The Rochester City Council escalated the war on Canada geese at Round Barn Golf Club at Mill Creek Tuesday.
Next up: gunfire.
The council approved 6-0 an amendment to city ordinance that will allow goose hunting at the golf course under guidelines set by course pro Lyle Lingenfelter.
He wants about five people to hunt and take the daily bag limit - police officers if possible. He believes they are responsible, knowledgeable gun users, he said.
Police Chief Jodi Miller said it wouldn't be any problem finding enough hunters. "The problem's going to be deciding who gets to do it. We'll have to draw straws or something," she said.
The course will be closed during specified goose hunts, Lingenfelter said.
Honkers like Mill Creek. They assemble there in great numbers - up to 1,000 in the winter, Lingenfelter told the council. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources recommended city law be amended to allow hunting on the golf course to scare the geese away, he said.
Where there's dead geese, Lingenfelter said, there's scared geese who choose safer places to gather.
The geese cause several problems: turf degradation, health and play hazards, and a big mess.
One goose, Lingenfelter said, can eat as much as 5 pounds of turf per day. That same goose can leave behind as much as 1.5 pounds of waste per day.
That equates to 55,000 pounds of goose manure a year from 500 geese, Lingenfelter said, and 150,000 pounds of grass eaten by the same geese.
The goose manure can include cryptosporidium, a parasite which can cause gastrointestinal illness. It can be tracked into the clubhouse, creating a health issue, Lingenfelter said.
Also, goose poop creates a play hazard for golfers, especially on the green where "you want your ball to roll freely," he said.
So far, Lingenfelter said, other geese control measures haven't worked. Fishing line was strung around the ponds they frequent most. The birds knocked their way through it.
Starter pistols and air horns were ineffective and useless until eggs hatched. The parents just came back when the noise stopped.
Permits for egg destruction were received. But inevitably, Lingenfelter said, some clutches would be missed and their would be 10 or so nests of goslings trekking across the course in the spring.
And there were fake swans, which only worked until the geese figured them out.
"They're going to stay where there's good grass, fresh water and nobody's getting killed," he said.
In other business, the council:
• Approved 5-1 the 2009 salary ordinance, which dictates employees' pay during 2010. Jason Grube voted against it, saying he didn't agree with a 2 percent pay hike because he'd like to see a balanced city budget.
• Heard about the Compassionate Health Center from Dick Enyart, who said the clinic board will be seeking sustained funding for its yearly operating costs - salaries and rent - of about $150,000.
He meant to open a dialogue on Tuesday, he said, and will return to ask for funding later.
• Agreed to assign the city curbside recycling contract - help by Mel Woodcox and Arcox Manufacturing - to Mel's sons, Bruce and Travis, and their new business, B & T Recycling.
Mel Woodcox is closing his business. The assignment is pending proof of insurance from the sons and city attorney Greg Heller checking all their documentation. Akron, Fulton and Kewanna are doing the same thing.
Reader Comments
Posted: Sunday, August 09, 2009
Article comment by:
Animal Lover
I am calling PETA.
Posted: Monday, August 03, 2009
Article comment by:
Jim
Jim, again you arent paying attention, The depradation permit is for OUT OF SEASON hunting. The golf course permit to hunt geese is for hunting during season by qualified hunters only taking their legal limit. The ammunition used only travels a short distance before falling to the ground, so no chance of being shot by a stray bullit is possible. The Geese will be eaten,or frozen for later use. We kill thousands of fish per day in Lake Manitau, maybe we should stop that? I have never heard of a fish car accident but since you arent bothered buy geese or deer maybe you wont care aabout the fish either. And burning the waste from the city is better than making rodent living quarters as you suggest, of course you probably dont live near there so the rodents wouldent bother you so its ok. It seems the people of this town are more invested in silly pursuits about unimportant things while I look at our downtown that is drying up. How many of you will care when its gone? The geese will be back, the businesses once gone will cease to exhist. Some have been for almost a hundred years and no one seems to care. It looks neglected and dirty with peeling paint and buildings owned by Doc. Hoff left to rot. Talk about a new ordinance, we need one to force owners to fix them and make them useful or take them from them and sell them to someone who will. Its called eminent domain in case anyone cares. HELP THIS TOWN BY ACTIONS NOT WORDS! We dont need the old firestation torn down for more parking as no one will walk that far either.
Posted: Saturday, August 01, 2009
Article comment by:
Brittany
I work at the golf course in question. Many other measures have been taken to try to help the problem. And honestly, they are geese. I am pretty darn sure that we can spare a few Canadian geese. And I am also sure that they aren't just going to be thrown out. They are sure to be used in some fashion. Think about it this way. In what way is it ANY different than hunting deer, or any other animal to help control the population. It's not.
Posted: Saturday, August 01, 2009
Article comment by:
Tom Murray
Jim,
Sorry I did not know the proper name for the permit but you missed my point,deer cause more damage to farmers than the golf course. If the golf course can get special permission to get rid of the geese, farmers should be able to get permission to reduce the deer herd outside of the normal hunting season, if they can't....then the golf course people should have to wait until geese are in season. I don't golf or hunt. Also the City should have spread out the wood mulch piles into the low spots in the field by the waste-water treatment plant and let the mulch decompose rather than burn it. However, roses to the city for burning before the Cap and Trade legislation kicks in...don't believe the city has enough money to buy those carbon credits.
Posted: Friday, July 31, 2009
Article comment by:
Natalie W
The problem is the golf course needs to be smarter than the geese - clearly they are not.
Killing geese is a short-term solution. New geese will will immediately move in to fill the vacancies of those who are killed and reproduction will increase - this is basic biology that the wildlife department should be well aware of.
The only way to provide a long-term solution is to make the habitat unattractive. Cities around the countries have implemented humane sound management practices for Canada geese - Rochester needs to catch up.
