
Photo by PoPville flickr user Phil
From the National Parks Service:
“The National Park Service is accepting comments from the public on a proposed plan to relocate geese from parts of the National Mall using environmentally safe and humane methods. The project would use border collies at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Washington Monument grounds and John F. Kennedy Hockey Fields to haze the Mall’s large and growing Canada goose population into moving to other parts of the park. Comments are being accepted online through April 22, 2015.
Large flocks of resident Canada geese around the National Mall leave excessive goose droppings, as much as 2-3 pounds per goose per day. More than a nuisance to pedestrians, the droppings damage the pumps and filters of the Reflecting Pool;degrade the park’s natural and cultural resources;and their feces have potential to create a public health hazard. With the assistance of the border collies, which are bred to herd sheep and have a natural instinct to round up flocks of geese, the geese will be encouraged to abandon the lawns and water in these areas and relocate elsewhere. No birds will be physically harmed during the hazing process.
How to Comment (more…)