Boston Globe would give us goose poop
By G. Michael Dobbs
Managing Editor
Goose poop seems to be a statewide problem.
One of our sharp-eyed readers, Pam Finer of Longmeadow, spotted an interesting editorial in the July 24, 2005 edition of the Boston Globe that addressed the goose poop situation in the green spaces of The Hub.
It seems that the resident goose population those Canada geese who are here all year-round as opposed to the ones who fly through the region have made a mess of a number of parks in the greater Boston area. The Globe described the current techniques to control the population border collies to scare away the geese, barriers and altering their eggs so they won't hatch and then wrote "State officials should also consider relocating a portion of Greater Boston's geese to Central or Western Massachusetts."
What the heck? What kind of crack is that writer smoking? They put the same statement under a photo of some geese crossing a road that illustrated the unsigned opinion piece.
So I called the folks at Department of Fish and Game and spoke with Marion Larson, a biologist and information officer with the Department. She said that she could assure Reminder Publications readers the Commonwealth has absolutely no plans to herd geese from Boston to our part of the state.
She said she was originally from Pelham and understands the western counties' strained relationship with Boston.
She said that what has proved to be successful especially here and in central Massachusetts is the extension of a hunting season that targets the resident goose population, not the migratory. However, that is only possible in more rural areas such as ours. One can't have hunters running around downtown Boston packing rifles.
Now the Globe is showing its ignorance. Their writer should have checked with the Department about the possibility of a great goose round up before printing this fantasy.
Oh, I can see it now. The gooseboys in their hats, chaps and boots rounding up geese and heading down the Massachusetts Turnpike for the western grazing lands. Riding their horses, singing gooseboy songs and minding their border collies, the gooseboys would take that arduous legendary trip across the state. Towns along the way would have to brace themselves when the gooseboys would come through, looking for some relaxation and wild times.
And at the end, the gooseboys would have the satisfaction of knowing their efforts made Boston a little less poopy.
You know the drill. These are my opinions alone. Send your comments to mdobbs@reminderpublications.com or to 280 N. Main St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028.
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