> From: Patrick Scott <scott931 at uidaho.edu>
> I've heard some rumblings from Quebec which indicate that the provincial
> gov't is planning on a spring hunt of Snow Geese in their nesting areas
> which is tentatively dated for 1998. Apparently, the geese are bothering
> the farmers out there, and they "need to be controlled."

> If anyone has any information on the hunt, or has advice on how to
> confront the people who are planning it, please send me a response
> off-list. Likewise, if someone would like to send me a disagreeable rant
> on the inappropriateness of my post, please send it to me off-list.

Snow geese populations have increased tremendously in Canada and I believe
wildlife managers are looking for ways to reduce the population. I just read an
article on this topic, but can't remember where it was (sorry; it was a
"nature" mag--glossy--recent). The article included photographs of the areas
where snow geese flocks have concentrated and essentially denuded the
landscape. These were not photos of agricultural areas, but of
prairies/potholes (if memory serves) that have been affected so severely that
researchers are concerned about their viability and recovery.

My "advice on how to confront the people" would be to learn about their task
first and try to come up with suggestions on how they can satisfy the needs of
every interested party.
--
Scott Richardson
northeast Seattle
salix at halcyon.com
http://www.halcyon.com/salix/