Those who value nature and wildlife should be shocked and outraged at the scale of killing of birds -- Canada geese and many others -- being planned in NY State currently, and fight to stop it.
With a federal Freedom of Information Act request of May 29th, and assisted by a local Congressman, I was just notified that in total secrecy the federal Fish and Wildlife Service has granted current "permits" to kill about 10,000 birds in NYS, including 1,250 Canada geese in state parks and parkways on Long Island (Jones Beach, Sunken Meadow, etc.). Also included are permits to kill 5,000 Canada geese statewide, and to kill over 3,000 shore, urban and rural bird species like owls, woodpeckers, Osprey, sparrows, ducks, hawks, cardinals and dozens of other species across New York State.
According to those who know, in a typical roundup the geese are stalked when they can't fly (molting season -- right now) , rounded up, mothers, babies, whole families, manhandled and tethered with horrible plastic ties, and how they are killed by slow, tortuous gassing. It can take a quarter hour for a goose to suffocate. According to the federal permits, in other cases the birds are being shotgunned to death, poisoned, lethally-trapped, or shot again with rifles or air-rifles.
This should outrage citizens who value nature, and respect wildlife. There can be no justification for such a massive, unpublicized killing program. On Long Island the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is the permit holder. Around the state the federal USDA Wildlife Services is. There are private entities like a golf course in E Farmingdale and an office park in Lake Success also holding such permits.
There are probably other permits outstanding because my Freedom of Information request only covered Long Island, and only this year. Around the US there are undoubtedly similar permits waiting to be revealed. Further information is posted at Planet-in-Peril.org.
This was all being done in secret and in fact the release of the information was unjustifiably delayed 3 weeks -- most likely to allow the roundups to get underway with no public scrutiny. Now the public MUST make its voice heard. Thank you for your help.
