Three important news pieces published within the past two days.
The first one is from today and sheds light on both past city slaughters of the geese as well as the planned, upcoming and expanded carnage. Please comment and thank reporter.
http://www.metro.us/newyork/local/article/1144240--new-yorkers-ready-to-witness-record-geese-killing
The second is an Editorial from this past Sunday's Sacramento Bee calling for Congress to get a grip and reign in USDA's "Wildlife Services."
It is critical that both of these pieces be widely shared and cross posted.
(The third significant news piece will be addressed later in this entry.)
As we approach the first days of June, I am filled with dread of what the next two months will bring.
I fear for the few geese (and goslings) I still see at Central Park and I feel great pessimism for other geese surviving up until now throughout NYC's five boroughs and public parks.
As noted yesterday, there are many thousands of New Yorkers who take wonder in and enjoy seeing geese in our city parks. For those (particularly in low income areas) who don't have the means to travel to the country or keep pets in their apartments, the wildlife in their city parks may be their only connection to animals and nature.
That the people and their children of our great city should be deprived of that right and opportunity (particularly with the most social and human-friendly of all birds in our parks) for political smokescreens, re-election campaigns and slick "PR" spin should be to the shame and disdain of all of us.
But, here is the problem:
Most people simply won't know or be aware of when the goose roundups actually occur.
Two years ago, when 368 geese and their baby goslings were rounded up and gassed from Prospect Park, only two people (one of whom is a wildlife rehabber) immediately recognized that something had occurred and called the press. Other people, when asking, "What happened to all the geese?" were told by park officials that the geese had "flown away."
"They just flew away" is what most people assume when geese suddenly disappear and so most people believed the lie from Prospect Park officials until a series of New York Times articles exposed both the lie and the goose massacre that had actually occurred.
Under normal circumstances, geese picking up and "flying away" would be true. However, for six weeks of the year (June-July) when geese are molting and flightless they cannot fly anywhere.
If geese suddenly turn up missing during these times (especially in NYC parks) one needs to be suspicious and start asking questions.
But, complaining or protesting after the fact is example of "too little, too late." The geese are, after all, already dead by the time most people figure out or learn what has occurred.
Numerous protests since the gassing of Prospect Park's geese two years ago, have sadly accomplished little in terms of preventing further roundups and killings.
What seems mostly to be needed now is legal challenge and public comment to the USDA EIS "Goose Management Report" released several weeks ago:
Public comment is due by June 13th.
Very interesting news in New York City today is this information of the "smoking ban" in city parks being suspended due to legal challenge by a smoker's rights group. (The third important news piece -- even though not directly relative to geese.)
If we can get cigarettes back in our parks due to legitimate legal challenge and lack of due process, it seems this is what is ultimately needed to save and keep our resident geese in our parks.
Because the same way protocols and laws were subjugated, skipped or twisted to allow for a ban that infringes on individual human rights, protocols and laws are similarly being twisted now to allow for carnage of park wildlife while also infringing on individual rights to enjoy nature in parks.
Whatever one thinks of smokers, they deserve credit for organizing and legally challenging the infringements of their constitutional rights without due process.
Those who care about keeping the wildlife in our parks and our constitutional rights to enjoy nature without Big Brother peeking over our shoulder and depriving us of that right should do likewise. -- PCA
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