COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Fed up with feeding geese, Columbus
plans to use fireworks and lasers to scare off the birds it says are
thwarting the city’s efforts to develop newly widened river banks.
The plan follows unsuccessful attempts to ban the birds using a plastic coyote, fences and foul-tasting
chemicals.
The
eradication effort will begin shortly before sunset Wednesday with the
firing of small, noisy fireworks over the Olentangy River, the Columbus
Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/1cUIWFa ).
The
rounds, fired from guns similar to those used at track meets, erupt in a
bang or with a whistle, said Jeff Pelc, a wildlife biologist at the
U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services.
Teams of two
USDA wildlife workers will fire about 100 rounds over the river, near
the campus of Ohio State University, every day until December, 30
minutes before and after sunset.
Workers also will beam lasers
near the geese which the birds mistake for predators. About 150 birds
remain in the area, hanging out where there’s no room for predators to
hide.
The city is paying $100,000 for the work to bolster its
efforts to plant grass and other plants along the riverbank, exposed by
the demolition of a low-head dam. The project is part of a $7 million
plan to restore the river to its natural flow.
The grass and plants are needed to protect the widened banks from erosion.
"It’s a muddy mess down there right now," Pelc said.
Ohio
State officials have warned students and staff about the efforts. The
goal is "to avoid confusion and alarm that may be caused by the noise as
well as to advise that there will be increased activity along the river
corridor," according to a university announcement.
The city could
stop the fireworks earlier than December if plants take hold. Workers
can’t kill or capture geese, which are federally protected, without a
permit.
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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com
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