FARGO—With ponds, harvested corn fields and a hunter less metro area, geese have found a safe haven around Crystal Sugar, in North Moorhead.
"Especially last fall, there were thousands of geese here," said Doug Emerson, who is in charge of Crystal Sugar's environmental affairs. "They can continue that, eat and come back."
In order to keep hundreds, even thousands of geese away from the Moorhead factory grounds and beet piles, Crystal has turned to a propane-powered cannon.
The goal: Keep the geese away from here and other neighbors who want them out. The city and Hector Airport, that will soon turn to the cannon for assistance. The plan: Annoy the birds so much, they leave.
"There have been varying degrees of success but we are working with the airport and the city of Moorhead, to lessen the problem," said Pat Rein, Crystal Sugar environmental compliance.
Before deploying the noisy cannon, Crystal worked with wildlife agencies and the city, trying to find the safest, most humane way to move the geese along.
Officials at Hector Airport tell us there are now two noise cannons that can be used to deter the geese on property near the airport.
One of the problems has been geese coming from the ponds on the north side of Moorhead, flying west to corn fields near Hector to feed.
Source: www.grandforksherald.com