Man v. Nature: always go with Man

Derrick Jackson at the Boston Globe notices how the Charles River is so nice and clean, these days:

On the Fourth of July, the Charles River retreats to a backdrop for the majestic music of the Pops and the magic of fireworks. On closer look, we have much more to celebrate, as we have granted these once-horribly polluted waters their own independence ...

Not only the river itself but the pathways along the Charles have become much cleaner, the result of efforts by the state and private organizations to reduce the effects of having a large resident geese population.

While some people enjoy having the geese around to look at and listen to, others have been annoyed by the large amount of geese droppings (poop) littering the area, so the Department of Conservation and Recreation, with the assistance of the privately-run Esplanade Association, has begun a mitigation process, known as "Geese Peace".

One of the ways they are reducing the geese population is by destroying thousands of geese eggs. As the Boston Globe reported in 2009, The USDA already helps local officials keep eggs from hatching by coating them in corn oil - an effort that now takes place every spring from the Esplanade to the Public Garden to Jamaica Pond.

Saying you are killing unborn goslings by coating them in oil would repel some people, so everyone involved calls it "addling".

The president of the MSPCA is quoted as saying "killing is not the answer," but the program is mentioned on the MSPCA-angell website as being completed "successfully".

Homeowners around a lake in New Hampshire have gone one step further in the quest to keep geese populations down. According to CNN, the state comes in to take away the geese, which they put in cages and then gas to death euthanize. WMUR-TV covers the story, as well.