>>> Don't they see how ironic it is that the Park houses Anita Purves Nature
>>>>>> Center, whose main goal is to help children realize that humans are part of
>>>>>> the nature, not its masters?! Can't we accept some "inconveniences" in
>>>>>> return for the joy of watching goslings experience life under the
>>>>>> protection of their parents, who're partners for life?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Please urge the commissioners to reject this proposal as cruel and of
>>>>>> highly dubious effect.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Niloofar Shambayati
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Sun, May 10, 2020 at 5:48 PM Susan Parenti via Peace <
>>>>>> peace at lists.chambana.net> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The Urbana Park District Board of Commissioners is going to vote on
>>>>>>> Tuesday night May 12 whether or not they support the Park District's
>>>>>>> proposal to kill off 60–100 geese in Crystal Lake Park, as a way to manage
>>>>>>> them and make a balance between number of geese and size/capacities of
>>>>>>> Park.  (They intend to leave 20 geese alive).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> You can see their proposal here :
>>>>>>> https:// <https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K6R2HWQ>
>>>>>>> www.urbanaparks.org/projects/geese-population-and-management
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Inside the proposal is a 3 minute survey about how you feel about
>>>>>>> the geese in the Park—the survey puts the geese in a negative light. But
>>>>>>> please do the survey now, or at least before 6pm Tuesday night. You don't
>>>>>>> have to agree with my sentiments.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Here is the survey:
>>>>>>> https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K6R2HWQ
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> How do I feel about this? Daily I go to the Park to see/hear the
>>>>>>> geese—they’re the main attraction. The Park District secured a grant to
>>>>>>> improve Crystal Park, and they feel that the presence of the geese gets in
>>>>>>> the way of those improvements. .  They say that lots of people won’t go to
>>>>>>> the Park because of the geese—I don’t know anyone who feels that way. But,
>>>>>>> mostly, for me the killing off of the geese is a human-centered way of
>>>>>>> thinking (if it’s good for humans, then it’s fine) and that way of thinking
>>>>>>> I want to stop as it’s a big component of why we have catastrophic climate
>>>>>>> change.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> “GEESEHERDS”  I propose that given that the swimming pool will be
>>>>>>> closed all summer, why doesn’t the Park District use 2 ex-pool employees
>>>>>>> and make them GEESEHERDS—a variation on shep(sheep)herds. These geessherds
>>>>>>> can take care of the geese, tend to their problems, turn their poop into
>>>>>>> iron-rich compost. This way the park District is free of taking care of the
>>>>>>> geese, and two people have a job.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Please spread the word. We don’t have much time.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> *Susan Parenti*
>>>>>>> *Educational Coordinator *
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> *The School for Designing a Society *www.designingasociety.net
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> *Like us on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/designasociety>!*
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>>>>>>>
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