Cd'A: No plans to kill Canada geese

COEUR d'ALENE — The Canada geese in Coeur d'Alene won't face being euthanized as the others in the extended gaggle were recently in Sandpoint.

Bill Greenwood of the Parks Department said the birds' population in Coeur d'Alene is not as significant as it was in Sandpoint, which led USDA Wildlife Services to round up and euthanize an estimated 150 on June 23 under a statewide degradation permit in a plan approved by Mayor Shelby Rognstad.

Greenwood said Coeur d'Alene would not consider similar actions.

"They've got a bigger problem than we do," he said.

The action in Sandpoint was criticized by some, while others said it was necessary as the geese population has, for decades, left poop all over City Beach, caused disturbances and, in general, been a major nuisance.

Other, nonlethal means to drive the geese away proved ineffective.

Coeur d'Alene has geese that hang around City Park, Riverstone, the shores of Tubbs Hill and the Spokane River in the mornings. They also like to hunker down near Silver Beach Marina.

"When people show up, they tend to leave," Greenwood said.

He said there aren't many geese currently on city grounds, as they usually move on from beaches and parks when people arrive.

Come late fall, they'll head south for the winter. They'll return in the spring for the breeding season, flying in the familiar honking V formations.

Greenwood said the city's biggest problem with the geese is the pond at Riverstone. To encourage them to move on, the city has a small, solar-powered buoy there that emits a light that bothers, but does not harm, the geese.

"It makes them want to stay way from that area," Greenwood said.

It seems to be working.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there were lots of ducks but zero geese at Riverstone.

The Coeur d'Alene Resort uses a coyote decoy at different locations, generally near the lawn near the clock tower, to deter geese from congregating on private property.

Sandpoint, in previous years, trapped, banded and relocated Canada geese, to see if they would return.

They did.

Greenwood said the city has not tried trapping and relocating the waterfowl and has no plans to do so. It has not proposed killing geese, either.

He said the city elects to live with the geese and handle any problems peacefully. The city's sprinklers usually wash messes left behind by geese, and they use a sweeper at Riverstone to keep the paved path clean.

He said North Idaho has abundant wildlife that are part of the landscape.

Moose, deer and turkeys are commonly seen in Coeur d'Alene and a cougar was recently reported to be on Tubbs Hill. The city usually leaves them alone. The Sanders Beach area for a time had a thriving rabbit population until some residents began trapping and releasing them far away.

"For the most part we kind of let Mother Nature take her course," Greenwood said.