Sir: I get a bit weary listening to people moan and groan about our crow problem. Instead of looking at it like a problem, let’s look at it like an opportunity to create a tourist attraction.
Where else can you go and witness the flight of 100,000 to 200,000 birds both morning and night? We have all heard of the swallows at Capistrano. People from all over the world travel to see the lowly little swallow fly into and out of a hole in a cliff. They even have a festival during this season. Big deal.
We have the mighty crow. Just think if we could get one or two of the city’s entrepreneurs to jump on board and create our own tourist attraction. Daily tours could be run at dawn and dusk following the majestic flight of these birds, showing where they roost at night and feed in the morning.
We could show the tourists how we have trained the birds (when loud noises are created) to fly from one neighbourhood to another.
Souvenirs such as hats and T-shirts with fake crow droppings on them could be sold on the bus tours.
During the day, tours would take the tourists out into the country and show fields covered with the birds feeding.
While on this tour, we could stop into a winery or two, go to Erieau’s Bayside Brew Pub or North Buxton’s museum. We could show them the hundreds of newly erected windmills along the way. Another tour bus could go to Dresden to Uncle Tom’s cabin and the casino or to Bothwell to cut down a Christmas tree.
All Chatham-Kent’s smaller communities could be included in their own unique type tours. For the tourists from the south that like to shoot guns, we could fire up our newly acquired train and shoot crows out of the observation cars. We will never miss a few crows. Taxidermists could be on standby. Local folks could wear fake crow beaks and give the tourists the crow salute when the buses or train passes by them.
At night, with the motels and restaurants filled, perhaps entertainment could be provided at the Capital Theatre.
Win, win for everybody. Taxes will be reduced, development will flourish, tourism will be off the charts. Everyone will know where Chatham-Kent is. Soon someone will want to build an amusement park (with a crow theme) on the land owned by Chatham-Kent along Highway 401.
Let’s turn the soon-to-be-closed Sears store into a crow museum and meeting spot. Let a few crows loose inside for realism.
Tourists could also look across the street and see how quickly a high rise can be built.
The city has spent tens of thousands of dollars unsuccessfully trying to get rid of the crows. It is time to try something different.
Mark Campbell
Chatham
