November 15, 2007
Dear Park Patron,
You recently signed a petition about the goose problem in the Port Dickinson Park. Thank you for your interest. I want to assure you that we are well aware of the problem and are just as
frustrated as you are. I thought I would provide a score card of where we stand and what actions we are planning.
Round 1
About six years ago we sprayed the fields with a grape derivative that the geese really hated. It needed to be sprayed after each mowing at a cost of about $90.00 each time. The geese
hated it so much they moved directly across the ball fields to other parts of the park to feed, and then back across the ball fields to the river. The problem was, they "relieved" themselves
every step of the way.
Score: Geese 1 Humans 0
Round 2
My first involvement was a meeting of every conceivable agency in Broome County that dealt with Geese. Several points were made. The Broome County Health Department stated that
there was no disease or harmful content to goose waste.
Secondly, the most effective way to do this was to addle the eggs. This means putting oil of some sort on the eggs while in the nest. The geese will continue to try and hatch them and
will produce no new goslings. This has been done each year with fairly good results. By a very unofficial count (mine) last year we had only one family of 8 young birds and this year only two
families with about 15 young birds.
Thirdly, the herds needed to be thinned. Geese are a protected bird in New York making hunting a difficult process, but some reductions were possible. Unfortunately, several days after
this meeting, the Binghamton Press ran an editorial urging that this was not an acceptable option which effectively ended this idea.
Score: Geese 2 Humans 1
The next idea was to hire border collies to harass the geese. Broome County Parks, BCC and the Village entered into an agreement and we contracted with a very reliable company to
provide the service. This was expensive, and the results were mixed. When the dogs were in Otsiningo Park, the geese came to Port Dick ... when the dogs were in Port Dick Park, the
geese simply went to Otsiningo. I watched the cars carrying the dogs pull into our parking lot and before the dogs even got out of the car, the geese were leaving. Unfortunately, as soon
as the dogs left, the geese simply returned. We are not dealing with transient geese who might easily be harassed, but resident geese who view this as their permanent homes.
Score: Geese 3 Humans 1
We have tried many other methods such as noise makers, driving the lawn mower at them, riding bikes on the fields, etc. with overall effect that we are not nearly as good at it as the
dogs were.
Score: Geese 4 Humans 1
Finally, CV Schools had some luck with coyote decoys as long as they were moved frequently. We have ordered three of these and will try and work with them in the spring. If anyone
has another workable and proven solution feel free to call me at 724-1965. I would love to have a good answer to this problem.
Edward Corcoran
Trustee in charge of Parks