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The Alpena Municipal Council's decision to reject a controlled goose hunt in favor of egg-oiling and flashing lights ignores both practical reality and local experience.
Sidewalks, the bike path, beaches, playgrounds, and city parks remain coated in droppings. Residents can no longer walk the path, take children to the playground, or even attempt a picnic without stepping through a mess. Arriving cruise passengers and summer visitors are met with fouled pathways rather than an inviting waterfront.
Recent minutes show $868 spent on two "Away With Geese" lights, with more planned. Yet the manufacturer's own FAQ states these devices only deter geese at night and fail when birds are active during daylight, precisely when our marina and parks are busiest.
The company's stated goal is merely to make geese "relocate," an expensive game of musical chairs that shifts droppings onto neighboring properties without shrinking the flock. Geese often gather right beside these deterrent lights, creating the impression that they are ineffective.
Foster City, California, spent more than $170,000 over years on habitat changes, drones, and nest tracking. Alpena lacks that budget and staff capacity. A low-cost method that directly reduces adult birds is far more realistic here.
Egg-oiling has also underperformed. April flooding limited crews to treating just five eggs from a single nest this year, down from 122 in 2025. Rutgers Cooperative Extension notes oiling leaves long-lived adults, up to 25 years, free to re-nest elsewhere.
Controlled hunts cut adult numbers. A ten-year Norwegian study in Ambio found sustained hunting suppresses local goose populations, consistent with Alpena's results of 41 geese removed in 2024 and 118 in 2023.
Taxpayers deserve results within our means. I urge the council to reconsider and approve a fall hunt.
Hayley Augustyn
Alpena