Should conservationists host hunt to reduce the number of mute swans in White Lake? Some residents not so sure

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Passions were stirred in the White Lake-area last week when officials announced plans for a hunt to reduce the number of mute swans in White Lake — an invasive species that conservationists say have decimated aquatic plants and threaten an effort to restore shoreline habitat.
Now, officials from the Muskegon Conservation District, have put on hold the swan cull — originally planned for later this month — after receiving an outpouring of questions from local residents wondering why the hunt is necessary.
“The majority of the concerns are related to the method that's going to be used — shooting them,” said Jeff Auch, executive director of the Muskegon Conservation District, the agency that's organizing the cull.
Mute swans, an invasive species, were first imported to Michigan in the 1920s, and have since seen their numbers in White Lake rise.
The large white birds have a hefty appetite, and have decimated some aquatic plants that other native animals use for food and habitat, making way for invasive plants such as eurasian watermilfoil. Conservationists fear the swans will hurt a $2.1 million project to increase the diversity of wetland plants, improve the lake's water quality and create a healthier habitat.
“We spend all that money on restoring habitat and suddenly it's destroyed by this invasive waterfowl species,” he said. White Lake is among the Great Lakes Areas of Concern — spots where past pollution and costal development have hurt the health of the ecosystem.