Subject: FW: [HSUS-PNW:361] Seattle Goose Kill Ends (for this year)
Date: Jul 11 22:08:25 2002
From: Susen Oseth - susen at lighthawk.org



-----Original Message-----
From: owner-HSUS-PNW at envirolink.org [mailto:owner-HSUS-PNW at envirolink.org]On
Behalf Of Lisa Wathne
Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2002 6:34 PM
To: hsus-pnw at envirolink.org
Subject: [HSUS-PNW:361] Seattle Goose Kill Ends (for this year)


PRESS RELEASE from Give Geese A Chance:

Seattle Goose Kill Halted
Program an Unpopular and Expensive Failure

On Tuesday afternoon, July 9, 2002, Give Geese A Chance telephone brigade
volunteers began getting messages from the Seattle Parks and Recreation
Department and from the Mayor's office that the Canada goose kill in Seattle
was halted. Later that day, Dewey Potter in the Park's office and Dave
Tacomi at the Mayor's office, confirmed that the USDA would not attempt to
kill more geese in Seattle this year. The USDA Wildlife Services office in
Olympia has refused to return calls.

"We are extremely pleased to learn that our resident Canada geese can go
about their lives without fear of being captured and gassed," said Give
Geese A Chance volunteer Bob Chorush. "Four months ago, we began getting to
know our geese, visiting them, tracking their populations and movements. We
learned about them so that we could protect them, but the more we learned
about them the more we wanted to protect them. They are intelligent,
beautiful, loyal and resourceful. We are very pleased that we will be able
to continue our emerging friendship with these geese."

The yearly goose kill in Seattle is paid for by the Parks and Recreation
Department who have contracted with the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) to kill "surplus" geese. The USDA rounds up the geese
during the month-long seasonal molt when they cannot fly and gasses them to
death in city parks.

Seattle Parks Superintendent Ken Bounds invoked emergency rules to close
city parks and condoned the unnecessary response of more than 40 Seattle
Police Department cruisers and three Seattle Harbor Patrol boats when no
laws were being broken and no member of the public was in danger. Despite
these "safety precautions" the USDA agents were only able to kill about 64
out of an anticipated kill of 1000 resident Canada geese in the Seattle
area.

"Ken Bounds should resign for fiscal malfeasance," remarked Chorush. "The
Parks Department is threatening to cut vital programs and services for lack
of money, yet they consume enormous resources trying to kill a few geese.
The Parks Department's actions surrounding the attempted goose kills were
clearly out of bounds. We think that the Parks Department should be out of
Bounds as well."

Give Geese A Chance volunteers credit their actions with saving resident
geese. Volunteers jumped into Lake Union and Lake Washington prior to goose
kills commencing so that the geese would stay away from shore. Kayakers
herded geese away from city parks when USDA spotter vehicles were located.
More than a dozen dogs patrolled Seattle beaches keeping geese in the water.
Cars roamed the streets and freeways searching for USDA vehicles, while
volunteers at parks reported on goose whereabouts and called for a dog or
kayak to be dispatched if needed. All of the volunteers' actions were legal
and volunteers quickly obeyed any legally issued police orders. Two
volunteers who were arrested during the campaign were released without
charges being filed.

"This was an impressive all-volunteer, grassroots effort to save the geese
and I feel honored to have been a part of it," states goose volunteer
coordinator Charlene Baxter. "We hope that the killing will not resume next
year, but if it does, we will protect our geese as fiercely as we have this
year. We do not believe that the public is willing to tolerate this
unnecessary and inhumane slaughter. We have more than 150 volunteers who are
ready and willing to save our geese."