The city of Galesburg feels Canadian geese are a problem at Lake Storey. But aldermen have said "No" to one idea on how to get the birds to leave.
A plan from the city administration to allow for hunting of Canadian geese by city staffers was voted down 4-to-3. Aldermen who voted against the proposal are Angela Bastian, Wayne Dennis, Peter Schwartzman, and Wayne Allen.
Parks and Recreation Director Larry Cox said around 3,500 geese come to the lake each winter. Because of that, he said it makes swimming in the lake during the summer unsanitary, and it decreases the look and aesthetics of the lake area.
His plan would have allowed city staff to hunt 12 geese as a way to encourage the flocks to move to another area. Those who opposed it said the city should come up with a more humane proposal.
“I think there’s other methods that we can use, and should use. And I know that the geese are a problem, I don’t discredit that. But I think that there’s other ways of dispersing of them,” Sixth Ward Aldermen Wayne Allen said.
Cox said the city will try and use other methods that have been used before to break up the flocks at the lake. He said those include coyote decoys, noise makers, and strobe lights.
Third Ward Aldermen Russell Fleming said that even without council approval, hunters could still shoot geese in the area right next to property the city owns.
“They’re going to be hunting without the controls that the city has. I mean, they’re not going to have the police there shutting down the roads. There’s going to be a population out there in the lake and there’s going to be hunters across the road anyway,” Fleming said.
