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Misguided editorial

From Nancy Davis, West Bloomfield, former Orchard Lake city councilwoman, Environmental Committee member, and planning commissioner:

Many lake area riparians are disappointed in the Spinal Column Newsweekly’s recent editorial support for the DNR’s (state Department of Natural Resources) policy to exterminate all mute swans on Michigan public lands, as well radically reduce mute swan population on private lands to 2,000.

The DNR policy, opposed by the Michigan and U.S. Humane Society, is misguided for the following reasons:

• Mute swans are naturalized in the U.S. since at least the 1800s and possibly the 1500s;

• Mute swans eat different vegetation than native trumpeter swans and thus do not pose a threat;

• Nationally known wildlife experts, such as John Grandy, Ph.D. of the U.S. Humane Society, agree that destruction of wildlife habitat is overwhelmingly due to human activity such as water pollution, runoff, erosion, turbidity from boating, etc.

• The DNR itself sanctions the widespread destruction of aquatic vegetation statewide, via mechanical weed harvesting and toxic chemicals;

• Michigan’s DNR has permitted the destruction of over 50 percent of Michigan’s wetlands;

• Most mute swans are peaceful and non-threatening to humans, or other animals;

• The DNR’s population estimate of mute swans, based upon one-week flyovers using just one plane for the entire state, is questionable;

• Michigan (with Midwest states) sanctioned killing over 8 million waterfowl (ducks, geese, etc.) in the 2007-08 hunting season alone.

• The Michigan DNR is sympathetic to hunting groups, as it keeps nearly $1 million yearly in hunting fees.

5 Responses to Misguided editorial

  1. Martin Logan

    August 22, 2012 at 9:28 pm

    “• Mute swans are naturalized in the U.S. since at least the 1800s and possibly the 1500s;”

    In this area, that statement is not correct, you are either lying or misinformed.

    “• Mute swans eat different vegetation than native trumpeter swans and thus do not pose a threat;”

    You have provided zero documentation to support this.

    “• Nationally known wildlife experts, such as John Grandy, Ph.D. of the U.S. Humane Society, agree that destruction of wildlife habitat is overwhelmingly due to human activity such as water pollution, runoff, erosion, turbidity from boating, etc.”

    This is in no way germane to the topic.

    “• The DNR itself sanctions the widespread destruction of aquatic vegetation statewide, via mechanical weed harvesting and toxic chemicals;”

    Topic?

    “• Michigan’s DNR has permitted the destruction of over 50 percent of Michigan’s wetlands;”

    What are we discussing?

    “• Most mute swans are peaceful and non-threatening to humans, or other animals;”

    Yet my wife and daughter were still attacked!

    “• The DNR’s population estimate of mute swans, based upon one-week flyovers using just one plane for the entire state, is questionable;”

    Not really…There are at least 50 on Oxbow Lake right now…Go look if you don’t believe me.

    “• Michigan (with Midwest states) sanctioned killing over 8 million waterfowl (ducks, geese, etc.) in the 2007-08 hunting season alone.”

    You dear, are a lazy copy and paste artist…

    “• The Michigan DNR is sympathetic to hunting groups, as it keeps nearly $1 million yearly in hunting fees.”

    So this is your summation, your closing point?

  2. AJ

    August 23, 2012 at 3:44 pm

    Nancy, your letter contains a considerable number of factual lies.

    Now here’s a fact that isn’t a lie: The National Audubon Society, the Michigan Audubon Society, the American Bird Conservancy and Ducks Unlimited are just a few of the organizations that have endorsed the reduction of Michigan’s mute swan populations.

    All of these pro-avian groups would not endorse such a reduction if there wasn’t an actual need for it.

  3. crazy townie

    August 24, 2012 at 6:53 pm

    Nancy Davis is a Environmental Committee member, just like Todd Akin sits on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
    Politicians FAIL at science and that is horrible thing for our country.
    Does Nancy Davis realize that the “widespread destruction of aquatic vegetation”, is an effort to control yet another invasive; the Eurasian Milfoil.
    Do these swan people go outdoors, ever?

  4. Not Again

    August 26, 2012 at 8:00 pm

    Here we go again.

    • crazy townie

      August 26, 2012 at 8:28 pm

      We’ll keep going as long as the swan freaks keep lying and inventing data from thin air.

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