SHAWANO, WI (WTAQ)- Waterfowl enthusiasts want to make sure Shawano is doing everything they can to fix a geese problem, without putting them on death row.
It’s not the geese, but the mess that they leave behind that is causing problems at Shawano Parks.
Hundreds of geese are leaving several hundred pounds of fecal mater on beaches and parks in Shawano, making it difficult for people to enjoy all the hard work that the city has done improving the parks.
A solution that the Park and Recreation Department is looking at, euthanize the geese this summer, that decision has stirred the pot in Shawano.
“There are options that I know that the city has not looked at yet, and they come with a price tag of less than $6,000 that the city is proposing spending to kill them” says Shawano Sportsman Jeff O’Brien.
He says the situation is tough because tax payers and citizens deserve a clean park to enjoy, but for the geese, this is the habitat they thrive in, and Shawano is what he calls “prime real estate.”
Shawano Parks and Rec Director Matt Hendricks said they have tried many things, but everything that they have tried has worked for a short period of time, but failed.
O’Brien thinks there may be another way, and poses one big question.
“How well were these things implemented?”
O’Brien says they may have tried the non-lethal options, but if they were not being used the way they are designed, it would likely fail.
“They may have tried the non-lethals, but the question is how well were they implemented? That is something that we have to look at before jumping right to euthanizing.
He says he learned that the city put out decoys or cutouts of animals, but also learned if they are not moved around from time to time, the geese will stop being fooled.
“They are very adaptable, the geese are good at figuring it out, O’Brien says.”If the city can prove that they went through those and none of them work, then I will change my tune. Until they can prove to me that they did that, I will be fighting to keep these birds from being killed.”
O’Brien added that even killing all of the existing Canada Geese is only a short term fix.
“Even if you kill these, more are going to flock right to that area because it is on the river, it is prime real estate.”
Ever since Canada Geese became endangered, waterfowl enthuisests have worked hard to get the population back up for everyone to enjoy, and said his groups could offer some strong insight.
“We have put in a lot time and effort into it, and for them to just willy nilly just say that these ones are in our way so kill them. Why don’t you contact the sportsmen and the people who live for these birds and ask us if there is anything that we can do?
The Park and Rec Committee is holding a public meeting next Wednesday April 4 to give citizens a chance to address the issue.
O’Brien says he plans to question the Committee and offer his suggestions at the meeting.
“I think that there has been enough of an outcry from the community to warrant at least giving this a second look.”
