Sandpoint OKs City Beach goose hunt

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SANDPOINT — In a 4-1 vote, the Sandpoint City Council approved a goose hunt Wednesday at Sandpoint City Beach Park.

Under the plan approved by the council, the hunt would occur twice a week for about three weeks during the Canada goose hunting season.

Applications, which are being taken via the city's website or by stopping by City Hall, must be submitted by 5 p.m. Tuesday. A drawing will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday to determine who will receive a permit.

The hunt will be strictly controlled, and the number of hunters will be limited, city officials said.

Geese — and their poop — have been an ongoing problem at the beach for years. City officials said they've tried everything possible to keep the birds away from the beach, from harassment tools like dogs and decoys to relocation.

Nothing has worked.

Representatives of Geese Peace were invited to the community to oil the eggs in the hopes of reducing the goose population. However, there were no nests at City Beach, and nothing came of the visit, city officials said.

"Everything that the city has done to try to mitigate the geese at the beach basically isn't working," Sandpoint Police Chief Corey Coon told the council. "Talking with Idaho Fish & Game, the next logical step is to actually go ahead and approve a goose hunt as part of that management plan."

On average, between 250 and 300 Canada geese make the park their home, carpeting the grass and beach with fecal matter. Because of the large amount of goose poop, high levels of E. coli bacteria can concentrate in the waters near the park.

While council members said they understand the public's concern for the geese, they also recognized that all other options had been considered — and tried.

In looking back at the Sandpoint Lions' intent in creating the beach in the mid-1950s, Council President Kate McAlister said it was clear the community wanted the park to be a "showplace" where families could gather with park benches, playgrounds, picnic tables, and tall evergreen shade trees.

"So after reading that [quote], I thought the intent is pretty clear there," McAlister said. "That it would be a park for all of us to enjoy — and not used as a goose sanctuary, right? The intent was that it would be for the community."

Before voting, some on the council questioned if it would be possible to tell if the geese were resident or migratory waterfowl. And others sought data on how to tell if the goose hunts were a success or not.

Short of some having been banded during a past capture at the park, Coon said there really wasn't a way to tell which might be year-round residents and which might be migratory. With the late start, Coon said it might be several years before the city has meaningful data.

"If we get some results, I think it'd be a success. And then, from what I've been told, geese are pretty smart," Coon said. "Once they started seeing blinds set up, and we're going to use picnic tables as blinds, they'll associate picnic tables with possible hunters, and they won't land."

While the city plans to apply for a relocation permit again, it is likely that it will again be denied due to the presence of bird flu in the region.

Both Coon and Stapleton said it is likely the city will continue the hunt in future years. However, Stapleton noted that the city's permit allows it to ask for multiple options as part of its goose control measures at the park.

"The proposal, and what we had heard from the public … was the approach of actually a harvesting of the geese as opposed to a wasting through euthanization of the meat," Stapleton said. "[The hunt] would be potentially an interim step before we even consider going to that next level."

As part of the hunt approved by the council, hunters would be allowed to use dogs to retrieve birds in accordance with IDFG rules.

Three blinds will be set up at the park using picnic tables, with all facing the water to minimize potential danger. Hunters would be required to shoot from specific angles and must shoot over the water.

Successful applicants will each be allowed to have three guests under their permit to hunt in the park. All hunters would be required to have an Idaho hunting license, a federal migratory bird stamp, and a migratory bird permit, as well as follow all applicable Idaho Fish & Game hunting regulations during the hunt.

The hunt would start at dawn and end at 10 a.m., with hunters required to have their area cleaned up by 11 a.m. Hunters will be required to report the number of geese shot, the total number of geese with bands, and the number of the bands.

City officials said an area will be designated for anyone wishing to protest the goose hunt in accordance with their First Amendment rights. However, state law prohibits interference with a lawful hunt, and hunters will be required to call 911 to report any confrontation with the closed space.

Coon said the beach will be posted as closed during the hunt, and officers will be posted at the park to ensure non-hunters wishing to use the beach are aware the hunt is taking place.

News of the hunt drew diverse views on social media, with some praising the hunt as the city's only option and others condemning the move as a "massacre" in the making.

Council members Kate McAlister, Deb Ruehle, Jason Welker, and Joel Aispuro voted for the hunt. Councilman Justin Dick voted against.

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