| Introduction | Methods | Results | Discussion |
Increasing Geese Population Affecting the
Amount of Feces in Vilas Park
Through data we have collected and
examined from the past we can see that there is an increase in the number of
geese in Vilas Park.
Our testing of the feces showed a
gradual increase.
We have found through testing that
this is an issue in the Vilas Park.
Friends of Lake Wingra are currently
proposing a natural vegetation buffer. “The purpose of the buffer are to
discourage nuisance geese from gathering along the lagoon shoreline”
(lakewingra.org). This vegetation buffer is created by placing different
plants around the shoreline to essentially block the view of the water for
the geese.
Creating a busy environment, lots of movement and distractions, would ultimately reduce the amount of geese in the area. This is something that needs to be approached as the geese are arriving or they will become adaptive to the environment.
In order to get accurate results, we
weighed the feces wet and dry to clarify the moisture level.
When determining the moisture level,
we were able to establish the freshness of the feces.
We used a one by one square meter
quadrate made of PVC pipes and randomly tossed the tool.
To measure the amount of geese
feces, we positioned ourselves in different locations in Zones 1 as a class
on September 28 and 29, along with October 3.
By finding vast amounts of feces, we identified the problem it poses which is that it directly affects the recreational area of Vilas Park.
FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2
Figure 1 and 2 show the outcomes that were found while performing the experiment. We recorded the dry weight, wet weight, net dry weight, net wet weight, pan weight, and the moisture percentage.
FIGURE 3
Figure 3 shows that there has been an increase in geese overall in the Vilas Park. With this increase we can safely assume that it will continue to increase until acted upon. We can also assume that the increasing population will mean increase feces, which will also continue to rise.
This over-population of geese is
negatively affecting the usage of land because it is causing a sanitation
problem.
We know that an increase in the
amount of geese will have an effect of how much feces is being produced. The
more feces being produced the bigger the problem.
This thereby limits the amount of
people who want to use the park for their enjoyment.
Zones 1 and 2 are being used for
recreational means such as; soccer, football, tennis, and basic everyday
park use.
When children are playing for
example soccer, the geese feces is getting on their uniforms and the ball.
The bacteria in the feces can than transferred into the mouth or to others,
which can create quite a problem.
In return we may be able to
find solutions in eliminating geese feces in the recreational areas, or the
bigger problem the amount of geese.
Any negative variable affecting the
use of the park must be addressed.
From previous data we can see that
the number of geese are increasing, from that we can assume that the amount
of feces is increasing.
We collected all the feces within
the square and bagged it for future testing. We repeated this step in
different areas to get an average for the zone.
We believe by decreasing the population of the geese this will essentially lessen the amount of feces, which will create a more sanitary recreational environment.
Researched and Designed by: Natalie Bastian, Ashly Sheild, and Rachel Selle