“They (DEC) actually noticed that levees around the park were being damaged by the geese, but they ultimately referred me to the USDA. I spoke with them, spoke with them at length, described our problem to them, and so armed with all that information, I took it to the city,” said Robertson.

On June 15th, the Elmira City Council passed a resolution to allow the USDA to handle the geese problem.

“The feces and everything up here were unbearable, and the feces can contain E. Coli, Salmonella, and parasites, so something had to be done. It was becoming a health hazard to the quality of life for people who use the park. Thus, we gave unanimous approval to bring in the USDA to get rid of the geese,” said Mayor Dan Mandell.

Robertson estimated the USDA removed and later euthanized over 200 geese, addressing a problem that he said has persisted for over a decade.

“We looked at all the options. I spoke at length with DEC and USDA, and the consensus among the experts was that this was the course we needed to take. When the USDA arrived on site, they couldn’t believe that something hadn’t been done prior to this,” said Robertson.

WENY News

Naturally, the usual social media warriors are losing their minds over this.

4 hours ago, MsKreed said:

Naturally, the usual social media warriors are losing their minds over this.

Yeah, it's too bad it had to come to that, but it's also just the way things are sometimes. The paths there were covered in goose crap.

10 minutes ago, Chris said:

Yeah, it's too bad it had to come to that, but it's also just the way things are sometimes. The paths there were covered in goose crap.

Downright disgusting.

It's my understanding they had to have DEC approval to go that route but I'm not positive. The amount of geese was reaching a dangerous level for the environment and the geese.

I keep seeing people saying they are a protected species but I'm not so sure about that. We do have a hunting season for them and as a rule there are not hunting seasons for protected species.

7 minutes ago, KarenK said:

Downright disgusting.

It's my understanding they had to have DEC approval to go that route but I'm not positive. The amount of geese was reaching a dangerous level for the environment and the geese.

I keep seeing people saying they are a protected species but I'm not so sure about that. We do have a hunting season for them and as a rule there are not hunting seasons for protected species.

They're "protected" only in the sense that they fall under the Migratory Waterfowl laws, the same as many other species.

And as such, they definitely fall under the jurisdiction of the DEC as well as the federal government. According to the article, they were involved in the decision as well.

It's also being reported ( albeit initially from a Facebook post, and then by the news... typical ) that the GM of the park was terminated. Though I'm not sure if it's in connection to this or something else.

10 minutes ago, Chris said:

It's also being reported ( albeit initially from a Facebook post, and then by the news... typical ) that the GM of the park was terminated. Though I'm not sure if it's in connection to this or something else.

I wonder how they found out about the birds being euthanized in the first place? Maybe someone at Eldridge told them?

She seemed genuinely perplexed about why she was let go though. I know an "at will" employment state doesn't have to give a reason however if it was justified then it keeps them out of lawsuits by being up front about it.

4 minutes ago, KarenK said:

I wonder how they found out about the birds being euthanized in the first place? Maybe someone at Eldridge told them?

There was something on one of the local groups about a week ago maybe, then the local news got hold of it because they watch those groups for ideas. Now that I'm thinking about it more, I wonder if word getting out, when it wasn't supposed to, has something to do with her termination?

1 hour ago, Chris said:

Now that I'm thinking about it more, I wonder if word getting out, when it wasn't supposed to, has something to do with her termination?

That was my thought process

The City Council authorized a $2,800 payment in June for the USDA to "provide wildlife damage management actions"

So I guess either media or any curious citizen who reads the Agendas could have seen that, and asked someone at the Park or a council member exactly "action" was taken.

The people wringing their hands that humans shouldn't intervene because it's their "habitat" don't seem to understand that human keeping them sheltered from natural predators is an unnatural involvement that leads to overpopulation and disease proliferation.

I suppose if we really wanted to leave them be under "natural" circumstances, we could let some coyotes loose in Eldridge Park. But I feel like the USDA euthanizing was a more humane approach.

Edited July 16Jul 16 by MsKreed

Also.....over 200 geese represents a fair amount of protein. I hope the USDA works with some program where the meat was donated.

58 minutes ago, MsKreed said:

Also.....over 200 geese represents a fair amount of protein. I hope the USDA works with some program where the meat was donated.

That would definitely be ideal. I hate to think about that perfectly good meat going to waste.

3 hours ago, MsKreed said:

Also.....over 200 geese represents a fair amount of protein. I hope the USDA works with some program where the meat was donated.

🤮

A lot of people are talking about “relocation” as if it’s easy to take a wild animal from its home territory and plink it down somewhere in an unfamiliar place. It’s not.

It’s even more difficult with an animal that can fly back to where I was taken from in no time at all.

When a population gets too large, nature takes over and I can assure them, nature is far more cruel than what happened to these birds.

1 hour ago, Chris said:

When a population gets too large, nature takes over and I can assure them, nature is far more cruel than what happened to these birds.

Yeah...I can even think about trying to reply to the idjits who insist their fecal born bacteria and parasites aren't a concern as long as people "aren't stupid enough to eat bird poop"..."watch their children and pets" and "wash their hands".

It hasn't occurred to them that geese are susceptible to the same fecal born bacteria and parasites we're talking about. So they want them wallowing in their own excrement and suffering from illnesses...and then have the city/park dispose of their diseased carcasses?

This thing is practically turning into "PNut 2.0" with all the outcry and virtue signaling.

This young man has the most creative solution I've seen yet.

Build a time machine and go back to before he was born and prevent the overpopulation from happening. Way to think outside the box, Anthony!

I see the “natural habitat “ thrown around a lot on social media but the thing is, that habitat is anything but natural. They have humans feeding them all hours of the day with no natural predators to speak of to keep their numbers in check.

So one of two things happen. Humans intervene or eventually some manner of sickness or disease does, the latter potentially spreading to other populations, possibly migrating birds, causing havoc.

22 minutes ago, Chris said:

I see the “natural habitat “ thrown around a lot on social media but the thing is, that habitat is anything but natural. They have humans feeding them all hours of the day with no natural predators to speak of to keep their numbers in check.

So one of two things happen. Humans intervene or eventually some manner of sickness or disease does, the latter potentially spreading to other populations, possibly migrating birds, causing havoc.

Someone posted their concern on a national American Birding Association (ABA) page and were met with a lot of professionals (including biologists and ornithologists) who explained just that. Dozens of comments and not one single dedicated Bird Watcher was upset by this (let alone "outraged")....it was refreshing!

Additionally, someone claimed that in the 60s and 70s, many US cities and parks imported farm raised Canada Geese that have always been residential instead of migratory. So instead of a natural occurrence, they're a product of human intervention.....exploded in population.

2 hours ago, Chris said:

I see the “natural habitat “ thrown around a lot on social media but the thing is, that habitat is anything but natural. They have humans feeding them all hours of the day with no natural predators to speak of to keep their numbers in check.

So one of two things happen. Humans intervene or eventually some manner of sickness or disease does, the latter potentially spreading to other populations, possibly migrating birds, causing havoc.

Said the same thing to Dave earlier tonight. In what way is this their "natural" habitat?

11 hours ago, MsKreed said:

Additionally, someone claimed that in the 60s and 70s, many US cities and parks imported farm raised Canada Geese that have always been residential instead of migratory.

I saw those comments, but not so sure I believe it. That person struck me as one of those people who claim the government has been air dropping Lyme infested ticks in our area.

21 minutes ago, Chris said:

I saw those comments, but not so sure I believe it. That person struck me as one of those people who claim the government has been air dropping Lyme infested ticks in our area.

I had that exact conversation going on right next to me last night and it was indeed one of your friendly conspiracy theorist. Wasn't Lyme tics though it was the new, dreaded, Lonestar Tic. He went on, quite loudly, about how the are dropping them randomly because how could they just suddenly show up all over in NY?

Migration occurred to me but I just could not deal and told him to STFU. I used my words too.

Google is apparently now AI, but whatever. This is pretty much what I was reading when I first heard they were in NY. No airplane seeding mentioned at all.

Edited July 18Jul 18 by KarenK

1 hour ago, Chris said:

I saw those comments, but not so sure I believe it. That person struck me as one of those people who claim the government has been air dropping Lyme infested ticks in our area.

That did seem to be the only comment anyone in the discussion pushed back on....no real objection to euthanizing.

However.....the dates and timeframes he used seemed to strike a cord with me. As a young kid and teenager, my memories of seeing Canada Geese seemed like a special cool thing to see rather than people reacting with complaints about overabundant feces.

Living in Northern Iowa and spending half my time in the "Land of 10,0000 Lakes" it seemed like in the 80s they were a rare site. So, that claim felt like it had a ring of truth and I looked it up.

It did happen, but wasn't a recreational whim. It was a restoration effort by wildlife experts to save them from thee brink of extinction:

By the early 20th century, however, giant Canada geese had been extirpated throughout most of their range as a result of unregulated hunting, egg collecting, and habitat destruction. In fact, this subspecies was thought to be extinct for nearly three decades until Harold C. Hanson of the Illinois Natural History Survey discovered a small remnant population near Rochester, Minnesota, during the early 1960s. Other isolated populations, including captive flocks kept by aviculturists, were subsequently identified and served as sources for restoration efforts led by conservation agencies. These birds were larger than other Canada geese and didn’t migrate in fall, which gave rise to the common misconception that they had domestic origins.

Understanding Waterfowl: Story of the Giants | Ducks Unli...

A closer look at the remarkable comeback of the giant Canada goose

In a perfect storm of events, the city of Rochester created the nearby Silver Lake in the 1930s. The lake was created as a byproduct of damming the Zumbro River to construct a power plant. The resulting power plant fed the lake with warm water discharges, keeping the lake open year-round. The flock of giant Canada geese quickly realized this and wintered on Silver Lake rather than migrating away. As a result, this secret population stayed put and began to thrive without notice from biologists.

In the 1960s, after being declared extinct, a waterfowl biologist, Dr. Harold Hanson, would rediscover the giant subspecies. After taking annual trips to Rochester, Hanson observed these larger-than-average geese. In 1962, with the help of the Minnesota Department of Conservation, Hanson weighed and banded some of the Silver Lake flock. After confirming the size of these geese, he officially declared that giant Canada geese were not extinct.

Recovery efforts quickly began, hatching eggs in captivity and transplanting them to areas where giants once resided. In addition to planting hatchlings, biologists monitored known flocks and would wait until they began molting. Being unable to fly, birds were easy to capture and transplant to new locations. The Silver Lake flock had adapted to live in urban areas, and so had their transplants. In a matter of a few decades, the giant Canada goose population exploded. Now, these birds are found in every flyway and account for a majority of goose harvests annually.

Split Reed

The History of the Giant Canada Goose - Split Reed

From extinction to the most harvested goose species, we dive into the history of the giant Canada goose and their resurgence.

1 hour ago, KarenK said:

Google is apparently now AI, but whatever.

Yes....and the AI can have wildly inaccurate hallucinations. LOL

I was trying to recall when Chemung County stopped having the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds at our airshows.....and AI says neither has ever performed here.