Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2001 21:57:13 -0500 Reply-To: l-appelbaum@mindspring.com Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "Laura M. Appelbaum" Subject: Pointless "high tech" bird control idea MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I just picked up on this item from the Associated Press -- it has to be one of the most pointless exercises in using "high technology" I've heard in a while -- particularly with regard to that native nemesis the Canada Goose. Why the USDA, which should certainly know better, is wasting time and money on a technique that, even if it worked, (which according to the article, it doesn't) would at best send the problem into someone else's backyard or field, or lake or whatever, is beyond me. Here's the article in it's entirety with a couple of remarks from yours truly in brackets: Biologists using laser beams in war against geese ASSOCIATED PRESS Jan. 27, 2001 | DOYLESTOWN, Pa. -- The war against geese on Lake Galena could finally be won with weapons from the space age. Biologists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture are sweeping the lake with laser beams, hoping to harass 17,000 geese into finding a new roost. Officials say the experiment, which began this week, marks the first time lasers have been field-tested on geese, but results have so far been mixed. [Laura asks: Does this REALLY surprise anyone? Laura] After shooting lasers across the lake for 15 minutes Tuesday night, USDA biologist John Cepek estimated that virtually all of the 17,000 geese had flown away. By Wednesday afternoon, most had returned. According to the National Audubon Society, Bucks County's goose population has grown from 500 birds to more than 60,000 over the last 30 years. Officials estimate the geese cost the county's farmers $300,000 in damage last year. Ron French, an ornithologist, witnessed the laser experiment and concluded hunters were the answer. "These geese are migratory birds," he said. "In the spring, we'll have only a few hundred of them. The breeders are the problem. At times you can't put down a picnic blanket for the goose (droppings). We need to extend the hunting season on them." If the laser program is eventually successful however, it could replace hunters and explosives as the way to manage geese in populated areas like suburban Philadelphia. The lasers disrupt the birds' habits and could cause them to migrate elsewhere, Cepek said. "We're not certain why the birds react to the beam," Cepek said. "We think it may trigger a fear signal in their brain." "The laser does absolutely no harm to the birds," added Chris Croson, another USDA biologist. [He might have added; "it has absolutely no effect, either"] While one goal of the laser program is improved water quality in the lake, utility officials said customers are already receiving clean water. Laura Appelbaum Cloverly, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================