Greenwich Decides Against Killing Canada Geese

Greenwich has dropped its plan to kill Canada geese. There was no justification for it in the first place, and particularly no health threat, which is what the town claimed in documents submitted to the state.

This is a victory for openness in government and a lesson that more openness is better. The decision to apply for permission to kill the gesse was made by the town's health director, who didn't bother to tell the public because she didn't think it was anyone's business, even though Canada geese -- like all wildlife -- are a public resource. She claimed that the geese were a health threat, despite there being no real evidence to back that up. It was only after her application and her claim were subjected to debate that reasonable people were able to convince Greenwich's First Selectman to try a different solution. Let's hope it works.