OCEAN PINES – An Ocean Pines committee has withdrawn its support for the use of a specialty turf grass to deter geese.
Last Saturday, Director Amy Peck, board liaison for the Environmental and Natural Assets Advisory Committee, announced a proposal to test FlightTurf, a low-maintenance turf grass, at the North Gate pond has been withdrawn after further research by General Manager John Viola, Public Works Director Eddie Wells and Golf Superintendent Justin Hartshorne.
In September, the committee brought the proposal before the board as a method to deter wildlife, including geese and deer, in areas around the ponds and Worcester County Veterans Memorial. The FlightTurf product was estimated to cost $2,600 an acre.
“I’m very proud of the committee and the work they did and the research they did on the FlightTurf,” she said. “Once we got more information from John Viola and Justin and Eddie Wells, it became apparent that this became a very cost-prohibitive approach, so it’s back to the committee.”
In 2018, the association brought in officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to euthanize nearly 300 Canada geese in an effort to mitigate problems relating to excrement and environmental pollution. That decision, however, drew the ire of some Pines residents protesting the “wholesale slaughter” of the birds without the community’s knowledge.
It was funny when UMES had a goose problem and they brought in Border Collies to herd them. They were most effective and they started herding the Minority students. They were running and dropping their books and getting their weaves all in a knot dogs bitting and herding at their heels. They thought the geese were territorial.
Man you need to stop. Hahaha
All they have to do to stop the geese from landing on the ponds is to string microfilament lines across the ponds in several places. The geese can see these lines and thus won’t land because of the obstruction. Easy fix. No water access fewer geese.
Here you have a case of a group of a-holes who moved to a small city built on wetlands, inhabited by the vast majority from Baltimore, DC, PA, NJ and NY, concerned about “environmental pollution” caused by geese. Laughable!
Boy, oh boy do they have some big problems in OP (snicker).