By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Village of Waterford officials are hoping a natural repellent will mitigate ongoing concerns of geese disrupting vegetation on village-owned parkland.
The Village Board on Sept. 25 voted to use Flight Control Plus, a solution touted as environmentally friendly, yet effective, in managing geese and other feathered fowl.
In a memo, Village Administrator Rebecca Ewald said the repellent falls within the municipality’s management plan for geese.
“The natural repellent, sprayed on the grass, deters the geese from eating the grass,” Ewald wrote in a memo.
The plan, which had the backing of the village’s Public Works and Utilities Committee before going before the full board, calls for purchasing three to four gallons of the repellent for at least one application.
The cost, per gallon of the concentrated solution, is $60.
Municipalities throughout the region have been grappling with how to address geese, particularly in public spaces. Concerns raised in other communities have included bird waste. One goose generates about a pound of feces daily.
Some municipalities have resorted to enlisting the services of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to round up geese in overpopulated areas. That method requires all gathered birds be euthanized, per USDA requirements.
Other management techniques that have been considered elsewhere have included predator decoys and spraying nests to prevent eggs from hatching.
To read the full report from the Village Board meeting see the Oct. 6 print edition of the Waterford Post.
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