SANDPOINT, Idaho — Visitors looking for a fun time all dotted the shoreline of Sandpoint's City Beach on Thursday. But there was something missing from the scene and the clues were everywhere.
Feathers and some dried droppings are all that's left of the Canada geese that flocked to the park.
Last Friday, USDA Wildlife Services gathered and euthanized 170 geese using carbon dioxide gas, which officials say is an approved method of euthanization by the American Veterinarian Medical Association.
In a statement from the city of Sandpoint, they say the growing geese population has been a problem for more than 20 years.
Several methods have been attempted, from using dogs to herd the geese out of the park, relocating them and even setting up decoy coyotes to try scaring them off.
The city says none have had much of a long-term impact
Then when avian influenza (the bird flu) struck last year, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game advised the city against relocating the geese. The same thing came up again this year when the city started talking about getting a permit to relocate the birds. But the city said officials told them it was unlikely they would get it because of the disease.
But they were then told Wildlife Services would be willing to euthanize the geese with a permit that aims to control overpopulation and prevent the spread of avian flu.
The city's statement says Mayor Shelby Rognstad "administratively approved the work authorization for USDA/Wildlife Services to include City Beach."
But not everyone's happy with the removal, including Sandpoint local Danni Carnegie.
"The biggest problem I would say was probably the geese poop," Carnegie said. "But, gosh, it's nature. We live in the mountains.”
In the city's statement, Mayor Rognstad said in part: “The city and its residents value wildlife. City Beach, however, is a public park, not a wildlife sanctuary. We need to prioritize public health and recreation in our busiest city park.”
Carnegie, however, wished the public had been more a part of the process.
"I feel like I'm robbed," Carnegie said. "I feel like I'm uninformed. I feel like I don't have a voice."
At one point, the city of Sandpoint consulted with the goose management agency GeesePeace. They suggested using egg oiling, replacement and/or nest destruction. However, the city says this would have been challenging and claimed the geese don't nest at the beach or typically within city limits.
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