Monday, April 19, 2010

Important Update- Good news

Hello and Thank You so much to all that have aided in this campaign,

I have spoken with Ki Hwang, the Property Manager of Amador Lakes about our concerns for the geese. I will begin with the good news as I’m sure everybody could use some by now. He has decided to put the Fish and Wildlife Services on hold for 2-3 weeks while we work to come up with solutions to the problems he originally contacted them over. He also told me that the families are not to be separated. To me, this is a wonderful start to us coming to an agreement.
On the bad side he has told me that there have been multiple reports of children being attacked by geese and these are the geese we need to immediately concern ourselves with as his biggest fear is the welfare of these children and the possible legal actions that may ensue. This issue needs to be solved As Soon As Possible. My hope is that we can find an alternative to the destruction of these geese, likely involving relocation to some type of sanctuary or maybe even a rehab if such a place exists. I am asking you to find these places to house these geese before we loose this opportunity. I am sure many will want to argue that these geese are not truly aggressive but remember we would like to have these animals continue their lives, even if it is not with us, and so this effort should come first. If you pursue the argument for the geese to remain I advise doing this by consulting professional advice as to the determination of safety and/or the rehabilitation of these animals or finding ways to make this environment safe for everybody. Legal advice may also be useful as I believe if we could remove the threat of lawsuit and the threat to safety there may be a chance to keep these birds. Possibly someone could even find a temporary home for them in the mean time. Lastly keep in mind there are many laws concerning these birds and I advise you learn about them before jumping to drastic action.
The other main concern which is the one we really have the postponement on is the health concerns due to the excrement from the geese. I have heard several people state that the excrement is not dangerous to human health. I would advise here finding scientific proof of these statements that will easily hold up in court as it is again lawsuits that are of major concern. More feasible solutions may include finding ways to keep the area clean (he is concerned about the grass as well as the sidewalks). I feel these and other long term actions that will be required (including the cessation of geese feeding and enforcement of this to others on the property) are going to require a lot of effort from the people and are going to require long term solutions. All ideas are welcome.
There are a couple other things I need to address. I think that if we are to work for peace to these animals we must do so through peace. We will not convince people to be peaceful through threats of violence which I am told are being received. I talked to Ki today peacefully and we were able to work together and even offer each other solutions rather than threatening or worse. As a result, we are getting somewhere. This problem is a long way from over but hopefully we can use the network we have created to find permanent solutions that everybody can live with. I said before that my first concern is that the geese are not rounded up and euthanized nor are the families split up, second is that we get to keep them here. I think if we can show our continued dedication to long term solutions we will get many more people on our side.
Secondly, Ki has asked that as I have made so many aware of this problem, I continue to make them aware of the progress that is being made. He has asked that wherever notices were posted they be updated with new notices containing more up to date information. I feel this request is reasonable and intend to comply with it but I would greatly appreciate any help. I think we can use this to responsibly raise awareness without causing panic. Right now we need to focus of realistic solutions while still raising awareness in those we believe will share our concern. We have a large and constantly growing group of people who care about this problem. We have reached our goal of postponement and shown our ability to be heard. If it were to come to it we could easily bring this campaign back into full action and so it is no difficulty to me to ask you to help remove any postings which may cause panic over driving the need for solution. Anyone willing to help with this process please email me as this will be our initial show of good faith for the postponement we have received.
I’m sure there are many things I am forgetting to mention right now and I will try to fill in as I remember but I feel I need to get this out sooner than later and I see many messages pilling up on my phone and email which I have not yet had a chance to answer.

Thank you all again and please, any help with the reposting will be extremely helpful,
Ross Bringhurst
n_bringhurst@hotmail.com

8 comments:

  1. This is definitely good news!!

    While not a long-term solution, I agree that this postponement will allow both sides to review the issue and come to some sort of compromise that is best for both the Geese and the residents. My many thanks to those who've organized this and to the management for agreeing to revisit their decision.

    I'm reminded of that song "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone"..or almost gone for that matter.

    While I would not like to see the Geese removed for any reason, I would much rather see them removed to a sanctuary than the alternative.

    Please count me in on any efforts that may be required to make this happen. I have always appreciated having the Geese around, but will go home tonight with a new-found appreciation.

    I look forward to any updates or calls for help you may post and thank you so much for helping to make this happen!

    -Stephanie

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  2. I am printing out (until i run out of ink) updates to post to the original postings to show our good faith in this ordeal and to decrease the time stress that is no longer needed. If anybody would be willing to help post these it would be greatly appreciated.
    Thank you,
    Ross

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  3. One of the biggest draws for me when I was looking for a new apartment was the beautiful landscaping and wildlife on the grounds. There
    are few with this type of setting and I appreciate it every time I am outside. I love to watch and listen to the geese - I found out by
    accident of the intentions of Amador Lakes
    management which horrified me, but also angered
    me because the residents were not given any
    notice of this. Being told they would all be
    euthanized seemed inhumane to correct this problem without looking into further options.
    One of the employees in the rental office told
    me on 4/18 that this only involved the geese and
    not the ducks, however I was told they were
    relocated again without any notice. I did not
    see any when I retured on Monday. Alao,
    management told me the termination of the geese
    would be on Monday - when I drove in Monday,
    there was a drastic reduction in the number I saw leading me to believe the euthanization had
    taken place and these were the few lucky ones
    that got away. I hope that the termination has
    been delayed and that they will be able to stay.
    Let's rally and find a safe solution for all
    concerned. But, hopefully, to keep these
    beautiful creatures here in this environment.

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  4. Just got your flyer today and came to this blog. I live right on the lake and while I've cussed out these geese every morning for waking me so early and driving me absolutely nuts, I certainly wouldn't want to see them exterminated. I also think it's really unfair to the management that they face the threat of litigation if they don't deal with this issue in an aggressive way. The property is maintained very well, but it's not like they have the manpower to follow every goose around and clean up after it every time it relieves itself. Also, if children are watched carefully by their parents, then a "goose attack" should not be an issue. The management does not OWN the geese and shouldn't be held liable for their actions as a dog owner might be. However, I know that management has to consider liability issues, no matter how unfair. I moved to this community because of the beautiful landscape and I fully understand that dealing with wildlife and insects and such are just part of living in a community that boasts this kind of natural landscape. Thanks for publishing this blog. I'll keep checking for updates.

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  5. Hello Fellow Amador Lakes Peeps:

    I received this notice and was initially pissed. I checked out the California Fish and Game website & Dept. Agriculture and found some information on Canadian Geese. It lists insightful information to why they stay and how to deter them (without necessarily killing them).

    Check out the site:
    http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/pubs/fsheet_faq_notice/fs_wswaterfowl.html

    I think the SOLUTION to the problem would be to deter them from staying on the property by working with specialists is landscaping accordingly. I strongly feel the leasing department should provide information to future residents informing them not to feed the animals and the potential hazards arising to the animals themselves and the property. The Dept. of Fish and Game have great pamphlets on their "Keeping Me Wild" campaign discussing wild turkeys and the importance of not feeding them and some great info. on their nesting/habitat.

    I am going to send these links to management. As long as management is working with the Dept. of Fish and Game and is listening to its residence/clients (which it appears to be), I feel they are on the right path to a long term solutions. Short term, this website is great, great job to Ross - way to bring the power to the people.

    Keep on keeping on...

    -Lana

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  6. I'm finding it hard to believe that all of you would fall for Ross's note. Do you all truly believe that Fish and Game would come in here and destroy all of the geese? Really? Ross, you're a loaded gun and you seriously need to keep your mouth shut unless you are a professional with real proof to back up your statements. I've been here a year and none of the geese or turkeys have been aggressive. If children are being bit, I'm inclined to believe it's because they are chasing the birds or trying to antagonize them in some way. Just yesterday a girl walked up to two geese and their babies like she thought she could pet them. If I were the geese, I would have chased her away from my babies. Use your common sense people. These are animals and if you irritate them or chase them, they will do what comes natural...attack. I hope we have heard the last of Ross, the village idiot.

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  7. Wow, you obviously did not go check this out for yourself. If you would have just asked Ki, the manager, he would have told you that yes, they were going to be killed on 4/20. I even called the U.S. Fish & Wildlife and they confirmed that this complex obtained a permit to kill these geese. NOW who's the village idiot?

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  8. The Department of Fish and Wildlife has not issued a Permit for Depredation, per Jeniffer Brown, see e- below, the challenge will be to track down who has authorized a permit to euthanize geese:

    Hi Alice and Martin,

    We did not issue a depredation permit to Amador Lakes, and I believe that you would need to submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in order to obtain that kind of information.

    Take care,

    Jen

    Jennifer C. Brown
    Migratory Bird Permit Specialist
    Migratory Bird Permit Office
    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
    2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2606
    Sacramento, California 95825
    (916) 978-6183

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