GEESE
It has been our experience that the geese
do not like long grass and will preferentially go the mowed areas. As
Bermuda grass needs to trimmed short, we will no longer plant it on the
lake areas. The contractor is supposed to cut the grass at six inches.
(However, it seems very difficult to have him do this.) It is possible
that letting most of the grass grow somewhat longer and cutting walking
paths around the lake and at the property lines might reduce the goose
attracting areas. This could be considered, but it should be recognized
that it might just drive them into the adjacent yards. People feeding
them does not help.
What You Can Do to Discourage
Geese. In suburbia,
fertilized, closely mown grass, in fact, a verdant lawn leading to a
pond - devoid of surrounding shrubs and trees - is the ideal goose
habitat. That’s exactly what we’ve provided for the geese. We
encourage their residency with lush, green lawns The best way to
discourage geese is to alter their habitat:
- Reduce grassy areas by planting large borders of ground cover.
Geese do not like to walk through such plantings.
- Plant native trees and shrubs. Geese tend to avoid lawns when they
cannot see a water body for a quick getaway.
- Allow grass to grow taller. Geese do not like to walk through tall
grass.
- Turn part of a lawn into a native wild flower meadow.
- Plant grass less tasty to geese. Substitute fescues
for
Kentucky Blue Grass.
The Lakes & Grounds Committee has already halted the
practice of mowing the grass and plants right down to the water. Besides
discouraging geese, allowing vegetation along the banks has
significantly reduced erosion of the banks and silting of the lake.
Allowing the grass and waterside plants to grow naturally at the water's
edge has already produced noticeable improvement in the condition of the
bank, and it appears that the natural wildlife -- frogs, dragonflies,
etc. -- has benefited from this action and should help to manage the
mosquito population. Information provided by Canada Geese Citizen’s
Advisory Committee
http://www.icu.com/geese/report1.html.
For more information on current policies and
perspectives on geese & mowing around the lakes see:
NC
Official Position on Geese
Greystone
Geese Task Force Report & Recommendations (October 2001)
Greystone
Lake Report and Perspective (09/05/01)