The geese are back in Collins Park, and there may be a long road ahead for the Scotia village board and the Save the Geese group of volunteers.
The unseasonably warm weather has made for a park full of Canada geese that are more than leaving their mark, from the eaten-down grass to goose droppings across the park.
With a new mayor, Democratic Kris Kastberg, and two new trustees, Democrat Joe Rizzo and Republican Tom Neals, the New Year began with a discussion about the continued problem of too many geese in Collins Park.
The board planned to meet with Save the Geese volunteers at the Wednesday, Jan. 10 meeting to discuss this year’s hazing plan.
After a long battle last year, the group of volunteers convinced the board that hazing not euthanasia was the answer to Canada geese overpopulation in the park. The numerous geese had left Collins Lake contaminated with the bacteria E. coli and had sparked concerns about avian-carried illnesses.
Last summer, volunteers from the group patrolled the lake and scared off flocks of the birds from the shore. The group was successful in keeping the goose population down for most of the summer, but some board members remain skeptical that Save the Geese has the manpower to once again haze the area continuously.
`It is my hope the hazing is both sustained and successful, but I also hope the current board has the courage to follow through and kill the geese if the volunteers fail in their promise,` said trustee Armon Benny.
Benny said the board has set a limit of 30 geese allowed to reside in the park.
He said the U.S. Department of Conservation has recommended that the geese be allowed to mate in the area so the egg-addling program can be monitored and few goslings will be born. Egg-addling is a process in which monitors can `catch` the eggs before they are incubated, reducing the number of geese born.
`Right now the park is a mess. The volunteers lost support when the geese were chased to the air base. The geese have now returned and are wreaking havoc,` said Benny.
When chased away, the geese do not travel far and can be found afterward ` often in groups of hundreds ` along Route 5 East, not far from the village.
Save the Geese spokesman David Goldschmidt said this is why it is important that neighboring communities make an effort to haze the geese as well.
`We’re all optimistic that working with the board will be productive.,` Goldschmidt said.
`Last summer, we started the hazing process far too late, but were still successful in greatly reducing the Canada goose population in Collins Park. So this year, with the board backing us, we’ll start the hazing process on time, likely end of April, early May,` said Goldschmidt.
Goldschmidt said volunteers are ready for both egg addling and hazing, and they are always looking for more volunteers.
`Combining this with our willingness to help with the egg addling process should provide a long-term solution to keeping a clean park,` said Goldschmidt.
Benny said he feels it is important to remain focused on the purpose of the park.
`I’ve said all along that our park is for children and families to enjoy. It’s our responsibility to maintain its usability,` said Benny.“
