City Government
Parks Plan Could Solve Trolley Issue
December 29, 2009 
STEALTHY COYOTE IN ANN MORRISON PARK LOOKS REAL, BUT IS ONLY AN ILLUSION
Boise Parks workers have come up with a plan that could solve the goose problem AND the trolley debate.
UNEMPLOYED BORDER COLLIE
At a February 2009 meeting, Boise’s Park Board voted to pursue a plan to use stray border collie dogs from the Humane Society, trained by prison inmates to chase the pooping geese out of the parks. The shelter had a candidate dog and the animal was adopted by a family anxious for a pet. The plan was never pursued according to a Parks spokesperson.
THIS EXPLAINS THE PROLIFERATION OF COYOTES
We started noticing coyotes at the Veterans Hospital grounds and at Plantation Golf Course along State Street. First glance it appeared there was a pack of the critters, but closer inspection revealed they were mere plywood cutouts. Reports indicate the silhouettes work well initially, but they need to be moved around to keep the adaptable geese guessing if they are real.
The “paper doll” coyotes cost less than training and feeding dogs and paying a handler–good economics in these tough budget times.
Now, if only Team Dave would take the hint and settle for a set of “paper doll” silhouettes of the Desire Named Street Car, we could probably balance the city budget which is out of kilter at present…
To insure more advertising-free Boise Guardian news, please consider financial support.
Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
© 2009 Boise Guardian. 
Dec 29, 2009, 11:22 pm
No, BG. Speckled hen hit upon it earlier. LEGO’S!
Dec 30, 2009, 9:33 am
And an even cheaper way to get rid of the geese is to open the park to hunters to knock off a bunch of them and have all the proceeds go to the shelter for the hungery; killing two birds with one stone!
Dec 30, 2009, 11:29 am
No word yet on whether Mr. Beater got that sweeet Lionel set he asked Santa for. (If only it were so simple…)
Regarding the geese… I love seeing flocks of ’em flying over, honking happily. But they are indeed problematic when they set down in populated areas.
At times when I’m bicycling through a huge gathering of ’em, and they are reluctantly parting to open my path, it’s like I’m in that final surreal scene of Hitchock’s “The Birds.” Honkers as far as the eye can see.
Tell me this, Mr. Guardian. I’ve wondered in the past. Could a cyclist legally “harvest” a goose using, say, a 9-iron in city limits? It would be a good test of skills… hitting that roughly golfball-sized noggin. (Of course they say that critters taste like whatever they’re eating… dunno if a lawn-flavored goose would be particularly appetizing.)
Dec 30, 2009, 1:54 pm
Maybe if the public would stop pulling them up and moving them they could see if they actually work.
Dec 30, 2009, 2:45 pm
Wild goose is excellent eating! Very little fat and nice sweet red meat. They taste nothing like domestic goose. They are also quite smart. You might be able to get one with a 9 iron, but not the second one ever. Personally, I am willing to wade in their poop on the greenbelt as a fair exchange for their beauty.
Dec 30, 2009, 10:14 pm
Skeins cannot exist without gaggles. To profess love for one while advocating the elimination of the other is both oxy, and fully, moronic.
Dec 31, 2009, 6:28 am
Why don’t they just let a work detail of prisoners chase the geese around? It would be good exercise and no need for dogs.