To the Editor,
Re: Feathered friends given the heave-ho, Feb. 3.
This news item demonstrates a serious problem with the City of Nanaimo’s management practices.
It was idiotic in the first place to put the Serauxmen Sports Fields into the transition zone to a marsh. Geese will be attracted to the shimmering water of the ponds and feel safe to land in their natural habitat.
Barking dogs trained to chase birds will harass all migratory birds located in Jingle Pot Marsh area. I have seen geese fly off the fields and head over to the Quaterway School playing fields where there are no dogs. This practice must stop.
I agree geese feces can be nasty. Goose droppings can contain fecal coliform bacteria, salmonella, avian influenza virus, and a parasite called cryptosporidium. Now the city places this fecal issue in areas used by our most vulnerable citizens – our young children.
Our Official Community Plan, Goal 5, (Policy 10, 15 and 16) compels Nanaimo city council “to restore damaged habitat and environmentally sensitive areas in Nanaimo” and to restore “the ecological functions” of the area called Serauxmen Sports Fields. It is wrong not to accommodate wildlife that calls that area home.
The size of the Serauxmen Sports Fields must be reduced to create the appropriate balance to achieve the right urban/nature balance.
In Nanaimo, we are out of balance with nature. The users of the Serauxmen Sports Fields should use the various sports teams as volunteer manual labour to collect geese droppings and dispose of it in a safe way.
In the meantime, I ask everyone to boycott the Serauxmen Sports Fields until the city begins to improve its management practices regarding this issue.
Rory Rickwood
Nanaimo
