You might have noticed more geese in neighborhoods across the Front Range – and with more geese comes more geese feces.
If you’re not a fan of goose poop on your otherwise pristine lawn, you might want to have a talk with your neighbors.
Some homeowner associations – including one in Westminster – say a significant reason geese are sticking around is that residents and community members are feeding them on a daily basis.
Sure, geese might be weirdly cute, but you aren’t doing them a favor by sneaking them your leftovers.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials say Canada geese are protected by state and federal laws – and thanks to the preferential treatment, some of them don’t even migrate anymore.
That’s probably why you’re noticing more of them in your neighborhood parks – and it’s also becoming more of a problem in certain neighborhoods.
Since geese are protected, you can’t do just anything to get them to go away. Here are some tips from Colorado Parks and Wildlife:
-Do not feed geese or other waterfowl on your property
-Modify your lawn. Geese don’t like visual barriers between ponds and feeding areas. This means plant trees, thick brushes or a dense hedge between grassy areas and water.
-You can use environmentally-friendly goose repellent on your lawn
-You don’t need a permit to scare, repel or herd geese to protect your property, as long as the birds aren’t repelled or harmed
-As much as your dog might love it, you can’t let your dogs off their leash to scatter geese
Remember: Any activities that result in handling, damage or destruction of geese or their eggs and nests, require permits.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has a full look at what is and isn’t allowed when it comes to living with geese here: http://bit.ly/2l35Lf2
