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6 birds shot after goose poop becomes a foul problem at Parksville golf course

B次元官网网址楰ill to scareB次元官网网址 permit acquired; club deals with 250 to 300 Canada geese daily
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Morningstar Golf Club deals with 250 to 300 geese daily. (PQB B次元官网网址 file photo)

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

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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

Michael.Briones@pqbnews.com

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Michael Briones

About the Author: Michael Briones

I rejoined the PQB B次元官网网址 team in April 2017 from the Comox Valley Echo, having previously covered sports for The NEWS in 1997.
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