An Exercise in Frustration

Sometimes I get really frustrated - especially with individuals that are obtuse, uninformed or just plain dense.

Like the guy I talked with recently who was bragging about his new bamboo floor and how full of himself he was about saving the planet, his generally self-congratulatory greeness and overall concern for all things green.

Really.

This knucklehead gave absolutely no thought or regard to the energy consumed to ship that bamboo flooring from half-way around the world to Wisconsin. Or the tropical forest that was cleared and burned to farm it. Or the peasants paid a pittance of a wage to harvest and process it.

This dolt never even entertained the obvious - like purchasing a perfectly better floor made of renewable Wisconsin oak (I would recommend red oak) all supported by working Wisconsinites.

Sheesh.

And then there was the letter published in the June 3rd edition of the Door County Advocate that reads as follows-

I would like to know why the DNR shot the pair of nesting swans in the Little Sturgeon Bay on the morning of May 21. My husband and I were working in our yard at our home on Little Sturgeon Bay when I heard a shot. I saw three people in a boat. We witnessed a barbarous act that sickened both of us. They had shot the female swan near her nest on the island; then they went after the drake. They shot him from a moving boat, which I believe is illegal.

We have been watching this pair of swans since early spring. We watched the nest being built. We watched the drake chase away the pelicans and cormorants (which eat fish). We, and our neighbors cheered these events. Swans don't eat fish and don't invade our properties. They have become a valued part of our summer experience, and for our neighbors on Squaw Island, along with the sandhill cranes, various ducks and some of the geese. They are the only pair of swans in the Little Sturgeon area. We retell their migration and local adventures whenever we get together; look forward to the young and identify with their plight. Our grandchildren look forward to seeing them on their weekend visits, especially watching the young riding on the parent's backs.

We've been told the reason for this barbarous treatment of wildlife is that mute swans are not native to this area and that they are keeping native trumpeter and tundra swans away. I was born more than 70 years ago. Last year was the first time we have seen any kind of swans. They were also mute swans. They hatched six young, three of which survived. The DNR has introduced non-native species with devastating effects, such as alewives, turkeys and Asian beetles. Our swans have had a very positive effect.

We have also been told mute swans are unchecked and our of control in southern Wisconsin, the eastern state and Michigan. That may be so, but they are not unchecked or out of control on Little Sturgeon Bay. If we need to control them, we want to be part of the discussion instead of part of the barbarous killing. We have read about alternative controls such as sterilization, addling eggs, raising and reintroducing trumpeter swans. Why aren't these methods being used? We are intelligent adults who resent being treated as if we didn't exist or didn't have representation in the control of our environment.

Althea F. Gothberg, Sturgeon Bay

Since no silly letter should ever be allowed to remain published without comment - I wrote back a good, old-fashioned letter to the editor in response. I really needed to set this swan lady straight. And it is a good thing I waited the requisite cooling-off period before I sent it. That letter was published in the June 10th edition of the Advocate and reads as follows-

Althea Gothberg's outrage over the killing of mute swans (Your Letters, June 3) begs a response.

Sure, the beauty and grace of these swans is a delight to behold. Not here - in Europe and Asia, where they belong.

The personality of these non-native birds does not match their good looks. In defending their nesting territory, they will harass and kill native waterfowl, including their young. These large birds are capable of uprooting 20 pounds of aquatic vegetation a day, destroying valuable habitat.

Even the Audubon Society supports the removal of mute swans.

As for your accusation about the DNR "introducing non-native species such as alewives, turkeys and Asian beetles," you're mistaken. The DNR had no role with the fish or the beetles. The turkeys are native.

Save your venom for issues you know something about.

Tom Gaertner, Brussels

There. I feel better already. I also had to do some venting over at the other blog.