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Too many geese in Iola

The village of Iola is considering a geese roundup.

“The goose population is rising, and we have heard more complaints,” said David Harper, chair of the Public Property and Streets Committee.

The village needs to work with the Lake Iola Lake District to resolve the problem, Harper told the Iola Village Board at its April 13 meeting.

One option, he said, is to roundup the geese when their goslings are too young to fly. All of the geese are then hauled away to another site.

This option was recommended by a wildlife biologist from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. It requires a DNR permit and hiring someone to transport the geese.

Even with volunteers helping with the roundup, Harper said the geese relocation would cost an estimated $3,500.

“What is the guarantee that they won’t fly right back,” the other board members asked.

“At that stage, the parents won’t leave their goslings,” Harper said.

Eventually, other geese might come to the abandoned site, he said.

“It is something we might need to do again,” said Trustee Terry Murphy.

Messy geese

The Lake Iola Lake District will discuss the geese problem at its April 28 meeting, according to John Bertelson, chair of the Lake District.

“Anyone who has spent time visiting the American Legion Park or out on the peninsula near the public boat launch knows how much of a mess that the resident geese can make,” Bertelson told the Waupaca County Post.

“During the lake draw down there was a large reduction in the amount of geese spending their summers in Iola,” Bertelson said. “Now that the lake is back, the resident population seems to be growing again, and a program such as (the relocation) should help to keep the population under control.”

According to Bertelson, advantages for reducing the number of native geese on Lake Iola include:

• Cleaner public park areas.

• Lower nutrient loading of the lake, to cut down on weed growth.

• Reduction of the parasite that causes swimmer’s itch.

• Less mess on homeowner lakefront properties.

Geese control will be the topic of a public informational hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, at the Iola Community Center.

There will be a 30-minute presentation by Michael Jones, from the USDA Wildlife Services. He will outline possible solutions for controlling the geese in the village parks and other areas around the lake.

The presentation, sponsored by the Lake Iola Lake District, will be followed by an opportunity for public comments.

The monthly lake district meeting will be held after the public meeting.

Burning hours changed

Burning hours have been changed for the village of Iola.

Following a public hearing on April 13, the Iola Village Board agreed to abide by Waupaca County’s ordinances, which prohibit burning between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The village ordinances previously only allowed burning between 6-10 p.m.

The board agreed that these hours will continue through Nov. 30.

A conditional use permit was approved for Jennifer Kopecky and Mary Ann Rice for property located at 260 Adams St. According to the village’s Plan Commission, the applicants plan to operate an ice cream shop on the premises.

The property is currently zoned light industrial, so a conditional use permit is needed to operate a business.

“They will still need a building permit,” said Village Trustee Richard Anderson.

Prior to approval, some board members expressed concern about traffic backing into the roadway in front of the building.

According to Village President Joel Edler, there will be no parking in front of the building. Instead, the area will be used for carousels and picnic tables.

Operators licenses were approved for Kelly Loken, Nicholas Cottrill and Lisa Ingels at The Iron Grille, pending police approval.

In other business, the board authorized the village clerk to act as agent for the village for issuing beer licenses for picnics or other gatherings lasting less than four days. This is in accordance with Wisconsin statutes.

The board authorized minor dam repairs for about $1,000, as recommended by Harper.

The board agreed to pay $1,300 to construct a sidewalk across the bridge by Legion Park. The DNR might reimburse half of the cost.

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