The City of Parksville has gained financial support from the Regional District of Nanaimo for its goose management plan.
The city wants to humanely reduce the non-migratory resident Canada goose population and estimated around $35,000 would be needed to fund the plan. The money, included in the city’s 2019 budget, will be used for egg addling, permitting, annual moult counts, aerial counts and estuary restoration.
To reduce the cost of the program, the city requested the RDN to pay for one-third of the expense, approximately $11,600.
At the RDN board meeting, Mayor Ed Mayne said the increasing geese population is causing significant ecological damage to parks and estuaries that include Englishman River, Little Qualicum, Nanoose, Craig Creek. He also added farms are also being negatively impacted by the birds.
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Other issues Mayne cited include unsanitary droppings in parks and on beaches, which are also detrimental to tourism in the region.
“For many years, the City of Parksville has worked to address the over population of non-migratory Canada geese in our area with support from the regional district,” said Mayne in his request to the RDN. He said some of the estuaries, beaches and parks affected by the geese are not solely under the city’s boundaries but also extend to areas belonging to the regional district.
The RDN board voted unanimously in favour of contributing funds towards the plan.
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