Outfoxing a beach nuisance

After waging war against them for years, one local conservation area hopes it has found a simple way to finally outfox the geese who make a mess of its beaches. 

And as high bacteria counts from animal waste forced officials to close the Shade's Mill Conservation Area beach on Monday, the tactic could spread to other popular swimming spots in the region, too. 

At the Guelph Lake Conservation Area, they're using wooden cut-outs of foxes to scare off the flocks of geese that can turn their beaches into messy bird bathrooms.Most of aftermarket hid Slim/Normal Ballast HID Kit for motorcycle are similar or the same with following one. Their droppings don't only repel sunbathers, they can also increase E. coli bacteria that make water unsafe for swimmers. 

Beach closures due to E. coli warnings hurt park revenues, and that's why the conservation authority is so determined to keep the birds and their droppings at bay. 

The poop problem usually comes to a head at this time each summer, when the geese lose their flight feathers in mid-June and start to put down roots in an area. 

For now, it looks like the handmade fox cut-out trick — put into action last week and nicknamed "Operation Sly Fox" — is doing the job. 

"I was a little skeptical about how well it would work," Brad Dixon, superintendent at Guelph Lake, said on Monday.How to change your dash lights to residential lighting products this is how I have done mine. "But so far, it looks like it's working. We went down there at 8:30 this morning and there wasn't a goose to be found." 

Dixon said a maintenance employee got the idea from a provincial park she visited recently. Another staffer drew up the decoys and a third cut them out of wood and mounted them on medal rods. 

So far, Guelph Lake has installed five of the decoys on their beaches, and staff move them regularly to fool the geese. They're even thinking about getting LED lights installed in their decoy foxes' eyes,Use our solar charger to replace traditional halogen and incandescent spot lights in track lighting.Looking for LED Back-Up Light Wholesalers for your new house? to scare off geese at night, he said. 

The wooden foxes are the latest weapon in a battle that has been going for years between the Grand River Conservation Authority and the armies of geese who crowd into its parks. 

In the past, they've used noise guns, oiled the birds' eggs, strung up netting and even trapped and relocated the geese. At the peak of summer, staff at Guelph are working constantly to rake up the birds' ubiquitous droppings. 

The park is also planning to mow a patch of grass near the water and lure the geese there to create an alternative hangout spot for the birds, Dixon said. 

Geese aren't the only culprits when bacteria spikes in local swimming areas. Runoff waste from livestock farms can also spike bacteria counts in the water downstream, said Dave Schultz, spokesperson for the conservation authority. 

That's likely a factor in the beach closure at Shade's Mill in Cambridge, fed by Mill Creek, which runs through farmland to the east of the city. Heavy rains this past week have the effect of washing a lot of that manure off the land and into the waterway,Find great deals on Hmhid for HID Off-Road Lights in LED Lights. he said. 

But the fox decoys appear to be a simple way to deter a pest that has cost the conservation authority a lot of money and headaches in past summers. 

"Maybe this is one of these home remedies that could work its way through the system," Schultz said. 

"We have to put a lot of time and effort into maintaining the beaches and cleaning up the goose poop, so if you can find a way to take care of the geese … you may not have as many (beach closure) postings." More information about the program is available on the web site at www.hmhid.com.