Latest news with #DaynaPolehanki
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Program to kill Canada geese in Michigan is paused, a letter to lawmakers shows
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is backtracking on its capture and euthanasia program for Canada geese, a Facebook post from Sen. Dayna Polehanki shows. DNR Director M. Scott Bowen addressed the letter to Polehanki and other lawmakers on May 9, saying the DNR has been working with the public to resolve human-goose conflicts for over 40 years and implementing this pilot program was an effort to further that goal. The response comes a week before the May 16 deadline to apply for permits for the program. "After further consideration with our wildlife staff, we have decided to pause the program for this year and will not be issuing any permits or conducting this work on any sites," the letter said. The change follows public outcry when DNR announced earlier this year that it would no longer round up large swaths of birds in urban areas and take them to a state natural area. They would kill them instead. "They are going to be killing them all, and it's not fair," Karen Stamper said to the Free Press earlier this year. Stamper, who lives in Oakland County's Commerce Township, an area filled with small inland lakes that attract the geese, volunteers with the nonprofit animal protection advocacy organization In Defense of Animals based in San Rafael, California. The DNR said it will continue to research alternative options for managing human-goose conflicts and safety concerns regarding overabundant Canada goose populations. "It is important for the health and safety of our citizens and the management of our natural resources that we continue to use the goose management tools at our disposal," the letter said. Officials said they will continue to prioritize non-lethal techniques including habitat modification, elimination of feeding, scare tactics, repellents and nest/egg destruction. Goose numbers have soared above 300,000 in recent years, reporting from the Free Press shows. State wildlife managers seek to keep the bird's population in Michigan in the 175,000 to 225,000 range and regulate that number through annual hunts. Detroit Free Press contributed reporting. Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan DNR halts plan to lethally gas overpopulated Canada geese
CBS News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Michigan DNR pauses pilot program to lethally gas nuisance Canada geese
Michigan DNR rolls out new guidelines to kill nuisance Canada geese instead of moving them Michigan DNR rolls out new guidelines to kill nuisance Canada geese instead of moving them Michigan DNR rolls out new guidelines to kill nuisance Canada geese instead of moving them The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is pausing its pilot program to lethally gas nuisance Canada geese after receiving pushback from state lawmakers and animal rights groups. M. Scott Bowen, director of Michigan's DNR, confirmed his department's plans to pause the program in a letter sent to state Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) on May 9. "After further consideration and consultation with our Wildlife staff, we have decided to pause the program for this year and will not be issuing any permits or conducting this work on any sites, including Belle Isle Park," wrote Bowen. "We will continue to research alternative options for managing human-goose conflicts and health and human safety concerns for areas with overabundant Canada Goose populations." Polehanki and other lawmakers penned a letter to the state's Natural Resources Commission and the DNR on April 22, urging the groups to pause lethal gas control in 2025. "Canada geese serve an important ecological role in our state; they disperse seeds, fertilize soil, and act as prey for a wide range of native predators. Reducing their populations through mass culling not only disrupts that balance but sets a dangerous precedent," wrote Polehanki in the letter. State lawmakers have said as many as 10,000 Canada geese and goslings could be rounded up from their natural habitat "during the summer molt (June and July) when they are flightless." The pilot program was initially approved by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission on Oct. 10, 2024, and allows for landowners to apply for a permit to have geese on their property rounded up and humanely euthanized, but only after applicants have exhausted a variety of control methods, like nest and egg destruction, according to the DNR. Animal welfare groups have welcomed the DNR's decision to pause its program for 2025. "This is a hard-won victory for both geese and the compassionate Michiganders who spoke out for them," said Katie Nolan, Wild Animals Campaigner for In Defense of Animals, in a statement. "Pausing this program sets an important precedent by showing that there's a better way to handle conflicts with wild animals. Michigan's decision has the chance to inspire more humane, thoughtful approaches across the country, not just for geese but for all wild animals." While the program is on hold for now, Bowen said the DNR will encourage and prioritize non-lethal ways for homeowners to handle nuisance Canada geese. "We will continue to encourage and prioritize non-lethal techniques for landowners, including habitat modification, elimination of feeding, scare tactics, repellents, and nest/egg destruction," he said. "It is important for the health and safety of our citizens and the management of our natural resources that we continue to use the goose management tools at our disposal."
USA Today
12-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Controversial Michigan program to lethally gas local Canada geese put on pause
Controversial Michigan program to lethally gas local Canada geese put on pause A program aimed at controlling the local goose population via the capture and lethal gassing of the birds has been paused by Michigan's Department of Natural Resources. M. Scott Bowen, director of the state agency, announced the decision in a response letter sent to Democratic lawmakers on May 9. An earlier letter sent by Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) and 11 cosigners in April had previously urged the DNR to reconsider the "capture and euthanasia" program, saying it was a "disproportionate, inhumane" response to nuisance complaints "mainly about goose droppings." The legislation would allow residents with the correct permits to capture "nuisance Canada geese" for euthanasia during the species' flightless period of June 1 through July 1. Landowners seeking the permit to do so were required to have tried other non-lethal control methods first. Addressed to the Natural Resources Committee, the appeal decried the intended solution that would "annually round up potentially 10,000 or more Canada geese and their goslings in their natural habitat during their summer molt (June and July) when they are flightless," according to the writers. Program would allow 'lethally gassing' geese in 'portable gas chambers,' opponents say Referred to as the "Canada Goose Program" on the Michigan DNR website, the initiative was passed on Oct. 10, 2024, and was set to begin in 2025. According to the program's FAQ page, it was designed to "give private landowners (including businesses and other commercial entities) options to address goose-human conflicts on their sites," saying Canada geese are "typically responsible for most conflicts" and that concerned have increase amid the spread of disease like the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (or bird flu). The program would allow residents to receive permits to destroy "nuisance" goose nests and eggs and would eliminate the relocation of geese after roundup, instead of requiring that any captured geese be killed. The program's "end goal" was to allow participants to pay to have meat from the geese processed, tested and donated, but in the meantime, the corpses would go to landfills. This "roundup of Canada geese and their goslings and lethally gassing them inside portable gas chambers," as described by the lawmakers opposed to the program, was officially put on hold a week before the May 16 deadline for landowners to apply for the proper permits to participate. It had previously been contested by local groups such as In Defense of Animals, which said on its website, encouraging residents to write to their representatives, "Michiganders have the power to stand up for geese and demand ethical, non-lethal management solutions in their own communities." State still prioritizes non-lethal animal control, says director The letter announcing the pause said the agency had been "working with the public to resolve human-goose conflicts for over 40 years" and that the pilot program was another effort toward that goal. "After further consideration and consultation with our Wildlife staff, we have decided to pause the program for this year and will not be issuing any permits or conducting this work on any sites," said Bowen's letter. "We will continue to research alternative options for managing human-goose conflicts and health and human safety concerns forareas with overabundant Canada Goose populations." The agency continues to prioritize non-lethal techniques, including habitat modification, elimination of feeding, scare tactics, repellents and nest/egg destruction, said the letter. "It is important for the health and safety of our citizens and the management of our natural resources that we continue to use the goose management tools at our disposal," it continued. The DNR shared a copy of the May 9 letter but did not provide further comment to USA TODAY.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan Department of Natural Resources cancels goose euthanasia program
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources () has canceled its controversial goose euthanasia program. The MDNR issued a letter on May 9, stating that they have decided to pause the program for this year. They add that permits will not be issued this year, and no lethal population control measures will be taken. WOODTV reports that Michigan lawmakers expressed concerns about the program in a letter sent to the within the DNR in late April. Michigan State Sen. Dayna Polehanki says the MDNR will 'continue to research alternative options for managing human-goose conflicts and health and human safety concerns for areas with overabundant Canada Goose populations.' 'It is important for the health and safety of our citizens and the management of our natural resources that we continue to use the goose management tools at our disposal,' said Sen. Polehanki in a letter shared with 6 News. She says they will continue to prioritize non-lethal techniques, including habitat modification, elimination of feeding, scare tactics, repellents, and nest/egg destruction. Goose euthanasia program receives criticism In October 2024, said the goose population in some areas across the state is out of control. To resolve the issue, it was initially planned that the organization would euthanize flocks by gassing them. The MDNR says the gassing method is approved by the . In April, a leader from the group In Defense of Animals said they designed a billboard reading 'Tell Governor Whitmer Don't Gas Geese'. The leader said that the sign was strategically put up on I-96 ahead of the meeting to spread awareness. The DNR said killing the birds is always the last option, but sometimes has to be done. During public comment, Karen Stamper shared her concerns. 'Which is it? public health or just convenient justification.' Stamper continued, 'I mean, there are so many things that are wrong with this.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill would make swatting a four-year felony
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A bill introduced Tuesday in the Michigan Senate would make it a four-year felony to make a swatting call. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security as 'making malicious hoax calls to emergency services to falsely report an ongoing emergency such as a violent crime or explosive device at a certain location,' with the goal of drawing an emergency response. 'Swatting' at schools: Police investigate false reports 'If the false report is made with the intent that it cause a response to address the reported crime, regardless of whether or not a response occurs, the person is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for 4 years or a fine of not more than $2,000.00,' reads. If there is a response and someone suffers injury, serious impairment or death as a result, the person responsible for the false report would face harsher penalties, the bill continues. State Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, introduced Senate Bill 202 Tuesday alongside , which specifies penalties for swatting incidents. The bills were referred to committee. Swatting has , including in West Michigan. For instance, in October, after the high school was the target of a fake threat. Officers searched each school in the district and didn't find any threat, so the schools were released from lockdown. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
