Re: Too many Cultus Lake geese (M. Dunbar, Chilliwack Progress, June 28)
I sympathize with M. Dunbar’s problem with the droppings left by Canada Geese. There are no single cost-effective measures that can be taken to solve this problem. Currently the Park Board’s staff is engaging in efforts to utilize machinery that removes fecal matter from the ground, with marginal effectiveness for the price paid. We have also received suggestions to put a short barrier at the lakeshore.
The most frequent question I am asked on this matter is “Why not shoot them all?”. The provincial government did perform a cull of geese earlier this year in the Cultus Lake area, but the numbers culled were insufficient to have a material impact. Current federal regulations (Migratory Birds Convention Act) make it very difficult to cull larger numbers.
Canada Geese droppings are not an issue unique to this area; indeed, municipalities around British Columbia have been forced to address this matter, especially in the Okanagan area where some beaches had to be closed because of the volume of geese feces. It is quickly becoming a health issue rather than an environmental one. It is a matter we are taking with increasing seriousness as the Canada goose population is rapidly expanding.
Sacha Peter
Chilliwack, BC
Chairman, Cultus Lake Park Board