The geese are back in town

Mirror Lake, across the street from Arjona and Monteith, is the bigger of the two lakes at the University of Connecticut and is the main natural attraction on the south side of campus.

A wire was put up around Mirror Lake in the fall after staff members vacuumed about 3,000 yards of organic sediment from the water, primarily goose droppings, said David Lotreck, the facilities manager at UConn.

Lotreck and his co-workers hope the wire will deter geese from hanging around the lake.

"We put up the wire to try to get them to think about relocating," Lotreck said.

According to Richard Miller, the director at the Office of Environmental Policy, geese can excrete several times their weight every day.

"This contributes nutrients to the water, which then promote the growth of algae and weeds and can eventually cause eutrophication of the lake, making it uninhabitable for aquatic life," Miller said.

In addition to the wire, the crew also put "Goose Be Gone," a grape seed extract, on the lawn to keep the geese away. The extract, which has the "faint smell of bubble gum" takes about an hour to apply, Lotreck said. "The geese don't like the smell of it."

The amount of time the extract lasts is dependent upon the weather.

"If there isn't heavy rain, it could last two to three weeks," Lotreck said.

Lotreck and his crew have already seen a significant decrease in the number of geese at the lake, but it is too soon to tell how long the wire will stay up.

"If it proves to be successful, it may be up indefinitely," he said.

Plans to dredge both of the lakes, Mirror and Swan, which is located across from the Chemistry Building, are still in the works. Until then, there are other solutions.

"We didn't put down as much of the gridding as was recommended," Lotreck said. "We may add to it in the spring."

The wire, the extract, and the dredging are part of a larger goal to eliminate significant plant and algae growth and increase the depth of the lake, the majority of which is only two to three feet.

"The lake would be a more viable lake if we could increase it 10 to 12 feet," Lotreck said.

Lotreck's crew didn't put up the wire or apply the extract at Swan Lake, located across from the chemistry building, because they didn't forsee the geese as being a problem there. Ducks at the two lakes aren't considered a problem either.

"Ducks stay on water whenever possible because, among other things, it makes them safe from predators like dogs and cats," said Margaret Rubega, an associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and the state ornithologist.

According to Rubega, the geese population has increased in New England recently because there aren't a lot of natural enemies for them, with more staying around throughout the year.