Here is your chance to see bias at work and a great example of how the media and politicians misinform and shape public opinion. Go to the Youtube channel for River City Waterway Alliance and look at any of the videos of river cleanups posted by this all volunteer group which recently received an award for environmentalist of the year (there are 186 videos from some 280 cleanups). RCWA has pulled over one-million pounds of trash this year from Sacramento’s rivers and creeks. Do you see the work of Canadian Geese in any of these videos? The Sacramento Bee thinks it does.

Here is the Sacramento Bee’s headline from its opinion piece on Thien Ho’s much welcomed suit against the City of Sacramento which he recently amended to include environmental violations:

“Sacramento DA Thien Ho is suing the city for river pollution caused by Canada Geese”

Granted, I haven’t read the piece beyond the headline, because it is behind the Bee’s pay-wall, and I do not wish to subsidize irresponsible journalism – that is, journalism which purports to present facts, does no investigation, and is merely the mouthpiece of undisclosed groups (disclosure here – I volunteer for RCWA). Based on previous editorials, the Bee has it out for Ho.

Mayor Steinberg and others have tried to claim that Ho’s suit is a political stunt, because they think Ho wants to be Attorney General. So what if he does – how is that an argument? I would like to see an AG who actually represents salary-paying citizens, so he has my vote. We have written the current occupant of that office on some important public safety matters…not a peep or the honk of a Canadian Goose have we heard from Rob Bonta. We have also written Steinberg and Councilmember Valenzuela – still nothing from gander or gosling. Just the sound of crickets.

It is heartening to see wildlife return to areas RCWA has cleaned. As just one example, deer are back to the Riverdale area next to Camp Pollock because this area was cleaned, and is being kept clean, by RCWA. We did recently see geese along the beach at Camp Pollock – but Canadian Geese? No immigration problems here…these are American Geese!

See more geese sightings here at Bannon Island.