By Terri Rimmer
It was only four years ago that some neighbors were pitted against each other – for and against the geese in one neighborhood.
In the fall of 1998, the community of Lake Barcroft, VA held its annual community meeting.
“This suburban Washington, D.C. community of 1,200 homes on a 130-acre lake with five swimming beaches is unusually tight-knit and active,” said Holly Hazard, vice-president of GeesePeace, a wildlife conflict program. “On the night of the association meeting, however, neighbors were pitted against each other over whether to declare war for – or against- the geese.”
The association board was poised to authorize a roundup and slaughter but agreed to hold off a final decision until all options could be reviewed.
What eventually evolved was a comprehensive strategy that goes by the name GeesePeace.
Their first step was to eliminate the controversy by agreeing to take the lethal option off the table, said Hazard.
The 17-point plan that the committee used all possible options to eliminate the nuisance aspect of geese around the lake.
Because the Lake Barcroft community made a commitment not to push its problem to its neighbors, leaders formed a non-profit organization that has since helped all of Fairfax County reduce the resident geese population, according to Hazard.
GeesePeace used geographic information systems technology to identify likely Canada geese nesting sites and hoped to “geocode” actual sites in 2001, according to records.
In the spring of 2000, the county of Fairfax, VA – with more than 400 square miles, 300 parks, and close to a million residents – became the first in the nation to receive a countywide permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for addling Canada geese eggs.
Next GeesePeace developed pilot nuisance abatement projects for five different property types, from a city park to a hotel and office complex to another homeowners association.
As a result of receiving calls from around the country, GeesePeace developed project plans to assist communities, according to their literature.
In December 2000 after one year of operation, they held an international conference on building better communities through non-controversial, humane wildlife management practices; the conference was supported by several wildlife protection groups and federal agencies.
The communities of King County are presented with the same challenges they faced in 1998, states Hazard.
Through a comprehensive nuisance abatement program, and Seattle-area community could eliminate the nuisance aspect of Canada geese in the summer of 2001 – increasing, not demoralizing, community spirit, she said.
It was only four years ago that some neighbors were pitted against each other – for and against the geese in one neighborhood.
In the fall of 1998, the community of Lake Barcroft, VA held its annual community meeting.
“This suburban Washington, D.C. community of 1,200 homes on a 130-acre lake with five swimming beaches is unusually tight-knit and active,” said Holly Hazard, vice-president of GeesePeace, a wildlife conflict program. “On the night of the association meeting, however, neighbors were pitted against each other over whether to declare war for – or against- the geese.”
The association board was poised to authorize a roundup and slaughter but agreed to hold off a final decision until all options could be reviewed.
What eventually evolved was a comprehensive strategy that goes by the name GeesePeace.
Their first step was to eliminate the controversy by agreeing to take the lethal option off the table, said Hazard.
The 17-point plan that the committee used all possible options to eliminate the nuisance aspect of geese around the lake.
Because the Lake Barcroft community made a commitment not to push its problem to its neighbors, leaders formed a non-profit organization that has since helped all of Fairfax County reduce the resident geese population, according to Hazard.
GeesePeace used geographic information systems technology to identify likely Canada geese nesting sites and hoped to “geocode” actual sites in 2001, according to records.
In the spring of 2000, the county of Fairfax, VA – with more than 400 square miles, 300 parks, and close to a million residents – became the first in the nation to receive a countywide permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for addling Canada geese eggs.
Next GeesePeace developed pilot nuisance abatement projects for five different property types, from a city park to a hotel and office complex to another homeowners association.
As a result of receiving calls from around the country, GeesePeace developed project plans to assist communities, according to their literature.
In December 2000 after one year of operation, they held an international conference on building better communities through non-controversial, humane wildlife management practices; the conference was supported by several wildlife protection groups and federal agencies.
The communities of King County are presented with the same challenges they faced in 1998, states Hazard.
Through a comprehensive nuisance abatement program, and Seattle-area community could eliminate the nuisance aspect of Canada geese in the summer of 2001 – increasing, not demoralizing, community spirit, she said.