Birds Hill goose poop puts stain on Manitoba parks: beach-goers

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This article was published 14/07/2023 (838 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A pair of disappointed beach-goers are calling for the government to clean up its act, after plans to bask in the sun at Birds Hill Provincial Park were fouled by heaps of goose poop.

Winnipeg retirees Jerry and Lucille Lysy say when they arrived at the park’s east beach just before noon July 12, a copious amount of green and brown turds lined the shore where children were frolicking in the water.

“We literally could not have brought ourselves to go swimming in that,” Lucille said in an interview. “It was disgusting. You have to walk through that sand into the water and there was no getting away from it.”

The pair say they try to make the most of Manitoba’s provincial parks throughout the summer, and regularly go to the beach northeast of Winnipeg at Birds Hill, one of the most popular nature destinations in the province.

However, their experience this week has sparked second thoughts about its safety.

“I didn’t feel very comfortable and, health wise, I think that was a major concern,” said Jerry.

“But being a fellow Manitoban and a Winnipegger — and here we are advertising about our beautiful provincial parks and what not — and for a visitor coming into that park and seeing that, I’d be ashamed.”

Over the approximately three hours they spent at the beach, no efforts were made by parks staff to clean the excrement, the couple said.

Lucille said the sheer size and number of droppings and a lack of geese in the area caused her to initially doubt waterfowl were solely responsible.

A question posed to a nearby lifeguard confirmed geese were the culprit, however, and Lucille said she was told a clean-up happens once a week.

Their beach day turned into a picnic, with a spot staked on the grass, as the couple chose to steer clear of the water.

In a statement to the Free Press, a provincial spokesman said parks staff clean the beach daily for goose droppings and a team of about two to six people will rake the sand each morning.

The beach was cleaned the morning in question, the spokesman said.

“However, as the goose population fluctuates, it is quite possible that the mess noted by the beachgoer was new and was made following the morning cleaning,” the spokesman said.

“Staff do their best to keep up with beach cleaning, but as the beach gets busier, or as more geese arrive, it can be difficult to keep up.”

On Friday afternoon, the Free Press observed the beach was raked and droppings were few and far between.

Heralaine Daquil was enjoying the beach Friday with her husband and four daughters. She described the area as being in good condition, though she’s noticed lapses with respect to goose droppings on past visits.

“Today is great,” Daquil said. “It’s clean and there are no birds.”

However, significant droppings on the beach would likely mean the end to a family beach day, Daquil added. “It can be disappointing but it happens.”

The Lysys also acknowledged the difficulties of keeping up with geese droppings, but said Manitoba’s parks deserve maintenance that can rise to the challenge.

“In previous years, the beach never looked this bad,” Jerry said.

Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union president Kyle Ross said the public may notice subpar services owing to a shortage of workers.

The Tory government added 15 additional full-time positions to its parks budget to support operations and infrastructure renewal this year.

“With not enough staff to do the work of caring for our parks, the park experience for Manitoba families is suffering,” Ross said in a statement. “We need the province to provide fair wages and invest in the park staff needed to take proper care of our natural heritage.”

According to the province, staff haven’t noticed an increase in goose droppings this season at Birds Hill. Water monitoring for E. coli bacteria found levels at the east and west beaches to be acceptable, as of July 4.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca