Dorie Rae Gallagher wrote: > On another note...where can the geese go and be left to migrate as their > natural innate calling if not down by the Flats. My own opinion..leave > the geese alone down there. This is going to be such a sterile world if > we have nothing but buildings and cement without wildlife/fowl because of > their droppings. Maybe we should not have gone down there and developed > so they would have had a place for comfort without man monitoring them > other than afar.
The problem is not just that there geese, the problem is goose over population and loss of habitat. In 1990 the Minnesota Canadian Goose spring population was 45,000. In 2001 the population rose to 290,000 which DNR biologists think is 100,000 geese more than would be ideal. Compare those numbers with this year�s estimate of 375,000 geese in the Minnesota population (although biologists think this year�s estimate may be skewed high). The Bohemian Flats are becoming as congested with geese as the cross town commons is with cars � ok maybe that is a bit of hyperbole but the concept is similar. The automobile congestion on the 35W corridor is similar to is the problem of migrating geese in the Mississippi River flyway through the metropolitan area. Just as cars on 35W and 62 are forced together in the commons bottleneck, so too are migrating geese concentrated along the Mississippi river. The loss of good habitat in the metro area forces geese to follow an increasingly narrow path along the river. Then when the geese need to stop, rest, or feed they look for suitable places along the river. Bohemian Flats and the University River Flats make perfect resting places. Now add to these migrating geese to those who choose to nest and live in these areas all summer and you have a recipe for a congestion problem. The result is more congestion = the more pollution. The Mississippi River between Lower St. Anthony and Lock and Dam #1 is listed as impaired with Fecal Coliform and Mercury resulting in both aquatic recreation (swimming and other water-contact recreation) as well as aquatic consumption (i.e. catching and eating fish) being affected. I wouldn�t attempt to claim that geese are the only source of FC in the Mississippi, pet wastes and other upland sources of FC are washed into the river through the storm sewer system. I hate to think how much was washed in with the recent heavy rains. But the fact is that geese are a source of FC. In a report written by the MN PCA, the Regional Total Maximum Daily Load Evaluation of Fecal Coliform Bacteria Impairments In the Lower Mississippi River Basin in Minnesota, the PCA identifies sources of FC in the Mississippi. The PCA estimates that in the summer wet period (spring and early summer when there is regular rainfall) that only 3 percent of the FC load in the Mississippi is from urban runoff. Contrast that with the summer dry period (mid to late summer) when deer, geese, and other wildlife were estimated to contribute up to nine percent of the FC load. Municipal wastewater treatment facilities on the other hand were estimated to only produce approximately 1 percent of the FC in the river. To Steve: One possible solution to keeping geese out of these areas may be the planting of a dense hedge close to the river bank. This would also be nice because we need more plantings in the flats. This works because geese apparently do not feel comfortable when there is something impassable between them and water so they wouldn�t stay in the park too long. For example, think about how few geese there are in Lower Riverside Park with the old wall between the park and the river. Unfortunately, this would also cut off most of the view of the river from the flats so I�m not sure it�s the best solution. The only other solution I can come up with is hunting promotion in Minneapolis. The Strib reported today that a paltry 2% of Minneapolis residents purchased hunting licenses in 2003. http://www.startribune.com/stories/531/4980968.html If we could get more Minneapolitans hunting geese we could reduce the population numbers substantially. Especially now that we can finally buy assault rifles again � we can finally do some real damage when hunting geese. Or we could send gang-bangers down to shoot the geese, if they had more target practice maybe they wouldn�t hit so many innocents. (Entire paragraph is tongue in cheek) Randall Cutting Seward REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
