Pigeons

To the Editor of the Clinton Tribune Gazette

I am a seventy-one year old retiree who has raised and cared for homing pigeons myself. ---in a town of about 3000 residents and very much like Clintonville, I discovered this when I read about your very fine town on your friendly web site. This morning I read in my newspaper about one hundred fair feathered friends living in Clintonville, WI. I read that they are about to be evicted from their home of twenty-seven years.

I was especially saddened when I read the comments of Clintonville’s city administrator, Lisa Kotter, who when asked about the recent court order to evict these birds said, and I quote, “Cities do have the right to regulate licensing and zoning,” and then, seemingly in a rather arrogant and insensitive cavalier-like fashion, she added, “Sometimes we change the rules.” My aim in this letter is not intended to intrude into your fine community’s business. Certainly your city has the right and the obligation to regulate those municipal areas deemed necessary by your city council. Based only on my newspaper’s story, however, I do want to propose that the Council consider granting Mr. Kruger, the owner of the these birds, who by the way, currently holds permits to keep his flock of racing homers in his backyard, be allowed to continue to do so via the “grandfathered-in clause.”

Otherwise I feel that there our many citizens of planet earth, like myself, who will see this proposed ban as being executed in an unnecessarily arbitrary and harsh fashion. After all the homing pigeon is a “domesticated Rock Pigeon of the “Columba livia” class that has been selectively bred to be able to find its way home over extremely long distances. This fact by the way is what makes their potential capricious separation or exclusion from your community of much greater concern than otherwise. This particular community of homing pigeons for 27 years have had no other home, and it is very likely that if they are abruptly vacated from their home, this instability in their lives will continue for many generations to come, if not for ever.

Before reading your administrators dispassionate comments I was quite impressed with just how socially and civically responsible these now about to be evicted winged neighbors have been in Clintonville. I learned that they had served their community in ways that only a pigeon can ---by flying back to their home lofts from funerals, weddings, parades and even from Memorial Day services in Sheboygan, WI.

What seems regrettable is that rather than seeing these little winged friends as a special case and as special neighbors, now almost a community tradition, and continuing to welcome them into your community, they undoubtedly are being perceived now as a mistake, a nuisance, a problem, or just a pain in the neck. Perhaps it’s still not too late to save these loyal winged friends. Perhaps the Clintonville Chamber of Commerce or local American Legion post could market their “lofty home” here as a unique and wonderful story. A time when the people of Clintonville honored their special winged friends as a bastion of patriots whose earlier generations served our country loyally and valiantly in both of our World Wars, and now continue to serve its veterans each Memorial Day.

With regard to the immediate neighbors, who are probably most concerned and fearful about depreciating property values or the avian flu scare, need also to give this a second look. After all, if their property has not suffered significantly after some twenty-seven years, it’s not likely that much will change over just a few more years, by which time their owner can easily find them a new home. Also they can treasure this story of the neighborhood “birdman” and share it with their grandchildren for many future generations to come. Long after all of us are gone!

The immediate neighbors should also know that racing homing pigeons, particularly when cared for over a long period by the same owner, are some of the healthiest birds alive. This, of course, is already clearly seen by the fact that Clintonville’s Health Inspector has reportedly testified that over the years he has inspected Mr. Kruger’s property as many as ten times without finding any problems requiring him to issue a citation.

I am concerned here that whenever any segment of planet earth’s family is separated from us we all suffer a loss of Spirit, and meaning in our lives. We need to replace this attitude of fear with one of hope and generosity. I am looking forward to following this story.