The final numbers are in, and the results are impressive. From late March thru the first week of May, Ridgewood GeesePeace volunteers spread out all over Bergen County to help stabilize the resident Canada goose population in Ridgewood and our surrounding communities. Here are the final results:
VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD
97 eggs oiled (22 nests) = 944 fewer adult Canada geese in 8 years* than there would have been absent the GeesePeace egg-oiling program.
BERGEN COUNTY PROPERTIES (County Parks, United Water properties, schools and private property throughout Bergen County excluding Village of Ridgewood):
871 eggs oiled (210 nests) = 8,081 fewer adult Canada geese in 8 years.
COMBINED VoR/BERGEN COUNTY
968 eggs oiled (232 nests) = 9,023 fewer adult Canada geese in 8 years.
*Estimates of unborn Canada geese based on GeesePeace formula, which provides for a 40% survival rate for goslings.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
GeesePeace in the News
Local GeesePeace efforts are getting some great press this year.
Read a Bergen Record article reporting on oiling in Saddle Brook, Saturday, April 11.
View the GeesePeace segment of a Star Ledger Live webcast, featuring Ridgewood volunteers oiling in Woodcliff Lake, Monday, April 20. View the entire webcast, which opens with a segment featuring a depredation advocate.
Read a Pascack Valley Community Life article on oiling in Westwood, Tuesday, April 21. Very enthusiastic group of newly trained volunteers in Westwood.
And today, NBC will be covering GeesePeace volunteers oiling in the Saddle River County Park/Otto Pehle Area.
Saddle River County Park/Otto Pehle and Rochelle Park Update
Carla Marcus, a producer for MSNBC, shot some footage of GeesePeace volunteers in action down in Saddle Brook yesterday. The footage will be archived for potential use in future stories about geese, most likely in connection with aircraft "bird strikes," but no segment planned specifically on our work here. In the photo above, Carla is speaking with Peter Both, director of the McFaul Environmental Center in Wyckoff.
26 More Eggs in Seven New Nests
Thanks to Pam Perron and first-timer Penny Boag, who joined Diana Wing, Peter Both and Greg Ulscht to oil eggs in seven new nests Greg located earlier in the week during his daily walks around the park.
Total in these areas to date: 157 eggs in 40 nests. And we're not done yet!
Read a Bergen Record article reporting on oiling in Saddle Brook, Saturday, April 11.
View the GeesePeace segment of a Star Ledger Live webcast, featuring Ridgewood volunteers oiling in Woodcliff Lake, Monday, April 20. View the entire webcast, which opens with a segment featuring a depredation advocate.
Read a Pascack Valley Community Life article on oiling in Westwood, Tuesday, April 21. Very enthusiastic group of newly trained volunteers in Westwood.
And today, NBC will be covering GeesePeace volunteers oiling in the Saddle River County Park/Otto Pehle Area.
Saddle River County Park/Otto Pehle and Rochelle Park Update
Carla Marcus, a producer for MSNBC, shot some footage of GeesePeace volunteers in action down in Saddle Brook yesterday. The footage will be archived for potential use in future stories about geese, most likely in connection with aircraft "bird strikes," but no segment planned specifically on our work here. In the photo above, Carla is speaking with Peter Both, director of the McFaul Environmental Center in Wyckoff.
26 More Eggs in Seven New Nests
Thanks to Pam Perron and first-timer Penny Boag, who joined Diana Wing, Peter Both and Greg Ulscht to oil eggs in seven new nests Greg located earlier in the week during his daily walks around the park.
Total in these areas to date: 157 eggs in 40 nests. And we're not done yet!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Jane's Excellent Adventure
Jane's excellent egg-oiling adventure crisscrosses Bergen and Passaic Counties.Last week, Jane sent me a list of the sites she had investigated and patrolled to date, with precise details on nest locations and the number of eggs oiled in each nest. I took a quick glance at it then, but last night I read through the list more thoroughly. I can't believe how many areas Jane has visited throughout Bergen and Passaic counties.
As of April 16, when she sent me the list, Jane had visited 28 general locations from Mahwah in the north down to Lyndhurst in the south, and from Oakland in the west across to Westwood in the east. Within that expanse, Jane had oiled 304 eggs in 69 nests. Wow.
I've decided a graphical representation is the best way to convey the scope of Jane's adventure. We begin at 445 Godwin Avenue, Midland Park, where she has treated several nests around the pond behind the skateboard park. Want to follow along? Just follow the blue line! Or you can read Jane's report.
Saddle River County Park/Pehle Area Update
Greg and I went back to the Parkway side of the Saddle River County Park in Saddle Brook this morning and oiled 35 more eggs in eight new nests, with one nest under construction. That brings the total to 131 eggs in 33 nests in the contiguous Saddle Brook and Rochelle Park areas. View updated map.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Goose Paradise Found, Mystery Solved
Pond and island at end of Emerald Court in Paramus.PARAMUS, NJ--For the past two years, dedicated GeesePeace volunteers have diligently patrolled along the Saddle River in the Saddle River County Park Wild Duck Pond area between Linwood and East Ridgewood avenues. Nests were found, eggs oiled. Yet each May, much to our collective frustration, goslings would mysteriously appear. Where did they come from?
Mystery Solved
Across the river from the Duck Pond is Emerald Court, a cul-de-sac off Paramus Road. At the end of that cul-de-sac is Goose Paradise--a small but fairly deep pond with an island in it. And like the origins of our current conflict with resident Canada geese, this particular Goose Paradise is entirely man-made. The developers couldn't have built a more welcoming habitat for the geese that have overrun this neighborhood. A deep pond with an island, surrounded by a smorgasbord of meticulously manicured lawns, and well protected by a 5' retaining wall ringing its circumference. All around the bottom of that retaining wall is a rocky ledge that's just wide enough for, you guessed it, Canada goose nests.
So each year, new goslings are born here and their parents lead them down to the county park. But wait--how do they get out of the pond? No way they can scale that 5' retaining wall. The answer? A large drainage pipe that leads from the pond right down into the river. The geese, one of the homeowners explained to me, simply waddle down through that pipe and come out the other end! Nature finds a way.
21 Eggs in Five Nests
After a call from the aforementioned homeowner, who learned about us after reading Mike Kerwick's article in last Sunday's Bergen Record, Diana and Walter Perog and I went over and treated 5 nests. One was on the island, which is easily accessible via a newly built bridge. Three nests were down on the rocky ledge at the bottom of the retaining wall; a ladder was needed to get down to those. The last nest was right up against another homeowners house, just a few feet from his pool. Needless to say, the homeowners were extremely grateful, and now know to call us whenever they see a nest appear.
View a brief slideshow.
Rochelle Park Update
Yesterday I reported on progress we're making in the Saddle Brook and Rochelle Park areas of the Saddle River County Park. Greg and I went back to Rochelle Park this morning, to treat nests spotted on the west bank of the river. We oiled 22 more eggs in four nests. Two nests were out on an island that didn't seem accessible looking at if from the east bank. Fortunately, the water was shallower on the west side, so we were able to wade out.
To date we have oiled 96 eggs in the Saddle Brook and Rochelle Park areas, with more to go.
Mystery Solved
Across the river from the Duck Pond is Emerald Court, a cul-de-sac off Paramus Road. At the end of that cul-de-sac is Goose Paradise--a small but fairly deep pond with an island in it. And like the origins of our current conflict with resident Canada geese, this particular Goose Paradise is entirely man-made. The developers couldn't have built a more welcoming habitat for the geese that have overrun this neighborhood. A deep pond with an island, surrounded by a smorgasbord of meticulously manicured lawns, and well protected by a 5' retaining wall ringing its circumference. All around the bottom of that retaining wall is a rocky ledge that's just wide enough for, you guessed it, Canada goose nests.
So each year, new goslings are born here and their parents lead them down to the county park. But wait--how do they get out of the pond? No way they can scale that 5' retaining wall. The answer? A large drainage pipe that leads from the pond right down into the river. The geese, one of the homeowners explained to me, simply waddle down through that pipe and come out the other end! Nature finds a way.
21 Eggs in Five Nests
After a call from the aforementioned homeowner, who learned about us after reading Mike Kerwick's article in last Sunday's Bergen Record, Diana and Walter Perog and I went over and treated 5 nests. One was on the island, which is easily accessible via a newly built bridge. Three nests were down on the rocky ledge at the bottom of the retaining wall; a ladder was needed to get down to those. The last nest was right up against another homeowners house, just a few feet from his pool. Needless to say, the homeowners were extremely grateful, and now know to call us whenever they see a nest appear.
View a brief slideshow.
Rochelle Park Update
Yesterday I reported on progress we're making in the Saddle Brook and Rochelle Park areas of the Saddle River County Park. Greg and I went back to Rochelle Park this morning, to treat nests spotted on the west bank of the river. We oiled 22 more eggs in four nests. Two nests were out on an island that didn't seem accessible looking at if from the east bank. Fortunately, the water was shallower on the west side, so we were able to wade out.
To date we have oiled 96 eggs in the Saddle Brook and Rochelle Park areas, with more to go.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
More Work Done, More to Do in Saddle Brook/Rochelle Park
Nest locations as of 4/15/09 in Saddle River County Park Pehle Area (Saddle Brook) and Rochelle Park AreaSADDLE BROOK and ROCHELLE PARK, NJ--Greg, Naomi and I woke up early this morning to treat new nests Greg located in the Saddle River County Park/Pehle area, and several others down in the Rochelle Park area. We treated 44 eggs in nine nests. One nest was out in the river on a pile of debris that has built up alongside a fallen tree. We had to climb out on the tree to access the nest. Greg sank through some loose debris and got a bootful of mucky water. Two other nests were out on islands, but luckily the water was shallow and we were able to wade out to oil the eggs. However, we saw four other nests on islands that are inaccessible without a boat; we may have to just let those go.
More work to be done here. Tomorrow, Greg and I will go back to Rochelle Park to treat several nests we saw on the opposite (west) side of the river. Also Greg has spotted a few new nests on the east side of the river across from the Pehle area, accessible via Cali Mack parking lot off Paramus Road.
To date we have treated 74 eggs in 16 nests in the Pehle and Rochelle Park areas of Saddle River County Park. I'm sure we'll oil well over 100 by the time we're done.
Publicity Paying Off
I have received two phone calls as a result of last Sunday's Bergen Record article. One was from a woman who wanted to get involved with GeesePeace, and she has signed up for training being offered tomorrow night in Westwood.
Another was from a resident who lives on Emerald Court in Paramus, a cul-de-sac off Paramus Road across the Saddle River from the Ridgewood Duck Pond. There's a small pond at the end of the cul-de-sac that we've known about since last year. Geese are nesting on a small island in the middle of the pond, which is very difficult to access due to high retaining walls and deep water. But the resident who called said he has waders, so I'll run over there this afternoon to check things out.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Intrepid Oilers
Monday, April 13:
Andy Lowry and Ellie Gruber treated a total of 48 eggs at two locations: The Northwest Bergen CountyUtilities Authority (NBCUA) in Waldwick, and the island between Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club and the NBCUA, which can only be accessed by a flat bottomed boat. This short trip is not for the faint at heart, by the way.
The NBCUA has been very helpful, they provide an employee to row us over to the island, where Andy hacks through the brambles with a clippers, and we crawl through the thick underbrush and muck to oil our eggs. There is hardly room to open an umbrella, but we do it!
There were 5 nests on the actual property, with more coming, from the looks of it. On the island, there were 7 more. But some of the nests only had 3 eggs, or 4, so we will return next Monday.
Ellie Gruber
Andy Lowry and Ellie Gruber treated a total of 48 eggs at two locations: The Northwest Bergen CountyUtilities Authority (NBCUA) in Waldwick, and the island between Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club and the NBCUA, which can only be accessed by a flat bottomed boat. This short trip is not for the faint at heart, by the way.
The NBCUA has been very helpful, they provide an employee to row us over to the island, where Andy hacks through the brambles with a clippers, and we crawl through the thick underbrush and muck to oil our eggs. There is hardly room to open an umbrella, but we do it!
There were 5 nests on the actual property, with more coming, from the looks of it. On the island, there were 7 more. But some of the nests only had 3 eggs, or 4, so we will return next Monday.
Ellie Gruber
In the News
Bergen Record staff writer Mike Kerwick wrote an excellent article about our efforts down in Saddle Brook last Saturday, at the Saddle River County Park/Pehle Area. Some of the comments were a little harsh, though.
Read the article.
Read the comments.
The readers who called us "morons" and "slime bucket" don't get it. With no natural predators or hunting in our towns, if we do nothing the goose population will continue to grow exponentially--and at some point local governments will be forced to deal with the issue using lethal methods.
Let's face it. At one extreme we have people who want to simply round up and kill the geese. At the other extreme are those who want to leave the geese alone entirely. I for one do not advocate depredations, and am proud of our efforts to keep the population under control using nonlethal methods, which are endorsed by the Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Read the article.
Read the comments.
The readers who called us "morons" and "slime bucket" don't get it. With no natural predators or hunting in our towns, if we do nothing the goose population will continue to grow exponentially--and at some point local governments will be forced to deal with the issue using lethal methods.
Let's face it. At one extreme we have people who want to simply round up and kill the geese. At the other extreme are those who want to leave the geese alone entirely. I for one do not advocate depredations, and am proud of our efforts to keep the population under control using nonlethal methods, which are endorsed by the Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Saturday, April 11, 2009
184 Eggs Oiled on Woodcliff Lake Island
WOODCLIFF LAKE, NJ--Wow, 184 eggs in 42 nests on this United Water property. Good job Diana, Jane, Ray and others!
30 Eggs Oiled at Saddle River County Park/Pehle Area
Nests located and treated Saturday, 4/11/09, at Saddle River County Park/Pehle AreaSADDLE BROOK, NJ--This morning Greg Ulscht and I treated 30 eggs found in seven nests along the duck pond and Saddle River in the Saddle River County Park/Otto Pehle Area. Michael Kerwick, a reporter for the Bergen Record, accompanied us and is writing an article to appear in tomorrow's Sunday edition.
Only one pair of geese was difficult to coax away from their nest (Pehle Area 1 on map above). All the others were fairly mild mannered and easily chased away.
The mother at Pehle Area 3 got no help from her mate, who was nowhere to be seen while were oiling and didn't show up until after we had completed our work and had retreated. After we retreat, usually the mother immediately goes back to her nest. In this case, she rushed toward her late-arriving mate, honking away. She appeared to be scolding him for not being there to help protect the nest. Kind of humorous.
We've got plenty more work to do here. We saw a few more nests on the opposite bank of the river, and Greg has located a few more downstream in the Rochelle Park Area. We will go back early next week.
Only one pair of geese was difficult to coax away from their nest (Pehle Area 1 on map above). All the others were fairly mild mannered and easily chased away.
The mother at Pehle Area 3 got no help from her mate, who was nowhere to be seen while were oiling and didn't show up until after we had completed our work and had retreated. After we retreat, usually the mother immediately goes back to her nest. In this case, she rushed toward her late-arriving mate, honking away. She appeared to be scolding him for not being there to help protect the nest. Kind of humorous.
We've got plenty more work to do here. We saw a few more nests on the opposite bank of the river, and Greg has located a few more downstream in the Rochelle Park Area. We will go back early next week.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
First Nests Treated in 2009
Location of first nest treated in Ridgewood, 2009.
RIDGEWOOD, NJ--And we're off. The 2009 nesting season is underway, and to date two nests have been treated in Ridgewood: the one shown on the map above and another behind the grandstand at RHS stadium field.
Ridgewood volunteers have also treated one nest in Fair Lawn this week.
Big weekend ahead, as volunteers from several towns will tackle Saddle Brook Park/Pehle Area, where 10 nests have been located. I'll plot the locations when we're done oiling Saturday.
Ridgewood volunteers have also treated one nest in Fair Lawn this week.
Big weekend ahead, as volunteers from several towns will tackle Saddle Brook Park/Pehle Area, where 10 nests have been located. I'll plot the locations when we're done oiling Saturday.
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