BAY CITY -- A petition will be presented to Bay City Commissioners Monday night, asking them to turn city parks into a bird haven, so that the public can feed the birds. But critics say this raises sanitary concerns.
NBC25 talked with a woman known as the “Goose Whisperer” who started this petition.
She says the birds that live at Bay City’s Veterans Memorial Park need to be protected, and the people who feed them shouldn't be hassled for it.
Meet Mary Neal, she's Bay City's goose whisperer, for the past year and a half she's been feeding the birds at Veterans Memorial Park, but this spring that all changed.
"When the signs went up, they ran me out of here, and I was kind of shocked," said Goose Whisperer, Mary Neal.
The signs read, don't feed the birds. So Neal flew to action and started a petition that would turn Bay City’s parks into a bird haven, so bird lovers like her could feed their feathered friends.
"The big one is George," said Goose Whisperer, Mary Neal.
Feeding the birds brings a lot of pleasure to a lot of people right here in Bay City, but others, they're more concerned about the feces left on the sidewalk, because it creates a sanitary and safety issue.
Casey Lundy came to the park to play volleyball, but it took him a while to get to the court.
"That's one of the first things I noticed, all the poop, first all the geese, and then the sidewalk covered in it," said Casey Lundy who is visiting Bay City.
"There is always going to be someone negative about it, but if you eat, you poop, that’s about it," said Goose Whisperer, Mary Neal.
Neal says the dirty sidewalks shouldn't be the main issue here. Instead, she says the city should be more concerned with how leftover fishing line is injuring the wildlife.
"I’ve had some with fish line wrapped around their legs so tight, their feet swelled up, and they have to be put down," said Goose Whisperer, Mary Neal.
So far more than 150 people have signed Neal’s petition. She'll be at the Bay City Commission meeting Monday night to plead her case on behalf of the birds.
There is no ordinance in Bay City that bans people from feeding the birds, and the Bay City Commission President says there is no talk of creating one, unless the public speaks up.
The Bay City Commission meeting starts Monday night at 7:30.
