Council Green-Lights Purchase of 'Goose Laser'

At the recommendation of president Earl Hill, Hellertown Borough Council unanimously approved $300 in funding for the purchase of a green laser that is supposed to help repel nuisance goose populations.

Hill told council that Canadian geese have become a frustrating nuisance along Walnut Street, where they flock to the ponds that are adjacent to the society's headquarters and the Wagner Grist Mill.

Combined with the summer heat, the animals' waste is creating unsanitary and odorous conditions for visitors to the mill and , he said.

The laser is commonly used on golf courses and in other areas where unwelcome geese tend to congregate, Hill explained.

Borough Manager Cathy Kichline said that according to her research, the laser is most effective at reducing goose populations when used in tandem with other repellants.

"One method will not work," she told council. "One method will only work temporarily."

Kichline said "the most effective method begins in January," before geese begin to lay their eggs.

When the eggs hatch, the goslings who are born "are the ones coming back the following year," she said.

Kichline recommended a concerted effort to keep geese away from the ponds in the wintertime, which would necessitate deploying manpower to that area on a daily basis.

"Whenever they're landing you need to get rid of them," she said. "You need to bug the heck out of them."

Bethlehem Township has had success with the "bug the heck out of them" method, and has invited borough staff to observe its staff's techniques, she added.

Hill expressed support for that idea, but told council that in the meantime "we've got to do something."

He announced that the society will contribute $150 toward the cost of one of the higher-powered lasers, which retail for about $450.

A motion by council to purchase the device was then approved unanimously.