It's becoming evident, that resident Canada Geese are a problem in Ocean county.
What's also become evident, is that the people are evenly divided about how to handle the problem. Polls show that half of citizens approve of the geese gassing programs as a way to control the problem geese. And an equal number of people think the geese should not be killed as a way of controlling them.
To back up a bit: Let's explain the difference between "resident" geese and "migratory" Canada geese. The resident geese have grown accustomed to the manicured green lawns and warmer winter temps in NJ and are no longer inclined to migrate in the winter. The migratory geese are not a problem in NJ.
To explain the gassing program: The county is authorized to control the goose populations by rounding up hundreds of the geese, using lethal gas to kill them, and then dump their bodies in the landfill.
Back to the issue.
It's really easy to condone the mass execution of these geese, when you're trying to play kickball in a field sodden ankle-deep with geese poo.
And it's equally easy to be horrified with this form of "population control" when you're a senior citizen who likes to feed the geese by the lake.
But it's not just about us.
It's affecting our dear dear mother earth. The geese poop pollutes our waters, making our recreational water areas saturated with high bacteria levels that ruins pre-existing aquatic habitats.
They are road hazards, because drivers slam on their brakes and swerve willy-nilly to avoid them when they suddenly decide to cross the road.
Now won't somebody please think of the children: Any soccer player, golfer, field-frequenter will tell you that you can't set a food down in a nice grassy area without pulling back a clump of matted green and white geese poop. We had a "No sliding" rule in our kickball games; nothing dampens the HOME RUN excitement like streaks of goose poo on your game uniform.
Lastly, this whole "population control" indecisiveness is costing us precious tax dollars. The other more humane methods are expensive, ineffective and they are not practical.
If these problems were being caused by termites, rats or mice people would be jumping mad, screaming for blood, demanding swift and complete extermination.
What's the difference? These geese are not pets, they are not protected or endangered--- they are a nuisance and they need to be exterminated as such.
Forget the egg shaking, habitat modification, the geese police, the cardboard cutouts, and exterminate the pests.
Oh, and BTW goose is just like chicken for recipes and it's a popular item for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Recipes abound, and herb-roasted goose is fantastic with cranberry sauce and sweet potato mash.
I rest my case.
What's also become evident, is that the people are evenly divided about how to handle the problem. Polls show that half of citizens approve of the geese gassing programs as a way to control the problem geese. And an equal number of people think the geese should not be killed as a way of controlling them.
To back up a bit: Let's explain the difference between "resident" geese and "migratory" Canada geese. The resident geese have grown accustomed to the manicured green lawns and warmer winter temps in NJ and are no longer inclined to migrate in the winter. The migratory geese are not a problem in NJ.
To explain the gassing program: The county is authorized to control the goose populations by rounding up hundreds of the geese, using lethal gas to kill them, and then dump their bodies in the landfill.
Back to the issue.
It's really easy to condone the mass execution of these geese, when you're trying to play kickball in a field sodden ankle-deep with geese poo.
And it's equally easy to be horrified with this form of "population control" when you're a senior citizen who likes to feed the geese by the lake.
But it's not just about us.
It's affecting our dear dear mother earth. The geese poop pollutes our waters, making our recreational water areas saturated with high bacteria levels that ruins pre-existing aquatic habitats.
They are road hazards, because drivers slam on their brakes and swerve willy-nilly to avoid them when they suddenly decide to cross the road.
Now won't somebody please think of the children: Any soccer player, golfer, field-frequenter will tell you that you can't set a food down in a nice grassy area without pulling back a clump of matted green and white geese poop. We had a "No sliding" rule in our kickball games; nothing dampens the HOME RUN excitement like streaks of goose poo on your game uniform.
Lastly, this whole "population control" indecisiveness is costing us precious tax dollars. The other more humane methods are expensive, ineffective and they are not practical.
If these problems were being caused by termites, rats or mice people would be jumping mad, screaming for blood, demanding swift and complete extermination.
What's the difference? These geese are not pets, they are not protected or endangered--- they are a nuisance and they need to be exterminated as such.
Forget the egg shaking, habitat modification, the geese police, the cardboard cutouts, and exterminate the pests.
Oh, and BTW goose is just like chicken for recipes and it's a popular item for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Recipes abound, and herb-roasted goose is fantastic with cranberry sauce and sweet potato mash.
I rest my case.