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REGULAR MEETING August 8, 2016 certainly be tasked with interfacing with topics like this and proactively plan for how we protect all of our natural resources. Mr. Perri informed the Council that the Park Department was recently faced with a decision that involved potentially trapping and euthanizing beavers on the riverfront that were damaging trees which then eroded the river bank causing dangers to pedestrians. Instead of euthanizing the beavers, the Park Department came up with the idea to place small amounts of chicken wire around the base of the suspect trees along the riverfront. This was a solution that allowed us to keep the beavers in their natural habitat while maintaining public safety and maintaining our infrastructure. These are the solutions we intend to seek before any other type of lethal methods. There were no questions from the Council. Those from the public wishing to speak in favor of the Bill: Charles Smith, 2023 South Taylor Street South Bend, spoke in favor of the bill. The euthanizing of geese in Mishawaka was a mistake that many in this community have taken notice of and that mistake could have been avoided if they would have listened to professionals such as the Humane Society. This is an opportunity to learn from Mishawaka's mistake and this bill is a positive step in that direction. Now is the time to prevent the problem so it does not have to come to that in South Bend. Jesse Davis, P.O. Box 10205 South Bend IN, spoke in favor of the bill. Anytime the government spends taxpayer's money euthanizing any type of animal the public should be aware before it happens. Mr. Davis stated he lives in Mishawaka and the geese would come up to his street. Yes, they are messy and noisy but euthanizing them was not the proper solution. This was not even a solution that lasted a week as many are already coming back to the area. We need to come up with a solution so that we can live beside the animals. Ken Glennoen, 57584 Shorewood Drive East South Bend IN, commended the Council for their consideration of this bill. It is a great way for South Bend to set a positive precedent for other communities to use as a model. Four hundred (400) Canada Geese is far too many to destroy simply because Mishawaka did not do their due diligence. The Canada Geese is probably the most regal of the migratory birds. They mate for life and can live for as long as thirty (30) years and every spring they will have a hatch of goslings. South Bend happens to be in the center of one (1) of three (3) major flyways in North America. We are visited by tens of thousands of birds each year and also have a resident population which no longer migrate because we offer them food in the form of green grass and open water on the river. This initiative is well thought out with Park Department involvement and the understanding of the life cycle of the Canada Geese. It is critical for us all to understand how to accommodate the birds and also enjoy our parks without resulting to euthanizing like Mishawaka did. Mercedes Howard, South Bend Area, spoke in favor of the bill. It is proper for the City to look into non - lethal methods to handle this issue. There are a great deal of resources available to manage the geese populations in a humane way. Ms. Howard asked why a sentence stating that the Council believed the Administration should halt any relocation and extermination programs was stricken from the original bill. She stressed that the public needs to have involvement with this issue. Glenn Hosea, 1514 Michigan Street South Bend IN, stated that the geese problem has been an issue for a long time. Mishawaka had to take such dramatic action because neither city refused to get ahead of the game before the problem grew too large. This bill is a good step in limiting the geese population going forward. He wished the Council luck because this is a tough and complicated issue. Samuel Brown, 222 East Navarre Street South Bend, commended Councilmember Davis for taking the time to address this issue. Perhaps we can also look into helping the ducks at Leeper Park who are being affected by the heavy amount of construction in that area. Sharon Banicki, 3822 Ford Street South Bend, commended the Council for being proactive instead of reactive with this issue. 5