FRANKLIN, Ind. (WTHR) – The biggest research grant Franklin College has ever received is going to study the "love-hate" relationship, between us humans and those pesky Canada geese.
Researchers are looking for ways to keep geese healthy and keep us from getting honked off or hurt.
In the soaring formations of migrating Canada geese there is majesty and nobility, but on the ground in countless neighborhoods there is a whole other story.
"They are nasty," said home owner Harold Waggoner. "They're varmints. They tear up your yard." And they poop everywhere.
According to Waggoner, more than 60 geese and goslings invade the little retention pond surrounded by homes.
"They chased me," he said. Little geese? "No Big geese. Big geese." Waggoner answered.
"They are big. They are charismatic. They are loud," said Franklin College associate professor and researcher Dr. Ben O'Neal.
According to O'Neal, they are also beautifully loved by hunters and are critical to the environment.
"As predators, prey, seed dispersers, disease vectors, they have a functional role," O'Neal explained.
But there is a problem. Geese were probably never intended to swim, breed and live in the middle of cities or the retention ponds of suburban neighborhoods.
O'Neal is leading students though the $250,000 study of Canada geese. They want to know how they live, where they migrate and the the impact they are having.
Like a lot of property owners, Waggoner has one big question. "How do I get rid of them without getting in trouble?" he said with half a smile.
Waggoner's "pond front" yard is surrounded by a low fence made of rope. Plastic swans, a fake coyote and alligator aren't scaring off the geese.
Researchers want to find out what tactics work and can help manage Indiana's growing geese population.
A population that O'Neal explained, "For thousands and thousands and thousands of years have inhabited these landscapes and now we want to inhabit these landscapes. How do we manage that in a way that is reasonable?"
Creating a peaceful co-existence so homeowners are happy to let Indiana's Canada geese live and fly.