Just when you thought the Canadian geese situation in Scotia was quieting down, a new flock of problems is surfacing. Some of the geese, who for the most part have left Collins Lake, have now relocated to Schenectady County Airport, which reportedly resulted in the death of three geese.
Airplanes and birds have co-existed since airplanes were invented, said Laura Brown, spokesperson for the group `Save the Geese.`
Brown said airports across the country have chosen hazing for years as a way to rid of the geese.
The geese at Collins Lake have greatly diminished in numbers this summer as a result of the hazing efforts of the `Geese` group. Many officials, including Scotia Village Parks Commissioner Jim Marks, say that the geese that left the lake more than likely did not travel far. The airport has had problems similar to this in the past and considers them a great hazard. It was reported by Airport Commissioner Stephen Israel that the airport was seeing well over a hundred as of last week.
The Save the Geese group said they are saddened by the decision to kill the geese, the event was not initially reported to the public which the group has called `misleading.`
Israel and USDA representative Richard Chapman said the decision was made based on a safety issue and that non-lethal methods have been used continually.
`We have greeted the geese with fireworks and horns. We had up to 155 geese at one point and while I am not an expert on geese I still need to run a safe airport,` said Israel.
Israel said that when an aircraft such as a military plane is operating at 100 MPH it is impossible for the geese to take cover. He said a number of years ago they had a flock fly directly into an aircraft.
David Goldschmidt, also a Save the Geese spokesperson, said the group was initially elated to hear of Israel’s goose chasing methods. He said they were all praising his efforts.
`We share the sky with billions of birds from dozens of species. Airplanes both large and small are destined to strike and kill thousands of birds each year,` said Goldschmidt.
Israel said he feels the airport officials have done everything they can do to chase the geese away and will continue to their best to use non-lethal methods.
`We have been out patrolling at dusk and through the night; we have apparently been somewhat successful. My first priority is to operate a safe airport,` said Israel.“