Straight Talk: Geese on base

  • Published
  • By Col. Roman L. Hund
  • 66th Air Base Group Commander
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – For those who have been at the base track recently, you might have noticed the number of Canada geese grazing on or near the track. In this week’s Straight Talk, I will answer a question about feeding the geese and other wildlife on base. If you have a question and are not sure where to find the answer, I encourage you to contact the Straight Talk line at 781-225-1380 or by email at Hanscom.straightalk@us.af.mil.  

Q A visually challenged (blind) colleague of mine, who walks the running track every day with her sighted companion, informed me that someone is feeding the geese bread on the base track. The result is that the geese are leaving their “waste” behind on the track. This is creating a hazard for those who walk or jog at the track, especially those visually challenged.

Is it possible to post signs along the running track and provide an education program about the hazards of feeding geese and other wildlife on base?

A Occasionally we receive complaints about the Canada geese on base, which are documented as a “nuisance animal” in our Pest Management Plan. While feeding geese (or any other wild animal) will likely attract them in greater numbers or compel them to loiter longer, I am sure you are aware that elimination of human-provided food sources alone will not solve the problem. Geese are primarily upland grazers that are attracted to large lawns and mowed parks that provide an excellent source of food. Portions of Hanscom AFB, as well as many other areas in the Commonwealth, attract large populations of nuisance geese. This is a nationwide problem. Due to protections implemented when goose populations were dangerously low, as well as some other factors, their numbers have spiked to more than five million in North America.

We are attempting to leverage some tools to address the goose problem on base. We have been in discussions with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to extend a portion of a program now being used by the Massachusetts Port Authority to Hanscom AFB to assist in Canada goose control. Before purchasing the service, USDA requires the Air Force to sign an agreement, which is currently undergoing a legal review.

While I appreciate your idea to put up signs or educate base personnel, I am not inclined to add additional signs to the base specifically to address feeding of wild animals. Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) 3-120-01 instructs us to keep prohibitory signs “to the minimum number and size required to meet safety regulations and avoid visual clutter."

Anyone who notices the intentional feeding of wild animals on base is asked to contact the Straight Talk line at 781-225-1380 or by email at hanscom.straighttalk@us.af.mil. Feeding any wildlife at Hanscom AFB will not be tolerated. We will continue to communicate this policy to the Hanscom community through town halls, Straight Talk and commander’s calls.