Township Explores Options to Control Geese Population
Recreation Director James Wioland will present a proposal to the township committee at the Feb. 23 meeting
Lacey Township is exploring options to eradicate the escalating population of geese at its lakes.
“It’s obvious we have geese in our township,” Recreation Director James Wioland said. “They’ve found the conditions quite lovely and choose to stay.”
There are two types of geese in the township—migratory geese that come in the winter season and resident geese that are around all year, he said. Nevertheless, they create an unhealthy environment for the lakes and communities as one goose can create up to one pound of feces per day.
After extensive research, Recreation Director James Wioland found that a combination of techniques would prove to be most effective.
There are three levels of controlling the geese population:
- Education: updating signage to reflect the township’s ordinance prohibiting the feeding of geese; providing educational documents to families within a certain proximity to the waterways so they understand the challenges that feeding geese creates.
- Harassment: use a repellent that makes the grass bitter; launch a buoy with balloons; modify the environment by allowing the grass to grow; install fencing and wood cutouts; pyrotechnics; release border collies at the populated area; employ a fake eagle.
- Population Control: egg and nest searching treatment—a service locates the eggs and nests and eliminates them; capture—during the first four to five weeks of geese life, they can’t fly. The vendor would capture those geese and euthanize them.
“I strongly recommend [egg and nest searching treatment] at this point because it will start to help eliminate the population down the road,” he said.
Egg and nest searching would not work immediately but it is a long-term solution while capturing would be helpful in the near future, Wioland said.
“I think not doing eggs and nest would be foolish,” he said.
Wioland has spoken to the Ocean County Parks and Recreation Department as well as Mount Laurel and municipalities in Bergen County, all of which use a combination of techniques.
“There’s no one method that will be solely effective, he said. “Everything works for a short period of time before the geese learn to adapt.”
The county has used a combination of primarily egg and nest searching and capture but also education and other harassment techniques. They’ve had the most success with egg and nest searching, Wioland said.
Mount Laurel is a township that has a flock similar to Lacey’s—large and uncontrollable, Wioland said. The township did an immediate capture and caught close to 120 geese. Since then, they have maintained the population with dogs.
Wioland is still in the process of soliciting cost proposals but dog services can range around $600 per month and begin in mid-March, ending in mid-August. Egg and nest searching is generally a five to six week process and costs around $2,400. Capturing can range from $6,000 to $6,200, which includes the vendor’s prep work to prepare the geese as food for zoos.
“This is a long time coming,” Committeeman Sean Sharkey said. Sharkey showed support for both the egg and nest searching as well as capture techniques.
Committeeman David Most has taken a walk down Deerhead Lake and finds the geese problem serious. The geese population is escalating all along the coast, he said.
“They’re definitely an overpopulated species,” he said. “That feces causes a real serious conduit of disease with pathogens and stuff like that.”
The Manahawkin Lake was polluted and could not be used for years, Most said. But with geese remediation, they were able to open it this past year.
“I definitely agree that we have a problem but starting tomorrow your phone is going to be ringing off the hook about euthanizing birds,” Committeeman Gary Quinn told Wioland. “We have to act.”
The township has put so much money into the lakes, including the dam that was built, he said. “It’s really criminal that we can’t have the kids over there enjoying it the way it should be enjoyed.”
It comes down to the health and safety of the residents versus the birds that have infiltrated the town, he said.
Longtime resident Otto Zehl has been advocating saving the township’s lakes and appreciated the township’s efforts in taking this step, he said.
“For too many years it has been glossed over,” Zehl said. “This is only part of the problem with the lakes. We could kill every one of the geese off and we’ll still have the problem with the grass and everything else happening with the lakes."
All drainage goes into the lakes, which affects its water quality, he said. Just this past summer, Deerhead Lake was closed for 13 days. “That hurt me.”
A program should be in place within the first couple weeks of March, Wioland said.
Mayor Mark Dykoff asked Wioland to come back to the next committee meeting on Thursday, Feb. 23 with a proposal.
seaside pete
2:27 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012
you are correct patty many of them are just stopping here before they continue the journey south. the idea of morons running around public areas where kids play and firing guns is beyond scary.
seaside pete
2:34 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012
agreed patty . dont think the food banks would be serving goose full of lead shot any time soon . and look at the poll above 1% said education about them is a good idea while 9% voted for harrassment. it goes to show the mentality out there and it sounds to me like carol is simply too lazy to walk her dog.
Patty A
3:08 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012
Pete, I was the one person who voted for "Education" in the poll.
I guess most people prefer to remain ignorant or manipulated.
I guess we can tell them that it is the fish that are "polluting" the oceans and that murder is really 'euthanasia."
seaside pete
12:55 pm on Monday, February 13, 2012
if none ya is giving money to the aspca my name is rumplestilskin. i,ve never heard an animal lover say "kill em all" before. must be a new campaign from the aspca tough love program.
White Honor
5:42 pm on Monday, February 27, 2012
Dear Reader,
Canada geese feces can be hazardous to people's health, but usually only when inhaled or ingested. Walking past geese feces, or even lounging near them on the beach is likely safe for healthy people. However, the elderly, children, and pregnant or breastfeeding women are particularly susceptible to health risks posed by parasites that inhabit Canada geese feces. At even higher risk are those with weak immune systems, such as people with HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy recipients, and recent organ donors and recipients. Similarly, people with gastrointestinal (GI) problems, such as ulcers and irritable bowel disease, are also at increased risk, since they, too, cannot easily combat parasites from Canada geese feces.
White Honor
5:43 pm on Monday, February 27, 2012
Geese feces usually contain the parasites cryptosporidium, giardia, coliform, and campylobacter. Cryptosporidium poses the most serious health hazard, since it causes cryptosporidiosis, an illness with the following symptoms:
•watery diarrhea
•dehydration
•weight loss
•stomach cramps or pain
•fever
•nausea
•vomiting
Cryptosporidium was responsible for a 1993 outbreak of disease in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when the city's water supply became contaminated. One hundred people died and 400,000 became ill during this epidemic. The risk for a city or town's water supply becoming infected with cryptosporidium lingers as some municipalities do not check their water for this parasite at all. Wisely, New York City has been testing its water supply regularly for this parasite since 1992 as part of its water safety monitoring program.
White Honor
5:44 pm on Monday, February 27, 2012
In most cases, geese excrement cannot cause bodily harm to people unless it's inhaled or ingested. Children are more at risk for accidental ingestion of Canada geese feces since they usually play directly on the beach. Most healthy people infected with cryptosporidium have extended diarrhea and other symptoms associated with cryptosporidium, which usually dissipate with time if no other GI problems are present. This infection can become serious if untreated since dehydration can set in. As a result, if people have GI distress for more than a couple of days, they need to see their health care provider. Parazyne, an herbal medication used to treat water-borne parasitic infection, may be recommended.
Some geographic areas with high numbers of geese have developed plans to reduce the number of flocks. Methods include startling the birds with loud noises, removing nesting material if no eggs are present in the nest, and relocating geese by trained animal personnel. Interestingly, Canada geese are a federally protected animal and killing this bird or destroying its eggs without a legal permit is a punishable offense
JOHNNY Done it
11:22 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Anybody heard from marion from Canada ,Maybe she should this stuff, considering her info was one sided....Thanks guys for the info
White Honor
5:48 pm on Monday, February 27, 2012
So, if you are at the beach with children, you can point out geese feces to them with instructions to stay away, and can tell them not to place their hands or fingers into their mouths while they are playing on the beach. Also, they need to wash their hands after leaving the beach and, even more importantly, before eating.
If you are concerned about this as a public health issue, you can contact your municipal public health department, or county or state Department of Health and Human Services. You can inquire about what they are doing to deter Canada geese in a specific location from nesting, and also what they are doing about cleaning up the waste. Hopefully your watchful eye will keep you and your local beach-goers cryptosporidium-free
White Honor
5:51 pm on Monday, February 27, 2012
$22,000.00 Per YEAR To Clean Up Goose Shit?
The bleeding-heart liberals and environmentalists and hunters all over the USA are having a field day because Bend, Oregon had a memorial service for 109 Canada geese that were euthanized because they are overrunning local parks.
The hunters are upset that the city of Bend didn’t allow hunters to go in and shoot the birds.
Never mind that these are parks in a town of over 100,000 people that draws heavily from tourism or that the parks in question are used every single day of the year by adults, children, dogs, and other wildlife (squirrels, ducks, swans, deer).
In addition most of these parks are located in high value residential or commercial neighborhoods.
Who would pay for the damage done to houses, commercial stores, vehicles, lawns, boat docks, etc by errant shotgun shells/pellets?
Can we guarantee that only the geese will get shot? Given the level of stupidity that allows some hunters to shoot cows claiming they thought they were elk, humans claiming that they thought they were deer or elk, etc I seriously doubt it.
White Honor
5:52 pm on Monday, February 27, 2012
Also, the meat from euthanized birds was properly packaged and distributed to local shelters and assistance programs. Shooting the birds even with a shotgun would have damaged the meat much more than euthanizing them did.
And for all of you who take offense to my comments about hunters, I am not anti-hunting. I know how to shoot handguns, pistols, rifles, and shotguns. Hell, I even know how to use a bow and arrow.
When I was 5 years old, I helped my grandfather clean and gut a deer. I ate venison and elk that my grandparents, great aunts, great uncles, and cousins shot each hunting season for 22 years.
I am anti-stupidity though, and allowing shooting in an urban park where the geese are NOT the only occupants strikes me as not only stupid but asking for trouble.
The bleeding heart liberals and environmentalists aren’t upset about the memorial service.
They aren’t upset that Bend, Oregon spent $22,000.00 in tax dollars last year solely to clean up goose shit.
White Honor
5:52 pm on Monday, February 27, 2012
They are upset that the birds were euthanized.
Maybe the bleeding heart liberals and environmentalists could volunteer to come to Bend, Oregon and clean up the goose shit themselves–for FREE.
I don’t think that they will be given free food or a free place to stay either, so they would actually be PAYING local motels and restaurants for the privilege of cleaning up the goose shit.
Then perhaps Bend, Oregon could spend the $22,000.00 in tax dollars spent yearly on cleaning up goose shit to create new jobs.
After all Bend, Oregon has a 10% unemployment rate and Deschutes County has a 14.7% unemployment rate http://www.qualityinfo.org/olmisj/AllRates
Of course that won’t happen because the bleeding heart liberals and environmentalists already know that goose shit carries several nasty diseases
joe simmons
3:08 pm on Tuesday, February 28, 2012
tim o connor now using paul rodgers as a name? sad timmy. i,ll see you back on the nuke article where you become "mussel mon" again. you really need some help there timbo
joe s
6:07 pm on Tuesday, February 28, 2012
patty just to let you know "mussel mon" is actually tim o connor simply taking on his more vile persona . you as well as i and the rest of the town already know him as the nut on ch 21. pay no heed to him. he just sits in his stained boxer shorts getting his jollies on the patch trying to annoy anyone he can.
JOHNNY Done it
6:25 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
First take a walk by lakes & parks..Than go back school. to learn common sense,overpopulation,where Canada is.Bacteria. count. & how diseases start. Than come back you should be good to go..If you have not figured it out it is not about personally hating geese..Is the damage they cause.( tax$$$$$) .they cause unbalance to the local ecosystem...Have fun at school
Booradley
2:53 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012
Berkeley Twp. supposedly will be killing geese next week (March 12th) but have failed to notify the people living around the marsh off Berkeley Island Park. With all the shooting and killing going on isn't it the responsibility of the Twp. to notify everyone?
JOHNNY Done it
11:30 pm on Thursday, March 22, 2012
Hope they got some....reduce the herd
tr
5:23 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012
They will use the carcaceses as bait to lure the coyotes to an established KILL ZONE, that you will not hear about either,MAYBE? They are smart in trying to keep their natural waterfront assets as money makers for the their Township, maybe?
JOHNNY Done it
11:29 pm on Thursday, March 22, 2012
Just like the bear hunt the towns people (noth jersey)complained the twp didnt step up the state Fish &wild life stepped in authorized a hunt had activists involved in that. The hunt went thru.....The state is going to see that population is not going down because some towns will not reduce the herd...They just going to cause a problem in the next town .Than the state is either going to have a special hunt or increase the numbers you are allowed to shoot..I think its( 3 for every 100 hunters thats 300 geese),They move it to 5 for every 100 hunters thats 500..So like i said before Win Win & it will be legal & just need patients .Hunting season will come..
Rob Whitey
7:32 pm on Sunday, March 25, 2012
Gas them all!!!!
DirtyJersey
8:01 pm on Sunday, March 25, 2012
Unfortunately where the problems are with the geese are in heavily populated areas so there's no way to have a hunt. Maybe all the that want them left alone should go pick up all the crap at every lake and park in the town. Get to it geese lovers!