Reader Poll: What to Do About Geese at Urbandale's Lakeview Park

Geese have taken over Lakeview Park. 

And, apparently, the Urbandale City Council needs to amend a city ordinance to get rid of them, according to a memo from Director Jan Herke to City Manager A.J. Johnson.

Herke wrote that the parks department has received many telephone and email complaints about the geese. There are too many of them and their "fecal matter is overwhelming the park and trail system,"  she wrote. Also, some of the geese are aggressive.

Herke notes that geese have been unwelcome visitors to other ponds around the metro area and the parks staff has been investigating ways to drive them away from Lakeview Pond.

She recommended three possible solutions: 

• Discourage people from feeding the geese. It's harmful to the geese, causes them to alter their natural migration pattern, and pollutes the pond.
• Plant wildflowers and grasses around the perimeter of the pond, providing natural cover for predators. Geese will avoid these areas. 
• Haze the geese using trained dogs. Herke noted that studies have shown that once the geese feel threatened they will leave an area. 

Herke recommended the third approach, saying it had worked well at the Urbandale Golf and Country Club. She said the golf groundskeeper has two Labradors trained to harass the geese and is willing to bring them to Lakeview Park periodically to chase the geese.

The only problem: dogs are not allowed to run at-large in the city.

Consequently, Johnson is recommending an amendment to the ordinance prohibiting at-large animals in the city limit. The exception would be if the dogs are being used in a city-sanctioned activity.

The council will vote on this and other matters at its meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the chambers.