At the Reservoir Beach, geese are a nuisance.  They are annoying to the people who come to enjoy the beach, and they can be aggressive, sometimes hissing at, chasing and frightening children.  They destroy the grass by eating it and what a mess they leave behind – so bare feet beware!!

Arlington Recreation is working hard to keep the geese off of the beach and to keep it clean.  Here’s what’s being done:

·       Early in the season, a team of Border Collie dogs, specially trained to herd geese, was brought to the Res for 1 week to chase the geese away, prior to their molting season.  This helped to eliminate some of the geese, but not all.

·       Temporary “beach fencing” has been put up along the berm in an attempt to discourage the geese from entering the beach area.  It’s hoped that the geese have molted and can’t fly, so they won’t be able to find a way back onto the beach and will be encouraged to stay outside of the swimming area.  This berm fencing will be removed at the end of the swimming season to return open access for other “off-season” activities.

·       Every morning Recreation employees are chasing away any geese that come into the beach area, and are raking and scooping up the goose droppings that have been left behind.

Here’s what you can do to help:

·       Please do not feed the geese or ducks!  It encourages them to stick around and bring their friends.   Also, it’s not healthy for them to eat “people food” or to rely on us for their meals.

·          Keep all food packed up and put away before and after eating time.  And always clean up scraps and litter for disposal in the trash barrels provided.

Working together we hope to have a beach area that is comfortable and welcoming for people!

If you have any further questions please speak to the Aquatics Director or call the Recreation Office 781-316-3880

7/22/02

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