Every year, Westmoreland County parks are opened to hunters for the purpose of killing Canada geese. The reason for the hunts is population control. Yet, year after year, the geese continue to return to the county parks. The purpose of this petition is to ask the Westmoreland County Director of Public Works and the three commissioners to stop the senseless goose hunts and start a fully implemented GeesePeace program, which the county has already registered with U.S. Wildlife Services to participate in. The county has tried egg addling, one component of the GeesePeace program, but has failed to implement other components such as specific landscaping techniques and specially trained Border Collies which are available through the local Geese Police franchise. The GeesePeace program, when fully implemented, has proven to be successful in communities across the country by humanely removing geese from areas where they are not wanted, but the program is only successful when the specific guidelines of the program are followed.

Geese suffer tremendously during hunts because death is not always instant. It is time for Westmoreland County to end the inhumane goose hunts and begin a fully implemented GeesePeace program.