Geese are becoming a problem at Mount Desert Island High School.
Officials have tried several tactics to scare off the birds, including fake coyotes, lasers and chasing them in golf carts. But nothing has worked so far.
According to School Superintendent Mike Zboray, the high school has tried multiple ways to scare off the geese without using any sort of lethal means.
As part of the application process for a depredation permit for geese, an entity must prove that it has tried and exhausted many nonlethal methods of making the geese leave the area and not return.
Zboray said that the high school has tried the following:
— Fake Coyotes
— Laser lights
— Sound deterrents
— Large Wind socks — like you see at businesses
— Blank gun shots — from the track-and-field starting pistol — (after communication with local police)
— Showing up early when they feed and chasing them on the school’s golf cart
On Aug. 30, representatives from U.S. Fish and Wildlife showed up at the high school and were prepared to eradicate geese, but there were none on the school grounds, according to Zboray.
Zboray also said, “We recently learned of a new method using remote-controlled cars, and we will try that before contacting the Fish and Wildlife Department. Lethal methods are a last resort, and we continually try multiple methods.”
The soccer and football fields and around the ponds on school grounds are the areas of concern for fecal matter.
“There are multiple health issues with large amounts of fecal matter on the playing field. This is a significant issue for students playing soccer and football as they come into contact with the ground and a ball that may have fecal matter on it,” Zboray said.
When asked if the high school has performed Canada goose eradication in the past, Zboray wrote in an email, “Yes, this has been done in the past, after following all Fish and Wildlife protocols as mentioned above. At those time[s] it was successful for that season. We will continue to try all other options before resorting to lethal means. However, the safety of students is the utmost concern.”
That’s not the only place on Mount Desert Island grappling Three days prior, on Aug. 27, the Southwest Harbor Police Department received a complaint regarding gunshots at the Causeway Club Golf Course.
According to a press release from the department, when Officer Rick Graham responded, he learned that “the gunshots were the result of a federally permitted goose eradication operation.”
The general manager of the Causeway Club didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the fate of those geese.
