City contractor implementing goose abatement measures at the North Natomas Regional Park this week.
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
“Why has the city hired someone to chase the geese and ducks away by using a remote controlled boat that scares them off the water, then using two dogs to chase them on land after the leave the water.”
“Chasing off mature parents when their offspring are still young and cannot fly leaves the young to die. Look at his site and what they do to the geese eggs, makes me sick. They call it Egg Addling, what they mean is they kill the babies before they are born.”
-Jason H. via e-mail
Director of Public Policy Michelle Kille in Vice Mayor Angelique Ashby’s office sent us an answer:
“The dogs are in place to temper the geese from eating the grass and destroying it. We’re only employing humane abatement options including application of grape extract, and the yellow lights out on the water. The dogs aren’t killing the geese and don’t make contact with them.”
In response to reports submitted by reader Frank A. via Twitter and e-mail that he saw three dead geese while walking in the North Natomas Regional Park, Kille added:
“It’s likely that the geese are possibly ill or dying from people feeding them (which we have a city ordinance against feeding the geese, but it doesn’t necessarily stop them from doing so).”
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This didn’t really completely answer the question. Besides keeping them from eating the grass, are they doing egg addling also? And if so, why?
Ms. Kille lists the methods being used in her response.
Why does it matter that they eat the grass? My neighbors and I think it’s wonderful that the geese call our neighborhood home.
Since the use of the yellow lights in the water, I’ve noticed an extreme decline in the bird population hanging around there. I’m ok with that since the bird population was becoming overwhelming, but I feel like it should be left at that. Trying to make the area a “no-bird zone” seems like an unrealistic expectation.
Our family loves the geese and ducks. When I was younger my Grandma would take me to a park in Freemont where we could buy bird feed and feed the geese and ducks at Lake Elizabeth. Maybe the City coudl do something like this to help with keeping them healthy and keep them from not eating the grass. Turn that area into a park like Lake Elizabeth! Please don’t chase away the birds, thats one of my favorite things in North Natomas.
Let me see if I understand this. Man destroys the natural homes of countless creatures to build a lake and when new creatures, by their own natural instincts, use the lake, man gets upset and uses pointless resources to try and remove those creatures?
Ducks and geese will always be drawn to this lake and trying to remove them seems pointless. Personally, I like the ducks and geese, they add character to our community (aside from their droppings.)
I enjoyed seeing them at the lake and really didn’t see much evidence of the grass being destroyed. They’re out at the Inderkum baseball fields all of the time with pheasants and other birds. They don’t do any damage to the baseball fields, that’s noticeable. The rabbits are the destructive critters. Hmmm…
That is so sad and pointless, we love seeing the geese and birds that our community displaced trying and succeeding at thriving with us. This egg abuse and other things mentioned to chase off geese makes me sad, so the birds who are being successful at assimilating to their new homes are being dealt a second blow over keeping some stupid grass looking nice.