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HORICON, WISCONSIN

Goose round-up recommended

By CONNIE DORNFELD/Staff Reporter

HORICON - Based on success in reducing the numbers of Canada geese in city parks and yards and Rock River Hills Golf Club, the Urban Goose Management Team agreed Monday night to recommend that the Horicon City Council exercise the permit for the 10th annual round-up of the birds.

That action was unanimous despite an appearance by Ruby Gietzel challenging the butchering of the geese.

"There are people in the community who are upset. I grew up on the Rock River and I know what the concerns are. But those four adult geese and their little ones in Bowling Green Park that were butchered last year were not hurting anybody. This is the city of geese and the marsh. They are a drawing card for Horicon," Gietzel said.

Jack Williams pointed out that he also lived on the river his entire life.

"You talk about people who come to town to see geese. My kids cannot use my back yard. Just think how many geese we would have if we didn't take them last year," Williams said.

Speaking for golfers on Rock River Hills, former president Dan Keuler said that they tried to control geese with boomers and renting a border collie to keep the geese out. This year there are four adult pairs with 35 goslings on the west side, four pair with 26 between holes 12 and 18, and four pair with 34 between holes 9 and 10. We have to take barn brooms and sweep goose droppings from the greens. The only thing that has really worked is harvesting. It is a tremendous benefit to us as a business," Keuler said.

Christian stressed the health hazards of goose droppings.

"We are especially concerned at schools and parks. It has been a real problem," he said.

Police Chief Joseph Adamson said motorists stopping to look at geese are a traffic danger.

"Last week we had one car rear-end another when the driver in front stopped," he said.

Dave Berggren said, "At one time, the river bank was lined with people - not geese."

The first goose round-up was held on June 22, 1999, with 143 birds captured and relocated to Vilas and Iron counties in northern Wisconsin. With relocation no longer a solution, captured geese have been euthanized and processed for food pantries.

The 2007 round-up netted 207, with the majority captured by John Deere Horicon Works and the golf course.

 

 


JUNE 2006

Horicon slaughtered 82 geese in June, 2006. This is the 8th year in a row that Horicon has slaughtered Canada geese and goslings. Please be sure to boycott Horicon and tell everyone you know to do the same.

 

 

 

Geese rounded up in Horicon

 

 

June 24, 2005

By Connie Dornfeld/ Staff Reporter

HORICON-The seventh annual round-up of Canada geese held Wednesday morning at Rock River Hills Golf Club and two city parks by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, netted 103 of the birds.

That is more than the 100 captured on June 28, 2004 and down from the 262 netted on June 24, 2002.

When round-up crews arrived in the city at about 9:30 a.m. and found no geese in city parks, they moved to Rock River Hills. Just in under two hours, after chasing the big birds from the Rock River up on lawn by boats, they captured 19 adults and 63 juveniles. Moving back to Kiwanis Park they netted four adults and a half dozen juveniles. At Bowling Green Park another 11 were rounded up, including four adults and seven juveniles.

Charles Lovell, district supervisor/wildlife biologist, said that despite the low number, the round-up was necessary.

"The majority of the geese were on the south half from the dam. They would have been hanging around the golf club and property. It was very beneficial to get them out of there," Lovell said.

Lovell said the adult geese would be processed for food pantries. The juveniles will be used for food for big cats and other animals at zoos and animal sanctuaries.

Earlier in the morning, crews rounded up 15 adult Canada geese and 48 juveniles at the Fox Lake Golf Club.

© Copyright Capital Newspapers

NOTE FROM THE CANADA GOOSE HALL OF SHAME: When zoos are offered Canada goose flesh for their animals, they usually turn it down. Canada goose flesh is usually contaminated with lead, pesticides, and other toxic chemicals that are found in their feeding areas. Canada geese are not a threat to humans.  There is absolutely no proof that geese feces poses a threat to human beings.  All this talk about health threats is to provoke unnecessary fear among the public.

 

PLEASE WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR EXPRESSING YOUR OUTRAGE AT THE ROUNDUP AND SLAUGHTER THAT HAS OCCURRED:

dc-news@capitalnewspapers.com

 

 

 

 

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