Fowl capture begins at Buhl Park

HERMITAGE, Pa. -- A half-dozen people showed up at Buhl farm shortly before 6 a.m. today to protest the park's plan to round up 50 Canada geese and 30 mallard ducks.
The waterfowl were destined for a food processor with their meat to be donated to a food bank.
The park, operating under a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit, had permission to corral and remove the waterfowl. The permit spells out that the birds must be donated to a food bank.
Pat O'Mahony, Buhl Farm superintendent, said the waterfowl have become a health concern and there are as many as 200 geese that have become permanent residents of the park.
The protesters, led by Glenn Siminick of Sharpsville and Gerda Widmyer of Sharon, confronted park workers before the roundup began, asking that they be allowed to take the captured birds and release them at Shenango River Lake or Pymatuning Lake.
"There are places we could take them," said Widmyer, adding that her plan would probably have to be approved by the Pennsylvania Game Commission first.
Park workers denied the offer, saying they had to fulfill the terms of the permit, and went about the business of herding the birds off Lake Julia and into some makeshift pens near the park tennis courts.
They were concentrating on getting 50 geese as the ducks were all able to fly and couldn't easily be captured.
Some of the geese proved to be difficult captives as well with about a dozen being able to sneak out one end of a pen while their captors were busy putting others in crates.
The escapees headed back for the lake but park workers said they would be rounded up again.
The protesters stood by and watched as the birds were caged, vowing to come up with a plan next year that will allow the waterfowl to be relocated rather than captured and slaughtered.