Congratulations to Parksville Mayor Marc Lefebvre for spreading his blatant exaggerations about the havoc wreaked by Canada geese.
I suggest he take a TV crew down to the estuary and show them this “devastation” that has been caused by Canada geese.
I have hiked that estuary for the last 10 years and it looks about the same now as 10 years ago.
The vegetation inside the test enclosures placed to keep geese out looks no better than the vegetation outside those fenced areas.
As well, show them evidence of his ridiculous claim that action by the geese is negatively affecting salmon spawning.
As for the fear-mongering claim that Canada geese feces could be an E. coli concern on the beach, I suggest he look at the 82 million litres of raw sewage that is pumped into the ocean at Victoria and results in no beach closures due to E. coli.
Congratulations also to the Mid-Island Guardians of Estuaries Society for picking on Canada geese for this claimed devastation to the estuary, while doing nothing to prevent their own species from razing acres of prime vegetation down with bulldozers every year to build more and more subdivisions.
Of course egg addling has not been effective — it has not been done efficiently and consistently with enough resources.
Tony MarkleParksville