By Heather Hintze
EUGENE, Ore. -- The city says its plan to mitigate the water fowl problem in Alton Baker Park is getting good feedback from the public.
Crews put up a fence around park of the central pond about a month ago in an effort to improve the quality of the area. It stretches around the half of the pond, where there was the easiest access to land. It's one part of the city's goal to get geese back in their natural habitat.
"A lot of times the Canada geese and the larger domestic geese, they would prefer to walk in and out of the water, they feel more safe doing so," says Park Operations Manager Rob Hallett.
To prevent geese from wandering back and forth between the pond and the park, the city installed a small black fence and replaced the southern edge of the sidewalk with vegetation. The result: A cleaner sidewalk.
"So far at this point it seems to be meeting out expectations. The only measure we have to see that it is meeting our expectations is the reduced amount of duck droppings on the pavement and on the grass," says Hallett.
The fence is just one step in the city's plan to improve the entire park.
"We'd like to focus on and that's water quality, erosion issues and the general health of the birds in the park," says Hallett.
People who use Alton Baker say they don't mind the fence, but they question its effectiveness.
"They would have to block off all the fields, and I don't think that's feasible so maybe protecting this particular pond and this area is feasible, but I don't think they're going to keep the Canada geese from coming to this area," says Loraine Baker Hanley of Eugene.
"They're going to have to be more aggressive. You're going to have to trap them and really work at it," says Larry Williams of Springfield.
While no aggressive tactics are planned, the city says it's doing what it can to help. The next project goal is to get people to stop feeding the ducks. There are already large signs posted in a number of areas warning about the hazards of giving bread to the animals. The city will also look at posting signs on the fencing as well.
