Geesepeace group visits Bella Vista

The Morning News

Local News for Northwest Arkansas


GeesePeace Visits Bella Vista

By Anna Fry
THE MORNING NEWS
BELLA VISTA -- Representatives of GeesePeace had good and bad news for Bella Vista residents concerned about the estimated goose population of 1,000.

"The bad news I guess for Bella Vista is you indeed do have a problem with Canada geese," said Holly Hazard, a cofounder of the Virginia-based nonprofit group that promotes nonlethal methods for goose control.

The good news is the problem is something GeesePeace has seen in other places and Hazard is confident Bella Vista can have a successful program, she said. Hazard and David Feld, national program director for GeesePeace, examined goose sites Tuesday and Wednesday before holding a public meeting Wednesday night.

The Bella Vista Property Owners Association planned a GeesePeace visit after some residents objected to a board decision to use a federal permit to shoot 100 geese. The board revisited the issue and decided to pursue peaceful methods.

Many residents say geese feces foul the community's lakes, parks and golf courses.

Feld said there's a misconception E. coli in goose feces threatens human health. If a goose does have E. coli in its system that is a human pathogen, that means the goose picked it up from its environment, he said.

The three prongs of GeesePeace's approach are population stabilization, site aversion and public education.

Population stabilization is achieved by oiling goose eggs from the end of March through early April. Eggs are dropped in water to test whether the embryos developed lungs. If the egg floats, the embryo has lungs and is left alone. If the egg sinks, the embryo has no lungs and the egg is coated with corn oil. Biological processes stop and the oiled eggs don't hatch, Feld said.

Site aversion means making areas inhospitable to geese between mid-May and July before they molt, which is when geese lose feathers and cannot fly. GeesePeace suggests using border collies to chase geese on land and in water. The collies are taken out in boats, then swim and chase geese in the water. The collies return and chase the geese on land until they feel the area isn't safe.

Other breeds of dogs may work successfully, but GeesePeace recommends border collies because they always work, Hazard said. Communities who have implemented GeesePeace's program usually purchase a trained border collie for $4,000 to $5,000 and have it live with a family.

Public education about not feeding geese is done through brochures and signs, Hazard said. Feeding geese bread is unhealthy and can cause a a wing deformity. The City Council passed an ordinance in May prohibiting feeding any migratory waterfowl.

Communities must start with an intensive program that can slack off in subsequent years, Hazard said.

"This is a maintenance activity," she said. "If you want to have a successful program, you've got to continue it year after year."

Geese don't respect boundaries so communities need to jointly address the issue, Hazard said. Bella Vista will see limited success if it doesn't coordinate goose control efforts at Lake Bella Vista with Bentonville, Feld said.

A storm temporarily knocked out power, but the sparsely attended meeting continued by flashlight.

George DeGroot, a member of the association's board, questioned what makes the geese stay away.

"What I see happening here is that the geese move from one place to another and then come back," he said.

Feld said geese's primary sanctuary during nesting is water. Once that security is taken away, they'll find another place. The geese don't need to be on golf courses, he said.

"What we're doing is putting the geese in a place where nobody cares," he said.

The Bella Vista Patriots have commitments from 27 farmers interested in adopting some of Bella Vista's geese, Chairman Jim Parsons said. Feld said geese can fly hundreds of miles and will return because they return to where they nest. He didn't know the answer to Parsons' question of whether the farmers may clip the geese's wings.

The administration will meet again with Feld and Hazard to come up with a plan, General Manager Tommy Bailey said. It's up to communities GeesePeace helps to implement their own control methods.

Web Watch

http://www.geesepeace.org/

The Web site of GeesePeace