We all know what a mess goose poop can make in parks, on playing fields and next to rivers and ponds. Less visible is the way it contaminates our waterways, as rainwater washes the poop off these expansive, neatly manicured surfaces (read: ideal goose habitat), and into the water.

The GeesePeace Solution

The mission of GeesePeace is to stabilize the population growth rate of resident Canada geese. Left unchecked, the numbers of Canada geese will double every five years. GeesePeace has consulted with animal welfare, animal rights, and wildlife conservation organizations and leaders and State and National Wildlife managers.  They all agree that a concerted effort to locate goose nesting areas, then addling/oiling or replacing of Canada goose eggs will stop the problem in its tracks, giving communities time to devise, organize and implement site aversion strategies. GeesePeace, in consultation, with these organizations promotes a protocol that requires that eggs be found and addled/oiled in the early stages of the development process. The animal rights and welfare groups believe that this is far more humane than killing the geese that made the egg. It is very similar in to the ethical solution of spaying and neutering dogs and cats.

The GeesePeace plan also includes implementation of site aversion strategies that return the parks, lawns and recreation areas to the community. What GeesePeace has found in its pilot programs around Fairfax County, VA is that there are many areas that geese will go where the geese will not come into conflict with humans or the tolerance for the geese is high enough that the overall problem is solved for all. The solution is simple. By various methods make the low tolerance and high conflict areas unattractive to the geese. GeesePeace has tried most of the known strategies and has devised some of its own. Some worked, some did not. GeesePeace will soon publish a site aversion and community organization manual that will outline how communities of various sizes and environments can effectively and economically eliminate conflicts with Canada geese.

Visit www.geesepeace.org for more information, or visit the local Ridgewood chapter at nopoop07450.blogspot.com.