Moncton battles goose droppings in city parks

Moncton officials are trying to deal with the issue of the mess left behind by flocks of Canada geese that are congregating on parks and fields around the city.

Large numbers of Canada geese are hanging around in grassy areas, leaving behind droppings on baseball and soccer fields and walking paths.

On Thursday, like many other days in Moncton, a person could be seen feeding a gaggle of geese at Jones Lake.

Behind the birds, a popular walking trail is filled with goose droppings.

Rod Higgins, the general manager of parks and leisure services in Moncton, said that path won't be cleaned because staff are busy concentrating on baseball and soccer fields and other places where children play.

Higgins said staying on top of the problem of goose droppings on some of the citys most well-used paths is hard.

"It's very difficult, I mean recreation departments and cities all across the country are trying to deal with it - some have tried to make special lawnmowers and things to pick it up and scoop it up," Higgins said.

"But there really isn't an easy solution to it."

Alain Clavette, a birder, said ever since thousands of Canada geese were brought to New Brunswick from Ontario in 1997, the problem has been growing.

Clavette said the only thing that can be done to cut down on the amount of goose droppings laying around the city is to stop feeding the birds.

"Every time you create a patch of grass, you know, of mowed grass, you are feeding them," he said.

Higgins said citizens can also help the cityreduce the amount of goose droppings.

"Please don't feed the geese because if they're fed they stay in that area, we try to move them along to less populated areas," Higgins said.

"But once they're fed, once there's a source of food, then they stay."

Moncton officials have been battling goose droppings for several years.

In 2009, Moncton officials said they hoped irrigation systems on new baseball diamonds and fields could scare off the birds.

Other communities have also struggled with geese populations.

In 2011, Nackawic received a permit to kill as many as 250 Canada geese that were leaving a mess at the towns main park.