(WWJ) It's a contentious case of jet skiers v. swans in Livingston County.
Impassioned protesters are speaking out in Genoa Township, near Brighton, in fervent defense of the elegant, if at times troublesome, white water foul.
At issue is a resolution passed last month by the Genoa Township Board of Trustees that authorizes Crooked Lake-area residents who've complained about hostile mute swans pestering, and even attacking people to request help from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
A permit from the DNR would allow residents to have the birds removed — and even killed when deemed prudent.
The latter possibility has drawn outrage from other members of the community — about two-dozen of them — who showed up to voice their concerns at a meeting of the township board on Monday.
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The group included former township trustee Steve Wildman.
"The only time I've seen them get aggressive is when somebody's messing with them, or their babies," Wildman told WWJ's Jon Hewett. "They're not aggressive, they're protective, and they like to protect their babies."
Linda Bass said it is the boaters — in particular the jet skiers — that are the real problem.
"I understand that some people just don't know what swans are about, so they're scared of 'em," Bass said. "But when you've got this machine coming at your 40 miles an hour, and you've got two to eight babies with you... what else are you gonna do? Where are they gonna go?"
While sympathetic, Genoa Township Supervisor Bill Rogers said the focus must remain on protecting lake residents.
Human residents, that is.
"We're talking about (home) owners that...have physically visualized these birds attacking some of their kids," Rogers said.
While mute swans (orange bills) are a common site on lakes across the state, they are classified by the DNR as an invasive species... unlike trumpeter swans (black bills) which are native to Michigan.
Though hunting mute swans is not allowed, the DNR issues permits to remove mute swans and/or their nests and eggs. If you have mute swans on your property and wish to remove them or their nests and eggs, you must request a permit from your local DNR office.
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