Considerable debate over starling control has taken flight at Vernon city hall. Questions arose Monday as to the funding formula for the valley-wide program and whether too much support is being expected from residential taxpayers.“I don’t argue with the project, it’s just who foots the bill,” said Coun. Barry Beardsell.The proposed budget for the program is $125,000 a year. Of that, $25,000 each would come from the Okanagan’s three regional districts, while equal amounts would also come from the Agriculture Environment Program Initiative and various commodity groups. The City of‑Vernon is being asked to contribute $12,800 towards the North Okanagan Regional District’s share. But Beardsell says that the city already supports agriculture through the Sterile Insect Release program and the provision of water, and starling control is another burden.“I’d expect more out of the provincial government on a program like this,” he said.“Where does it end without the province truly getting involved?”
Beardsell also didn’t understand why the three regional districts would provide the same amount of‑funding.“The break between the three regional districts doesn’t seem fair. We don’t compare to the wealth and population of the Central Okanagan,” he said. Coun. Pat Cochrane also believes the North Okanagan should be treated differently than the other two districts. “It’s not fair based on the number of orchards and vineyards,” he said. Starlings are native to Europe and they were first introduced in New York City in 1890. Since then, they have crossed the continent, first showing up in B.C. in 1944. It’s believed there are about 200 million starlings in North America. “They are expanding at an alarming rate,” said Pete Wise, who traps starlings as part of the program. The birds are known to do serious damage to various agricultural products, including cattle feed, grapes, cherries and apples.In 2004, it’s believed starlings did about $3.4 million in damage to tree fruits across the Okanagan Valley.But beyond economics, Wise said starlings carry disease which put livestock at risk, and because they are not indigenous, they take over the habitat of native wild birds.
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