Goose and gander: Franklin Borough's struggles with feathered friends

FRANKLIN — Hounded by geese and the health hazards they present, the Borough of Franklin has opted to eliminate some of the birds using “lethal” means. “Basically, this has been an ongoing problem, particularly around the Franklin Pond area,” explained Richard R. Wolak, the borough’s administrator. “Not only have we heard about it from people, but various boards have also complained. The alternatives that we have available to the municipality are twofold: Either you make that environment hostile so they will not visit that location, or you remove them physically.” In a 1999 report, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service noted that their concerns regarding Canada Geese included “damages to public and private property, damages to agricultural crops, the fouling of sidewalks, lawns and beaches,” as well as “potential health hazards from geese, (and) water quality impacts.” Often big and occasionally hostile, geese are known to defecate as they eat grass and other items, leaving an often messy trail for others to clean up. At Franklin Pond, while no swimming has been allowed for years due to other environmental problems, visitors have said that during the warm-weather months they must often sidestep fecal matter from geese. Wolak explained that the borough has explored the use of other options in the past, including a public address system that emits sounds uncomfortable to geese, as well as asking an employee to “shoo them away.” Both of these options proved unsuccessful. The borough also explored the possibility of using a dog to chase the geese, but that option would have been too costly for the town. “Plus, you have to do it a minimum of three years, and there’s no guarantee the geese are going to leave,” Wolak said of the dog plan. The practice of addling nests, one of the solutions recommended in the wildlife service’s report, was deemed impractical for the borough because the pond’s dimensions would have required personnel to go out on the water - a plan that would have involved satisfying Coast Guard regulations. In addling, eggs are located and removed in order to curtail the goose population. “These days, you just can’t send people out into a boat unless they’re properly trained and they have the equipment,” Wolak said. “So now, another option we’ve explored is that we were able to secure a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which will allow us to hunt and remove the geese by lethal means.” A permit from the service would allow the borough to remove two geese a day from the site. The service limits the number of birds removed to a total of 75 per permit, which usually lasts one year. Wolak, however, made it clear that this year’s expected hunting of geese is not for area residents, but only for qualified personnel. “If we move forward on this program, it will be performed by specifically qualified individuals representing the borough, thereby, not allowing an open-hunting environment whereby residents feel they can go there and shoot the geese on their own,” Wolak insisted. Such hunting “would be a violation of the town ordinance for discharging weapons in certain restricted areas.” Also, Wolak said, it is the town’s intent to “do this in hours that are not normally used for recreation — mainly, early-morning hours.” Borough officials had also investigated several methods for getting rid of dead geese, including the possibility of donating some to a food bank. “We’re looking into it, but I don’t think that’s a viable alternative,” Wolak explained. “They’ll be disposed of under the appropriate health conditions.” Towns nationwide have been experiencing problems with geese in recent years, and while geese have enjoyed protection from federal and state guidelines, many government officials have come to realize that the rising population of geese is adding to environmental health concerns. “We’ve looked at every possible option, and there’s no more options left,” Wolak concluded. “And we’re not unique. There’s a problem with geese throughout the entire state.”