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Geese still flocking to Delavan Lake

DELAVAN TOWNSHIP — They’re back.

Maybe not as thick as last year when Town of Delavan Parks Director Steve Shoff counted as many as 150 geese at one time at Community Park on Highway 50 at the Delavan Lake inlet.

But he’s counted as many as 72 geese at the park at one time this summer.

That was enough to convince the town’s parks and tourism committee that something needs to be done.

Again.

The committee next month will brainstorm the possibilities in order to make a recommendation to the town board about goose control. The town last year hired the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Service to reduce the goose population on the lake. USDA workers on June 30, 2010, captured and killed nearly 160 geese from public and private properties around the lake.

The town used $4,000 from the Delavan Lake Sanitary District to pay for the service.

For a time in 2010, the park was goose free. Not anymore. The geese make a big mess around the lake and inhibit public enjoyment at Community Park, committee members said during an initial discussion.

“I don’t think any responsible parents would want to let their kids run around down there,” said committee member Austin Theabold.

It’s too late to approve an eradication in 2011.

The USDA’s eradication programs take place in late June and early July while geese are molting.

But it could be an option for next summer as could other methods such as stringing low wires to deter geese or getting volunteers to clean goose droppings, members said.

From the audience, town board Chairman Ryan Simons voiced opposition to the possibility of another eradication. Simons opposed the practice last year as a town board member.

“We did it last year, and we already have to do it again,” Simons said. “That doesn’t seem like a solution.”

Volunteers this spring oiled eggs and watched to confirm they didn’t hatch, Simons said. Others have suggested hiring a lifeguard to monitor and clean the beach, Simons said.

Human activity can deter geese, he said.

“If there’s activity there, the geese stay away,” Simons said. “If it’s quiet, then the geese come in, which in turn keeps (recreational) activity away.”