Taxpayer dollars wasted on killing geese

The Coalition to Prevent the Destruction of Canada Geese is appalled to know that Allegheny County officials, including Parks Director Andy Baechle, have fallen prey to the lethal wildlife management practices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which capitalizes on the intolerance of those who lack respect for an animal's life. I speak of the drastic, spiteful and insensitive measure the county took when having 272 geese lethally removed from North Park ("A Wild Goose Chase Ends in Death of 272," July 18).

Wasting valuable taxpayer dollars on creating a void for other geese to fill is not the best way to resolve human-goose conflicts in a cost effective manner. If previous efforts to dissuade the geese from visiting North Park failed, there is only one explanation. The program was ill-designed and not carried out in all sincerity with humane intentions.

When a death warrant is issued for geese, whose only crime is doing what comes naturally, then it's time to take the civil out of civilized.

SHARON PAWLAK
National coordinator
Coalition to Prevent the Destruction of Canada Geese
Medford, N.J.

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Call the 'police'

The worst thing I noticed about the killings of the geese -- other than the actual killing -- was that Allegheny County teamed with the federal USDA, which is also funded by taxpayers. Not that I condone the act, but it's absurd that they didn't solicit any local businesses.

The company that I own and operate, Geese Police of Western PA, uses highly trained border collies to herd Canada geese from properties where they are a nuisance, in a completely no-harm way. We are on site two to three times a day, seven days a week, harassing the geese until they fly off to a "safer" place.

I had tried contacting Andy Baechle, Allegheny County parks director, and had mailed him fliers and references, but he never contacted me, even for a free demonstration. If they would have had the "Geese Police" on site for the past six months, there would have been far fewer droppings, and absolutely no killings needed. All parties would be happy.

Forget about the sprays, air guns, recorded distressed-geese calls over loudspeakers, pyrotechnics, strobe lights and other scare tactics. They all work for a little while, then the geese get used to it, and you're stuck with a useless, sometimes expensive tool and a flock of geese.

PAUL DUNN
Owner
Geese Police of Western PA
Canonsburg

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Protest resented

Let me start by saying I admire Voices for Animals' willingness to stand up for creatures that have no voice. I must say, though, that I think they are wrong on the geese issue. As much as I hate to see animals killed, there is no time to try for a "peaceful" resolution to the geese problem in North Park. They need to go now.

In addition, as a parishioner at St. Cyril of Alexandria Church, I resent the fact that Voices for Animals believes they need to "shame" Dan Onorato in front of his parishioners ("Protesters Show Up at Onorato's Church to Decry Geese Killings," July 23).

Dan Onorato should feel no shame for doing the right thing and this fellow parishioner does not think less of him because of their protest. Do they think we live under rocks? We read the papers and watch the news; we know what he is up to. Finally, why in the world would they protest in a place where his family would visit? They cannot possibly be the caring individuals that they claim to be if they would involve an elected official's children.

I urge Voices for Animals to use its wonderful energy and concern for animals to help find a way to deal with all of the animals in shelters, to end dog fighting, greyhound racing, etc.

DORRY LANG
Brighton Heights

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Save the forest

Pennsylvanians must speak up for protection of our only national forest.

The recent leasing of our taxpayer-owned oil and gas mineral rights under the Allegheny National Forest by the Bureau of Land Management to Pennsylvania General Energy and the Allegheny Forest Service's failure to protect the "most threatened" Salmon Creek watershed from more drilling and road building should offend Pennsylvanians' environmental conscience.

This jewel of the Allegheny is a popular trout stream, National Scenic North Country Trail hiking destination and recreation area.

The Forest Service admits that the current level of drilling will affect "the attractiveness of the forest for recreation visitors and the experiences that they seek." Doesn't the Forest Service realize that telling visitors to go elsewhere to recreate will impact Pennsylvania's businesses dependent on recreation and tourism?

The Forest Service merely pays lip service to the acquisition of subsurface rights in areas considered to be the most desirable for their natural character, in order to prevent or mitigate oil and gas development in these areas.

The Forest Service has now shown what it will do if it acquires more of the Allegheny's subsurface mineral rights -- permit more oil and gas development instead of protecting jewels like Salmon Creek.

All of the oil produced yearly in the Allegheny amounts to only a few hours of America's voracious fossil fuel appetite.

The destruction of the Allegheny, Pennsylvania's only national forest, for the proverbial drop of oil in the bucket just doesn't make sense.

BILL BELITSKUS
Board president
Allegheny Defense Project
Kane

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PG got it right

Reader Sean C. Hoffmann rails against the Post-Gazette ("Show Me the Facts," July 17) for daring to abuse the power of the editorial opinion column by offering editorial opinions that might affect readers' opinions(!)

He is particularly incensed by a PG statement that President Bush remains doggedly committed to a missile defense system because he is beholden to the potential contractors. Mr. Hoffmann cries foul, calling this an example of "unsupported axioms" rather than a "fact." The way I learned it, axioms are "unsupported" by definition, being self-evidently true statements.

As much as I agree that the Bush administration's venality is axiomatic, the PG statement is actually a simple assertion whose "factual provenance" can easily be determined. An online search for "missile defense contractors" provides a list of companies, which can be further investigated to document political connections and contributions. Unsurprisingly, the PG editorial assertion is well-supported by the evidence.

PAUL R. PALMER
Squirrel Hill

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Update the Mass

Pope Benedict XVI made a wise, conscientious and long-overdue decision to bring back the Latin Mass ("Pope Revives Latin Mass; Denies Rollback of Vatican II," July 8). But the post-Vatican II Mass reflects great changes in mores, societal values and the ecumenical movement; the 1962 Mass (not updated in 45 years) does not.

Neither Latin nor the Catholic Mass are immutable, unchangeable or eternal. Rather than reinstate the extant Latin Mass of 1962, it would be in the pope's power to release a 2007 Latin Mass that reflects that life, society and Catholicism have developed alongside the rest of the world in the past 45 years. The pope must release an updated form of the Latin Mass, else the fears the world has of the Catholic Church lapsing into a state of ever-decaying solipsism, are justified.

IAN PRICE
Friendship

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Parking Authority needs to cut rates

I read with great interest the story titled "Tax Cut Enriched Parking Operators, Not Consumers" (June 22). Though the facts support the statement that parking rates did not drop when the parking tax decreased, the single most interesting part of the article was that the Pittsburgh Parking Authority itself did not lower its parking rate.

I would suggest that if this administration is truly engaged in redeveloping and repopulating the Downtown area, its first step should be to leverage the power of the Pittsburgh Parking Authority to drive down parking rates.

Pittsburgh is in a unique position in that the city of Pittsburgh controls a large percentage of the overall Downtown parking. If the Pittsburgh Parking Authority viewed itself as being an agent of change instead of a "for profit" operation, it would drop its rates by 50 percent.

The efficiency of the free market would force all other parking operators to follow suit. The momentum associated with the previous rise in parking costs, which pulled business from Downtown to the suburbs, would then be reversed and we would once again see Downtown Pittsburgh elevate itself as the hub of all business activity. And because of the lower cost structure, the increased use of the parking facilities would make such a move on the part of the Pittsburgh Parking Authority one that is revenue neutral.

DAVID W. BISHOFF
President
E. V. BISHOFF CO.
Columbus, Ohio
The writer is a developer of condominium projects Downtown.

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