Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • February 25, 2009
Glen Rock
Garden club speaker explains GeesePeace methods
by John Koster Diana Wing from GeesePeace recently addressed the Glen Rock Garden Club about how her group and local volunteers are trying to control the Canada goose population by puncturing, shaking, or oiling the goose eggs so no goslings are able to hatch. Wing, who grew up in New England, and now lives in Ridgewood, said that when she was raising her children, she had no problem with goose dropping. But as she goes to her grandchildren’s sports events in Ridgewood, she sees goose droppings all over and the children cannot come home without getting dirty. She said children could not play in the schoolyard because of the amount of goose droppings. At this point, she became interested in GeesePeace. Wing explained that, 50 to 60 years ago, hunters killed the birds and decimated the goose population. She said a goose farm tried to bring back the geese about 15 years ago, and the goose population has been increasing annually since then. GeesePeace, originally based in suburban Virginia, began to destroy the goose embryos. Wing explained that eggs are shaken, punctured, or oiled. She trains volunteers how to oil incubating eggs. Wing said she talks to a mother goose that is attempting to hatch eggs, and uses an umbrella to protect herself from other geese. A second person stands behind her and oils the eggs, so they cannot hatch. Wing has nothing to do with goslings once they are born: “Let them live their lives,” she said. Her group’s intent is to keep the goose population from increasing. Wing now has 300 volunteers to oil goose eggs. Oil greasers report the numbers of eggs they oiled to the county office, and the county workers keep track of the statistics and reporting. Sometimes goose control groups use collies to drive away geese, but the dogs
are expensive and must be trained. There will be a GeesePeace workshop at the Ridgewood Community Center, Senior Lounge, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, on March 5. Call (201) 6705560.