BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — The group of protesters Sunday afternoon wasn't large, but cars driving by added sounds of support at Market Square in Bloomsburg.
"People who want to support the geese are out here today," said Dawn Moore, who co-founded Save the Geese Bloomsburg.
"It's kind of sad that they're just going to round up these poor animals with their babies and all of that and kill them for absolutely no reason," Mellanie Marino, who drove to the protest from West Pittston, said.
The protesters tell Newswatch 16 they're specifically against a roundup of geese, which was approved last month, according to the town's website.
"They passed a motion to agree to work with the USDA and they also agreed to a roundup, which is where you round up the geese and kill them," Moore said.
But Bloomsburg councilmember James Garman says that doesn't absolutely mean the geese will be euthanized.
"They think we're gonna kill the geese," Garman said.
Garman says so far the town simply voted to use the USDA to recommend what to do about the excess of excrement at Bloomsburg Town Park.
Though Garman admits that following USDA protocol means it could come to euthanizing geese.
But Garman says the town is working on non-lethal solutions first.
"Our public works department lined the riverbanks down there with binder twine about that high off the ground and the geese will not cross over it," Garman said. "So if you go down into Town Park at any time now you won't see hardly any geese down there. They've moved."
Garman says at this time it's not clear whether enough geese have moved away from the park that more measures won't have to be taken.
At the protest, those pleading the geese's case say the fact that culling the birds is even an option is the issue.
"I believe that's probably true," Dawn Moore said. "We simply want the roundup of the geese taken off the table."
"I'm not aware of that, but even that it's even a thought is kind of wrong to begin with," Mellanie Marino said.
Marino offered up her own non-lethal suggestion:
"How about you have maybe signs where the residents aren't feeding the geese, maybe then less of them will come to that area," she said.
Dawn Moore says the town has been sending some mixed messages about the issue.
"We can't even believe really what they're saying," she said. "Are they going to kill them or not? They're saying the USDA's going to decide, but if the USDA decides to kill them then they will."
But Councilmember James Garman insists that whatever the USDA recommends still has to be passed unanimously by the town council.
"They will not do anything until we approve what they want to do."
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