Morningstar Golf Club in Parksville has an issue with excess goose poop.
General manager Barrie McWha said this week the club has been dealing with 250 to 300 Canada geese daily.
B次元官网网址淭hey poop everywhere, their feces smells and it gets tracked into the restaurant and golf shop,B次元官网网址� McWha said. B次元官网网址淥ur staff drag mats over the poop, hardly a pleasant task, to try to break it up so we can cut the grass. Then they get to clean all the poop off their mowers. When it is wet, the poop is a slip and fall hazard, aside from not being very pleasant from which to play golf shots.B次元官网网址�
They received permission from Environment Canada to locate the nests to addle the eggs, said McWha, but volunteers were unsuccessful.
The club applied to Environment Canada and was granted a B次元官网网址榢ill to scareB次元官网网址� permit. It is aimed at discouraging the geese from being on the course by leaving carcasses on site at the entrance to the ponds where the birds gather. The permit allows for shooting no more than 10 birds per week.
B次元官网网址淚t mandates record keeping of each event and an annual report to the Ministry of Environment Canada,B次元官网网址� said McWha. B次元官网网址淲e must have a licensed firearms person conduct the shoot and we must advise the RCMP in advance. All of these conditions were met on Aug. 2.B次元官网网址�
READ MORE:
A total of six birds were shot B次元官网网址� one on hole No. 4, two on No. 1, one on No. 10 and two on the 18th hole. McWha said it was conducted safely as they made certain there were no people nearby and the birds were herded to an area where the background was clear.
B次元官网网址淲e distributed the carcasses at six different entry points to ponds and left them there for one day,B次元官网网址� said McWha. B次元官网网址淭wice after that we planned to shoot again however there were no geese on the course in either case.B次元官网网址�
A former member was not in favour of the approach the club is taking to control the goose population on the course.
B次元官网网址淚 am well aware of the issues caused by the geese, however golf courses serve dual purposes, one of which is a wildlife habitat,B次元官网网址� said Sabrina Qureshi, in a letter to the PQB B次元官网网址. She added that a recent newsletter to members, the management stated that the geese B次元官网网址渕ake a serious messB次元官网网址� and they eat the grass B次元官网网址渞ight where golfers walk and play.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭his rationale would be humorous if it wasnB次元官网网址檛 being used as an excuse to shoot geese for simply existing,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 am not questioning the legality of this action as I have been told that the necessary permit and protocols are in place however, I believe it is important that the general public be made aware of what is occurring. It is another example of humans infringing upon the basic right of another species to exist for their own selfish reasons.B次元官网网址�
McWha understands the concerns raised by some residents and members but they too do not support killing wildlife randomly.
B次元官网网址淚 might also point out that Morningstar is a site annually for the bird count and 39 different species of birds were counted on Morningstar during the count day this year,B次元官网网址� said McWha. B次元官网网址淭here are many deer and mink on the property as well.B次元官网网址�
Like us on and follow us on
