O.K., I went and read the Bob Mottram article and it made perfectly good
sense (except that shrubs at airports may not be the solution either. The
Olympia Airport had dense shrubs and coyotes became a hazard on the runways
so they mowed all of the shrubs... the coyote problem was much reduced).

I am still having difficulty envisioning the killing of geese as something
well-suited to state bureaucracy. USDA's Wildlife Services is saddled with
the unwelcome responsibility for killing certain wild animals that cause
damage to agriculture or pose a human health or safety threat. They contract
with local governments or individuals or homeowner's associations to do this
unpleasant work. The demand comes from a very local level. The people calling
for the management, i.e., killing of these Canada Geese, live all around each
one of us.

So, how can the values of the masses be changed so that expansive green lawns
at the edge of every waterway are no longer viewed as idealic? It is not an
issue of state bureaucracy, it is an issue of public values.

Kelly McAllister
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife