http://www.milforddailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=100448
Goose hunting to continue
By Matt Lynch/ Daily News Staff
Thursday, October 5, 2006 - Updated: 02:08 AM EST
HOPEDALE -- Against impassioned pleas from some residents, the town said last night the hunting of Canada geese at Hopedale Pond will continue but left the door open for other population control methods.
Park Commission Chairman Richard Espanet said the geese hunting will resume in late October when the season opens again but also said the commission will consider other methods during next spring’s mating season.
"We’ll work with you," Espanet told the group gathered to oppose the hunting. "But I’m not telling you the hunting is going to stop."
Espanet said the commission will wait for the spring when the geese return to lay eggs to see if the hunting worked. "If we find out it was not successful, like the other methods we’ve tried, we won’t do it," he said.
But some residents begged the commission to call off the hunting before it resumes Oct. 25.
"We just want the board to vote tonight to rescind the order allowing the hunting," said Walter Swift, a resident who has led the opposition to the hunting. "We agree this is a problem. What we disagree about is the method you’re taking to deal with the problem."
The town has battled a steadily rising Canada geese population at the pond for many years and allowed hunters onto the land in September after a series of more humane population control methods failed, Espanet said.
Espanet said the hunters were only at the pond twice in September, killing eight geese during a total of about three hours of hunting.
Last night’s Park Commission meeting brought out supporters and opponents of the hunting.
"I support the hunting, I just think the town is approaching it the wrong way," said resident Patrick Evans, who favored allowing residents to do the hunting rather than allowing hunters from outside Hopedale.
Members of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals were also in attendance. Along with residents opposed to the hunting, the MSPCA presented the commission with a program it said would be more effective in the long term than hunting.
By oiling the eggs to prevent them from hatching and taking steps to make the land hostile to geese, the flock would not want to return to the area, they said.
"This program moves the geese to an area where they are not in conflict with humans," said Bryn Conklin, an MSPCA animal protection issues specialist.
Espanet said the commission would consider that approach next spring when the geese lay more eggs but would not call off this year’s hunt.
"That’s one method we haven’t tried and we’d be open to look at it," said Espanet.
After the meeting, Swift said he was disappointed with the board’s decision to continue to allow hunting.
"I really wanted them to vote to rescind the order to allow hunting," he said. "If you go in and hunt, you’ll kill eight to 12 geese. If you addle (oil) the eggs, you eliminate 48 to 60 eggs."
After the meeting, the board stayed mum regarding a threatening letter addressed to two town officials criticizing the decision to allow the hunting.
Espanet said before the meeting the board had no comment and when a resident brought it up, Espanet said, "You get the lunatic fringe with anything and I’m going to leave it at that."
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