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08-08-16
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08-08-16
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City Council - City Clerk
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REGULAR MEETING August 8, 2016 <br />certainly be tasked with interfacing with topics like this and proactively plan for how we protect <br />all of our natural resources. Mr. Perri informed the Council that the Park Department was <br />recently faced with a decision that involved potentially trapping and euthanizing beavers on the <br />riverfront that were damaging trees which then eroded the river bank causing dangers to <br />pedestrians. Instead of euthanizing the beavers, the Park Department came up with the idea to <br />place small amounts of chicken wire around the base of the suspect trees along the riverfront. <br />This was a solution that allowed us to keep the beavers in their natural habitat while maintaining <br />public safety and maintaining our infrastructure. These are the solutions we intend to seek before <br />any other type of lethal methods. <br />There were no questions from the Council. <br />Those from the public wishing to speak in favor of the Bill: <br />Charles Smith, 2023 South Taylor Street South Bend, spoke in favor of the bill. The euthanizing <br />of geese in Mishawaka was a mistake that many in this community have taken notice of and that <br />mistake could have been avoided if they would have listened to professionals such as the <br />Humane Society. This is an opportunity to learn from Mishawaka's mistake and this bill is a <br />positive step in that direction. Now is the time to prevent the problem so it does not have to come <br />to that in South Bend. <br />Jesse Davis, P.O. Box 10205 South Bend IN, spoke in favor of the bill. Anytime the government <br />spends taxpayer's money euthanizing any type of animal the public should be aware before it <br />happens. Mr. Davis stated he lives in Mishawaka and the geese would come up to his street. Yes, <br />they are messy and noisy but euthanizing them was not the proper solution. This was not even a <br />solution that lasted a week as many are already coming back to the area. We need to come up <br />with a solution so that we can live beside the animals. <br />Ken Glennoen, 57584 Shorewood Drive East South Bend IN, commended the Council for their <br />consideration of this bill. It is a great way for South Bend to set a positive precedent for other <br />communities to use as a model. Four hundred (400) Canada Geese is far too many to destroy <br />simply because Mishawaka did not do their due diligence. The Canada Geese is probably the <br />most regal of the migratory birds. They mate for life and can live for as long as thirty (30) years <br />and every spring they will have a hatch of goslings. South Bend happens to be in the center of <br />one (1) of three (3) major flyways in North America. We are visited by tens of thousands of birds <br />each year and also have a resident population which no longer migrate because we offer them <br />food in the form of green grass and open water on the river. This initiative is well thought out <br />with Park Department involvement and the understanding of the life cycle of the Canada Geese. <br />It is critical for us all to understand how to accommodate the birds and also enjoy our parks <br />without resulting to euthanizing like Mishawaka did. <br />Mercedes Howard, South Bend Area, spoke in favor of the bill. It is proper for the City to look <br />into non - lethal methods to handle this issue. There are a great deal of resources available to <br />manage the geese populations in a humane way. Ms. Howard asked why a sentence stating that <br />the Council believed the Administration should halt any relocation and extermination programs <br />was stricken from the original bill. She stressed that the public needs to have involvement with <br />this issue. <br />Glenn Hosea, 1514 Michigan Street South Bend IN, stated that the geese problem has been an <br />issue for a long time. Mishawaka had to take such dramatic action because neither city refused to <br />get ahead of the game before the problem grew too large. This bill is a good step in limiting the <br />geese population going forward. He wished the Council luck because this is a tough and <br />complicated issue. <br />Samuel Brown, 222 East Navarre Street South Bend, commended Councilmember Davis for <br />taking the time to address this issue. Perhaps we can also look into helping the ducks at Leeper <br />Park who are being affected by the heavy amount of construction in that area. <br />Sharon Banicki, 3822 Ford Street South Bend, commended the Council for being proactive <br />instead of reactive with this issue. <br />5 <br />
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