Today Rick Toochin and I were out at the Greater Vancouver Regional
District Park on Iona Island and witnessed a not soon to be forgotten
military type assault on the wintering population of Snow Geese.

We came into the park along the land bridge causeway that connects Sea
Island to Iona Island. The tide was quite high any many species of
waterfowl were resting and feeding in the tidal marsh. The birds we saw
included 100's of Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Great Blue
Herons, Mallard, Gadwall, Northern Shovelers and others. Not far away
at the base of the jetty in the park were approximately 200 Snow Geese
with Canada's at rest in the tidal marsh.

We arrived at the base of the South Jetty where there was a YVR (airport
authority) yellow pickup truck with two men sitting inside dressed in
camo and armed with shotguns. I walked up to the pickup to confirm that
these men were armed, when quite quickly they sped down the road
repeatedly blasting their weapon out of the passenger side window.
Immediately all of the birds along the foreshore took off in a great
array, ducks, geese, herons and shorebirds all took to flight. As the
pickup was rounding the bend still blasting out of the vehicle, the
marine division came in from the bay on a Zodiak also taking repeated
shots with a shotgun. The Snow Geese flew south across the airport
foreshore where a second YVR pickup truck drove down the airport dyke
continuing the birage.

Many people were in the park standing, staring, with their mouths agape,
unable to fully comprehend exactly what they had just witnessed.

Ken Klimko
Richmond, BC