Wildlife
Trapping
A growing risk... You might be surprised to learn that fur trappers are demanding -- and seem to be getting from the Wisconsin Legislature -- access to just about every inch of publicly owned parks and wildlands. For some reason, their "right" to terrorize, hurt, maim, and kill wild animals is deemed more important by lawmakers than other people's "right" to have their tax dollars used to protect wild animals and their habitats, and to have parks to visit that aren't mined with traps.
Money and fun... The main reason people set traps for wild animals is to kill them and sell their fur. A secondary reason is their enjoyment in doing so. Some people trap as a hobby. Regardless of why people trap, the effect on the animals is the same.
Not at all secret... Trappers aren't like the people who operate animal labs or factory farms. Animal labs and animal farms go to great lengths to keep what they do hidden from the public. (The University of Wisconsin, Madison, for instance, has destroyed many 100s of videotaped experiments on monkeys to keep the public in the dark about what they do to animals. They have been fighting in state court for three years (as of March 2012) to keep photographs of highly invasive experiments on cats out of the public eye. Iowa (and soon Utah, probably) has made it illegal to film or photograph animal agriculture because of the horrible cruelty documented with videos and photographs and the subsequent fines and embarrassment that have resulted.)
Trappers are more like rodeo cowboys. They are proud of what they do. As a result, a very large number of websites dedicated to trapping can be found. Check out this photo gallery. Here's a video of a young boy being indoctrinated. Here's a video of someone "connecting with nature."
Cruel and indiscriminate... Setting traps around a beaver dam will likely catch beavers, but setting traps in a field or woodland can catch any animal attracted to the bait. Here are a few other animals who have been caught in traps:
This is a link to a TV news story from 2011, about Handsome, a dog from Oregon, WI, who was killed by a trap set next to a pedestian path leading to a nature preserve.
Sophie's choice... Communities in Wisconsin have had trapping shoved down their throats by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the state agency that manages the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. In order for a town, city, or county to receive part of the $86 million offered by the state each year for the acquisition of unimproved lands for park space, the town, city, or county must promise in writing that the acquired land will be available to trappers, hunters, and fishers. Allowed exceptions are so narrowly defined and so rarely granted as to be nonexistent. By order of the DNR, no trapping allowed means no preservation of wild areas.
In a nut shell... Wisconsin hunting, trapping, and fishing enthusiasts have co-opted for their own enjoyment, all lands purchased with taxpayer monies intended for conservation and preservation. The interests of the lovers of nature and its animal residents have been dismissed out-of-hand.
We are very sorry to say here, and hope for some change in the future, that the current Wisconsin State Legislature is in the hip pocket of the killers. Until the majority of members of the Wisconsin State Legislature become responsive to local community concerns, change and impovement on this front in the fight for animals is unlikely.
But, your elected state representatives ought to hear from you nevertheless. They perceive silence as agreement.
Trapping in Dane County
AFA: Letter to Dane County Parks Director Darren Marsh. June 5, 2011.
Nedim C. Buyukmihci, V.M.D. Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Medicine: Letter to Dane County Supervisors.
July, 27, 2011.
Humane Society of the United States: Letter to Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and the Parks Commissioners. August 6, 2011.
Lastly, here's a Public Service piece from Kim Basinger on the horrors of trapping.
Madison Canada Goose Massacre Documents
Taxpayers subsidizing wild life extermination program, probe shows By MARY LOU SIMMS | McClatchy-Tribune News Service • Published August 18, 2011 This is a good overview of the national problem. Madison seems to have fallen into line with the least progressive or enlightened communities.
Somethin' Stinks and It Ain't Goose PoopA summary of public opinion on the management of geese in Madison
April 11, 2010 one page summary: To Mayor Soglin from Genesis Steinhorst, Water Resource Specialist, City of Madison. No mention of air traffic safety.
Madison Parks Commission Meeting Minutes 4-14-2010
Commission approves round-up and slaughter. Primary stated concern is air traffic safety in and out of Dane County Regional Airport.
Some key points:
"Commission members noted there is an immediate problem and they are concerned about “testing” a Miracle on the Hudson here in light of the Airport’s request to take emergency measures now. They do not want to put people’s lives in danger."
"The only goose management technique used by Parks has been to allow turf grass to grow long next to the shorelines to discourage them." (In other words, all they tried was to do nothing.)
"Warner Park geese are cooked." Kristin Czubkowski. The Capital Times April 16, 2010. (External link)
Some key passages:
"Jim Lorman, an Edgewood College professor who has studied the goose population at Vilas Park, says the airport safety issues might jumpstart citywide efforts aimed at goose population management. 'There basically hasn't really been an effort. The effort that has existed has been very, very minor,' he says, citing an experimental planting effort at the Vilas Lagoon that volunteers hoped would discourage geese from nesting."
"While harassment could prove effective, particularly with the use of trained dogs, Lorman says it often takes years to retrain geese to find other habitats. He supports 'harvesting,' saying it would likely prove the most effective method for reducing the number of geese as long as systematic management takes place after the harvest."
Madison Parks Commission Meeting Minutes 5-12-2010 Commission meeting room filled to overflowing with citizens angry about decision to kill the geese. The decision is recinded and the issue tabled pending a report by the Parks Department.
Some key claims:
"The airport is focusing on Warner because of the banded geese that were found at the airport. It was also acknowledged that there could be other core populations of geese outside of Warner Park but locations have not been identified. While they could not answer what number of birds would cause a strike, the risk is there. Some people want the geese to stay in Warner Park, but they are a hazard for the airport. If the situation isn’t managed correctly, people may die."
"The city could do more landscape management such as allowing the vegetation along the water’s edge to grow taller. The city already has a No Feeding Ordinance. The city has applied for, and received permission to oil eggs this spring."
"A motion was made by Chewning/Parker to request that Parks staff work with the University of Wisconsin and other volunteer groups, including Wild Warner activists, to develop a comprehensive plan for habitat management to discourage the goose population throughout the park system and to pause the decision to kill the adults. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY."
September 9, 2010. "A CLEAN Future for the Yahara Lakes: Solutions for Tomorrow, Starting Today." Mentions "geese" 87 times and "goose" 33 times. Lists in tabular form 25 options for controlling goose population and presence. Parks department chose only the most extreme. (See Appendix E, Attachment E1: Goose management options (p 123.) Russ Hefty (City of Madison conservation resource supervisor) is listed as a "key contributor" to the project.
2010 Nest and Egg Depredation Report and the 2011 Nest and Egg Depredation Permit
Two interesting documents. The first shows the extent of the city's efforts to oil eggs. A total of two days work, apparently. The second document seems to include a false claim. Under Section 5 "Compliance with Criteria for Issuance" it is stated that habitat modification and harrassment has been or will be used.
Madison Parks Commission Meeting Minutes 4-13-2011
Some key points:
"The Division did apply for and receive permission from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to oil eggs. Staff has also carried out vegetation plantings around water and altered mowing patterns around water."
"Commissioners noted they were trying to understand the situation between Wild Warner and Hefty. They expressed concern that Wild Warner members have not been included."
"Staff want to bring all of the information to the Park Commission. They will be recommending the creation of an ad hoc committee comprised of members from the UW, Wild Warner, a Park Commissioner, and any other organization the Commission suggests, as well as Parks staff." This wan't done.
"Superintendent Briski added that he hasn’t yet been able to meet with Mayor Soglin on this particular issue to determine his direction for goose management."
Some key points:
"Yahara Golf Course did a trial experiment with herding dogs to discourage geese." In 2002, apparently. The golf course is city-owned. Although the city gave up on the idea, apparently, others have found that dogs work. See David Marcks: It’s a Geese of a Home Business! (external link) and Geese Police of VA. This is a related Blog post with a note from Larry Meiller in 2002 of Wisconsin Public Radio. (A station that didn't mention anything about the recent slaughter.)
The plan, prepared by the Parks Division, was essentially chucked when the Commission gave the go ahead to round up and kill the geese.
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Note: All the emails here were provided to AFA by the Mayor's Office and City Park's in response to our public records requests.
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RE: Geese reports
From Soglin, Paul
Date Monday, April 18, 2011 9:38 AM
To Briski, Kevin
Subject RE: Geese reports
Thanks…. Will there be any problems of Parks commission adopting report? If not, when will it go to council and then when do we begin implementation?
Paul R. Soglin
Mayor City of Madison
210 MLK Jr. Blvd Madison, WI 53703
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RE: Geese reports
From Briski, Kevin
Date Monday, April 18, 2011 12:06 PM
To Soglin, Paul
Subject RE: Geese reports
The talk at the PC is to have a sub cmte of regional and university individuals review the reports and provide a recommendation to the PC. As to implementation... most of the recommendations have been in place since 2003 and used throughout the years. We will be oiling eggs at warner for the second yr and have changed mowing around the lakes and have introduced native tall grass on some shorelines. We will have staff pick up goose droppings at vilas this summer and other initiatives planned for this yr. KB Sent from my Windows Mobile® phone.
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Re: goose management report
From Soglin, Paul
Date Tuesday, May 10, 2011 11:04 AM
To Briski, Kevin
Subject Re: goose management report
What does harvest mean
----- Reply message ----- From: "Briski, Kevin" <KBriski@cityofmadison.com> Date: Tue, May 10, 2011 11:07 am
Subject: goose management report
To: "Soglin, Paul" <PSoglin@cityofmadison.com>
Cc: "Miley, Sally" <SMiley@cityofmadison.com>, "Monks, Anne" <AMonks@cityofmadison.com>
Hey Mayor- Just a reminder note… the goose management plan goes before the Park Commission tomorrow night, Wed. 5/11 6:30 pm Warner Park Community Center. We have a had a couple of quick discussions and you have been provided the two reports…, just plugging in w/ you on anything you would like for me to convey to the Parks Commission. When we talked, you made the comment of support of non-lethal treatment… oiling, shoreline modifications (tall vegetation on shoreline) and harassment. When we had the opportunity to discuss water quality and beach enclosures, you heard the concerns of beach closures due to ecoli / high fecal counts in water has lead to beach closures. You asked about moving geese to other locations.. I informed of DNR policy that prohibits moving due to residents returning back to the site / resident geese. It is a complex issue. It appears that the tone of the Park Commission is to accept non-lethal options. This will not resolve the water quality issue in the short term and perhaps long term. Russ Hefty, Conservation Supervisor , Yahara Clean /Vilas cmte is in support of a harvest at Vilas, Warner and perhaps Tenney and Olin to get the population down to a manageable size, improve water quality and then continue to egg oil, shoreline modification and harassment. Russ and I can support non-lethal, we understand the public outcry and know the water quality issues and would like to be on the same page w/ your opinion going into the Park Commission meeting.
Please advise, thanks,
KB Kevin Briski, Parks Superintendent
City of Madison
210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
Room 104 P.O. Box 2987
Madison, WI 53701-2987
www.cityofmadison.com/parks
608-266-4711
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FW: geese response From Phair, Connie
Date Tuesday, May 17, 2011 4:51 PM
To Crawley, Katie
Subject FW: geese response
Katie, just as an FYI, below is the response that Mayor Dave wrote 1 year ago on the Goose topic… For what it’s worth.
Thanks, Connie
From: Cieslewicz, Dave
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 10:53 AM
To: Phair, Connie
Subject: geese response Paula Fitzsimmons
Dear Paula: Thanks for your recent message regarding geese as they might impact air travel. Responding to a request from the Dane County Regional Airport and a new rule from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Madison Park Commission voted to support a policy of removing geese from Warner Park. The concern was that they could be a threat to safe aviation. The Park Commission has now decided to revisit that policy and to explore other ways of dealing with the issue. I believe we can all agree that we need safe air travel and if there is a way to provide that without killing the geese that would be preferable. I hope that a solution along these lines can be found. Sincerely,
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USDA_APHIS-WS_Permit_Review_5-26-11.pdf
See item 8a PREVIOUS ACTIONS TO ADDRESS PROBLEM AND RESULT OF THOSE ACTIONS
"The city has used habitat modification, no feeding policies, harrassment with dogs, and egg oiling to manage goose issues with minimal success."
Yet the Madison Parks Commission Meeting Minutes 4-14-2010 states that "The only goose management technique used by Parks has been to allow turf grass to grow long next to the shorelines to discourage them."
Notice too that the city asked for permission to shoot 400 geese at Cherokee Marsh, but that no mention was made of Warner Park, the claimed source of the geese that would put "people's lives in danger." See Madison Parks Commission Meeting Minutes 4-14-2010 above.
Mayor Paul Soglin's_letter_to_concerned_citizens_6-1-11
Two very key points:
The mayor is relying on the opinion of the Madison-Dane County Public Health Department Director.
"As Mayor I need to strike a balance beteewn the preservation of wilflife and the safety of residents who may be harmed by contaminated water due to goose feces."
He claims that killing the geese will make the beaches safer.
This claim comes from either the 2004 report from the Madison Health Department's: "Public Health Significance of E. coli O157 in Madison Lakes" or the 2010 "Vilas Park Waterfowl Management Plan" which cites the Health Department's claim that they found E. coli O157 in 40% of the goose and duck droppings and 80% of the gull droppings in 2002 and 2003.
Federal_Fish_and_Wildlife_Permit_6-13-11
Notice item 11E: "Lethal take is not to be the primary means of control. Active hazing, harrassment or other non-lethal techniques must continue in conjunction with any lethal take of migratory birds."
But active hazing and harrassment were never used by the city (except apparently in the Yahara Golf Course trial experiment and active hazing and harrassment are not being used now.)
Note: The difficult to read signature on this permit is not the Chief of the Migratory Bird Office, Larry Harrison. Mr. Harrison said, over the phone, that the wrong person had signed the permit.
June 16, 2011 Letter to Soglin from Trish O'Kane, Ph.D. Student in Environment & Resources, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, UW-Madison. Includes in-depth analysis of lethal versus humane goose population control strategies used in various communities. Concludes that lethal methods are poor choice for a variety of reasons. The response from Soglin's office:
FW: Murray Fromson----Geese answer -- make sure she gets extra explanation that the Geesepeace alternative does not permanently remove the geese END
From Soglin, Paul
Date Tuesday, June 28, 2011 9:06 AM
To Crawley, Katie
Permanently? Soglin's experts must not know that geese fly into Madison every year. See too, the State of Michigan's more complete discussion of ways to make local habitats less attrative to geese.
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From Crawley, Katie
Date Monday, June 20, 2011 11:57 AM
To Soglin, Paul
Subject Media are starting to ask about schedule of the geese kill.
Just an fyi I hope to talk to you about it tomorrow.
Katie Crawley
Office of the Mayor
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The WSJ and the Isthmus are calling parks about the geese harvest schedule-they are looking to me for guidance on what to release.
From Crawley, Katie
Date Monday, June 20, 2011 12:19 PM
To Soglin, Paul; Miley, SallySubject
The WSJ and the Isthmus are calling parks about the geese harvest schedule-they are looking to me for guidance on what to release. I earlier thought this could wait until tomorrow, but now, not so much. I am looking to you for guidance on what to tell Parks. Permits have been acquired and I believe that is public record. When Isthmus called me to confirm it will happen this week I said I could not confirm that.
Katie Crawley
Office of the Mayor
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From Crawley, Katie
Date Monday, June 20, 2011 2:59 PM
To Soglin, Paul Cc Briski, Kevin
Subject geese Per KB’s suggestion for what we say to the media.
“The exact date for the harvest has not been determined. It will ultimately depend on the schedule of the (DNR) staff overseeing the task as they have similar round ups scheduled throughout the state. Weather will also determine the scheduling. It is currently slated for the last week in June.”
Kevin and I discussed your earlier sentiments regarding possible disruption and a plan B. I understand you also tried to call him after our conversation, so we will wait to hear from you before anything is said to the media. I have received no other calls on it.
Katie Crawley
Office of the Mayor
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From: Crawley, Katie
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 10:29 AM
To: Briski, Kevin; Soglin, Paul Cc: Whitmore, Laura
Subject: RE: geese Just talked to Nathan…I used KB’s points…and was as vague as I could be. I said it was not parks employees doing this…that is correct right? Correct, no city staff are used. The APHIS staff conduct the roundup. also said no decision has been made on a similar event next year…that too is correct right? Correct, we will continue to monitor, research, oil eggs, etc.. Based on the geese numbers, I would anticipate a round up for Warner and Cherokee Marsh for 2012.
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From Whitmore, Laura
Date Tuesday, June 21, 2011 12:38 PM
To Briski, Kevin; Crawley, Katie; Soglin, Paul
Subject RE: geese Just got another call. from Doug Erickson from WSJ. He indicated that they would like to be present during the round-up. His question to me was if our parks staff did the round-up. I told him no, the USDA-APHIS did that. and asked him to call Katie for any follow-up.
LW
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FW: Katie Crawley & Geese
From Paul Rusk
Date Thursday, June 23, 2011 4:20 PM
To Crawley, Katie; Monks, Anne
Cc 'Patricia Okane'
BCC amonks@cityofmadison.com; kcrawley@cityofmadison.com
Subject FW: Katie Crawley & Geese
Hi Katie and Anne,
My constituent Trish O'Kane is very concerned that the "full story" on geese is not coming out - Trish and the Wild Warner group met with Paul during the campaign (Melissa Sargent set it up). Here is the email I just got from Trish with the Isthmus story attached. She is a graduate student at the UW and is married to Jim Carrier. They are very reliable and easy to work with.
I know dealing with top level city managers and the media adds challenges, but please take a look at this - I think there is more to the story - Trish is concerned the Mayor isn't getting the full story. GeesePeace would be happy to come to Madison - I believe the former mayor ordered this, but it didn't happen. It is now a "he said, she said" situation.
We would all be better off if non-lethal ways of dealing with this problem can be put in place.
Thanks for listening. I am on my way to San Francisco tomorrow morning but please feel free to contact Trish.
Thanks
Paul Rusk County Supervisor District 12
-----Original Message-----
From: Patricia Okane [mailto:pokane@wisc.edu]
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2011 3:54 PM
To: Paul Rusk
Subject: Katie Crawley & Geese http://www.isthmus.com/daily/article.php?article=33870
Hello, Paul. I've tried to get through to Crawley with no luck. The press is on this now. Looks to me like she is only getting her information from Hefty and Briski and they are not telling the whole truth. I just talked to David Feld, president of Geesepeace on the phone. Last year the mayor ordered Briski to contact Feld. Feld offered to come here for free to help the city. Feld told me the following: "I think I got an email but we never made contact. I don't recall speaking to anyone."
At the May Parks commission meeting, I testified that the parks dept. shut Wild Warner out of the process and did not invite GeesePeace here. Briski got mad at these comments and said that Parks had contacted several people in Geesepeace.
I know Russ Hefty did talk to a parks manager in Rockford who uses Geesepeace methods but Feld said they never contacted him. The city could have used his services for free and avoided the coming conflict. Briski is not telling the whole story to the mayor. His intent has been to kill the geese. They never really explored humane management.
If you can pass this on to her or somebody else in the mayor's office, just thought I'd give it a try. Wild Warner is always willing to help. I know there are many burning issues right now (I thought the national mayors conference calling to end the wars and spend the $ at home was absolutely brilliant), but this issue is going to create conflict and cost the city money. Other cities are fighting the Geese Wars and these wars are not pretty. Waste of time, energy and money. Madison can do better.
Thanks for listening, Paul,
Trish
-- Trish O'Kane
Wild Warner Project: www.wildwarnerpark.org
Ph.D. Student in Environment & Resources Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, UW-Madison
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RE: Wisconsin State Journal
From Crawley, Katie
Date Thursday, June 23, 2011 2:47 PM
To Whitmore, Laura; Briski, Kevin
Subject RE: Wisconsin State Journal
Well, since I already told Isthmus the parks, I guess that cat is out of the bag, so to speak. We have also already released the info regarding the permit allows for up to 350 geese, city wide, but I told the reporter we doubted we could come near that number.
The funding issue….thoughts?
And the food pantries…was that discussed publically by the Parks Commission?
From: Whitmore, Laura
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2011 2:18 PM
To: Briski, Kevin Cc: Crawley, Katie
Subject: FW: Wisconsin State Journal
From: Doug Erickson [mailto:DErickson@madison.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2011 12:53 PM
To: Whitmore, Laura Subject:
RE: Wisconsin State Journal
Hi Laura, I've been working with the USDA for some answers to some of the geese roundup questions. There are a few basic questions I need answered by the city. Can either you or someone in the Parks Department address these?
1.) From which parks will geese be removed from this summer?
2.) How many total geese has the city asked the USDA to remove? (If you have a breakdown by park, I'll take it.)
3.) What is the total amount of city funds that will be spent this summer on the geese roundup?
4.) Which food pantries will benefit from the euthanized geese?
Thanks,
Doug Erickson Reporter
Wisconsin State Journal Madison, Wis. 608-252-6149
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FW: Katie Crawley & Geese
From Crawley, Katie
Date Thursday, June 23, 2011 6:21 PM
To Briski, Kevin Cc
Subject FW: Katie Crawley & Geese
I think she had Paul contact me because he has known me for a long time. I know the decision has been made to go forward with this, but could we revisit the GeesePeace issue so I have the background when we get a chance? Also, I have a vm from Patricia Randolph who lives I think, in Marquette County and she says her neighbor has offered to come and round them up and take them up up there and they will be very happy. Sorry to keep throwing this at you, but if they just did it, wouldn't it save the city money?
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RE: Save the Geese
From Soglin, Paul
Date Monday, June 27, 2011 11:05 AM
To 'erin wery'
Subject RE: Save the Geese
The health of our lakes and people has to take precedence over the geese. We looked at alternatives and the bottom line is this – the geese will continue to return to these nest sites – removing them to other locations or chasing them away do not work. I do not like the solution we are using but it is the only one we have. If we do not do this the problems will only worsen.
Paul R. Soglin Mayor
City of Madison
210 MLK Jr. Blvd
Madison, WI 53703
office: 608-266-4611
Casey Stengel "The secret to managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the ones who are undecided."
From: erin wery
Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2011 10:55 AM
To: Soglin, Paul
Subject: Save the Geese
Hello Mayor Soglin, I read the Saturday article in the Wisconsin State Journal about the plan to kill and capture geese in Madison Parks. As a city of Madison tax payer I am appalled at this plan. Its just okay to kill wildlife? You see to want to protect the residents of Madison but not the wildlife we so treasure. Other measures that can be done have not been done. I beg of you to do whatever it takes to save our wildlife - Do the right thing Mayor Paul. thank you for your consideration.
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Alliance for Animals letter to Mayor Soglin 6-22-11
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From Crawley, Katie
Date Tuesday, June 28, 2011 12:56 PM
To Briski, Kevin
Hey Kevin, Yep...it's me again! Do you have some info or data that shows Geesepeace solutions are not long term?
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Here's a fact-filled letter to Soglin from June 29, 2011 that goes a long way to demonstrating that the City's reliance on local public health "experts" own work is a case of ignoring matter-of-fact conflicts of interest... Few people would admit that their own work is simply gibberish.
Compare the letter writer's extensive authoritative citations with the claim below repeated by Soglin in his letters to citizens upset over the city's plans:
“The same kind of pathogenic microbes identified in goose droppings
that heavily contaminate Madison beaches cause 78 waterborne disease
outbreaks, 4,412 illnesses, 116 hospitalizations and 5 deaths
bi-annualy in the US. The bacteria identified include E. coli 0157.
Last summer, 2010, Olin and Vilas beaches were closed over 40 days due
to dangerously high bacteria counts. Our expectation is that by
reducing the goose population, Madison beaches will stay open longer
and be safer for human recreation and sport.”
Thomas Schlenker, MD, MPH
Director of the City-County Public Health Department
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Alliance for Animals permit revocation request to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 6-29-11
Department of Interior's denial or revocation request 7-7-11
Grass Roots: Kill opponents say goose roundup was too secret The Capital Times 7-12-2011. (external link)
Mayor Soglin: "I believe the parks commission concluded correctly that while there are some long term alternatives to look at, with this generation of geese, this [killing the geese] is the only solution that works."
2011 USDA contract to round-up and kill the geese.
Is the poor water quality in the Madison area lakes caused by geese? (external links.) See below:
‘It’s going to be a bad year’ for algae blooms in area lakes. Wisconsin State Journal. July 17, 2011. (No mention of geese.)
Some key points: "Lakes with excessively high phosphorus content are most susceptible. Runoff containing manure provides a large dose of phosphorus that plants and bacteria thrive in.
"When you have a lake people dump a lot of manure into, you’re going to have algae blooms," Carpenter said. "At this point the most important thing to do is manage manure."
Heat week more reason to rally for our lakes. Wisconsin State Journal. Editorial, July 19, 2011 (No mention of geese.)
A key comment: "The green muck largely results from high amounts of phosphorus washing into the Yahara chain of lakes from farms northwest of Lake Mendota. Other contributors of the organic matter are urban lawns, yard waste and construction site erosion."
Dane County farm families join to reduce lake pollution. Wisconsin State Journal. June 23, 2011 (No mention of geese.)
Some key passages:
"Twenty-five farm families have entered into contracts with Dane County to implement conservation practices intended to reduce the amount of pollution flowing into area lakes."
"The effort announced Thursday is part of a five-year plan by Parisi to improve lake water quality. Other components include restoring wetlands and retrofitting storm drains to filter out phosphorus-laden debris."
