SCOTIA, NEW YORK
March 14, 2007 UPDATE
Save the Geese here in Scotia N.Y. saved 150-200 Geese from being
killed by the U.S.D.A. last summer. This Spring we're oiling eggs and
from May-September we'll have a Border Collie. David Feld
GeesePeace is coming here tomorrow March 15 to talk with us.
I saw Scotia in your Canada Goose Hall of Shame and wanted to let you
know this.You may already know this. Save the Geese have risked their
lives for the Geese in the River and will continue to do so on land or
water if they have to. Whatever it takes.
Bacteria counts in Collins Lake are too high to allow swimming to resume this week, but the culprit isn't the Canada geese, village officials said Wednesday. The bacteria is most likely feeding on dying plants and algae. Park officials applied an herbicide to the lake's water last year, in order to retard plant growth and make the water clearer. Tests done last week found bacterial counts well above state safety standards, a surprise given that the lake is nearly free of geese, whose feces had been blamed for making the water unsafe. "It's discouraging," said Jim Marx, parks supervisor for the village. All may not be so bleak for sweaty Scotians, however. County health officials said Wednesday they were working to try to grant the village a permit to open the beach. Before issuing a permit, officials need to determine if the bacteria counts present in Collins Lake are in any way dangerous to human health. Tests for water safety generally look at what's called "total coliform counts," a measure of all bacteria in the water. But most bacteria are harmless. Officials can then test specifically for fecal bacteria or one specific pathogen, E. coli. The county will take new water samples today, testing for fecal bacteria. "If they come back OK, we will issue them a permit," said G. Jack Parisi, director of environmental health at the Schenectady County Department of Health. The department will seek permission from state health officials, he added. Scotia officials are hopeful the tests will come back clean. The levels of fecal bacteria, most likely the product of goose feces, have been quite low recently, well below safety levels, Marx said. Recent samples came back at around 100 parts per 100 milliliters, below the state's upper limit of 200. That is likely because most of the geese, which once lived on Collins Lake, were driven off in June and July by a determined team of volunteers who employed canoes, horns and dogs to chase them away. Residents came together to scare the geese away after village officials announced they would euthanize about 100 geese because their feces was tainting the lake, a proposal that prompted criticism from many residents and animal lovers. The bid to drive off the geese worked, but when park officials went to test the water, they found to their surprise that the total coliform had risen sharply. A sample taken last week found 16,000 parts per 100 milliliters, way above the limit of 2,400. Fluctuating bacterial levels have kept the beach at Collins Lake closed all summer. Previous bids to open in early June and then again last week were thwarted by bad test results. And that's not the geese's fault. "There's no way those few geese that are left could contribute to this," said Marx. Pacenza can be reached at 454-5533 or by e-mail at mpacenza@timesunion.com.
By MATT PACENZA, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Thursday, July 20, 2006 SCOTIA -- Don't blame the geese this time.
*****
July 13, 2006
Thanks to the resourcefulness, tenacity, courage and hard work of the Scotia activists, the proposed roundup and slaughter of Canada geese has been cancelled. This shows that a concerted effort by concerned residents can overcome the evil intents of government officials.
Last year, the park was overflowing with geese.
Town officials blamed the birds for polluting the lake by raising the levels of e-coli and bacteria. That's when the mayor made a decision that sent feathers flying.
The town wanted to euthanize large numbers of geese to keep them permanently out of the park. Local activists came flying to the rescue.
"Killing is not an answer. It's very inhumane and it's wrong. It sends the wrong message to our children," said David Goldschmidt, an activist from Montgomery County.
Activists worked hard to chase the geese away themselves. Now the mayor has cancelled his plans because the geese are gone. Only about twenty remain--a very manageable number.
"There will be plenty of cheering to go around the next few weeks but we know the job's not done," said Goldschmidt.
The geese are gone for now. But the activists say they're at the lake several days a week trying to chase the geese. That's why they propose alternatives to keep the geese away.
He says the town can also spray grapeseed extract because geese don't like it. Goldschmidt says he hopes the mayor will listen to alternatives to foul play. And residents, he says, should think of geese like any other animal.
"When you're driving on the street if you see a cat, a deer, if you see a bird flying in your path, what do you do?" asked Goldschmidt. "Do you speed up or do you slow down? Hopefully you slow down, I think that's the right thing to do."
As for the geese, they seem to have been spared on a wing and a prayer.
PLEASE WRITE TO MAYOR McLAUGHLIN TO PROTEST THE GOOSE ROUND-UP AND KILL AND URGE HIM TO INVITE GEESEPEACE FOR A PEACEFUL AND HUMANE SOLUTION:
The Honorable Michael H. McLaughlin Mayor of Scotia
4 N. Ten Broeck St.
Scotia, NY 12302
518-374-3195
518-346-8330
518-374-0542 (fax)
*****
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP SAVE SCOTIA GEESE!
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PLEASE TAKE ACTION TO PREVENT THIS BRUTALITY FROM TAKING PLACE:
1. Please write to the Editor of Times Union to protest the village decision. Please CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR LETTER.
PLEASE EXPRESS YOUR OUTRAGE AT THESE MERCILESS ACTS IN OUR GUESTBOOK.
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