A huge thank you!

Editor, the VOICE:

The Lake Wilderness Arboretum is so grateful for the time that people gave to come out and help us clean up our grounds after the recent storm. Thank you to Marie Page and her two classes from Tahoma High School that gathered big branches on Friday (2/3) morning. Thank you to the THS cross-country team who came out to clear trails in the forest preserve on Saturday, 2/4. Thank you to all the community members who came out that same morning and helped clean up the western end of the Arboretum. It was a gorgeous sunny day; a perfect day to clean up your own yard or participate in your favorite outdoor activity and yet so many people came and helped out at the Arboretum. The amount of work that was accomplished was amazing! As a volunteer-run and maintained Arboretum, we could not have cleaned up so quickly without the help that was given.

Thank you,
Susan Goodell
Volunteer coordinator
Lake Wilderness Arboretum

What a sight to see

Editor, the VOICE:

I frequent Lake Wilderness Park and enjoy its beauty and wildlife. In the last few weeks, I happened to be walking there when a small flock of geese landed on the lake and realized it had been some time since I witnessed that breathtaking sight. I don’t know what their approach is to geese as a nuisance but I do know that other lake communities in Maple Valley and Covington have paid Fish and Wildlife to net them when they are molting and unable to fly. Fish and Wildlife then put them in a cage and euthanize them for a considerable fee. The newest types of pest goose control options are very safe, humane and extremely effective.

There are chemical goose repellants made specifically to deter geese. The substance is a non-toxic liquid that is sprayed on the grass areas like those at parks, cemeteries, golf courses and greenbelts and other types of landscape. The liquid is made from grape extract, methyl-anthranilate, and will not harm other plants, animals or humans. The goose repellent comes as a concentrate. Water is mixed as a concentrate usually at a ratio of one part concentrate to twelve parts water. It is best to apply the repellent the following week after the first application and will last up to 3 months. It will not wash off with watering or if it rains. The repellent irritates the birds’ trigeminal nerve and mucous membrane. They do not like the sensation when it enters the eyes, nose or mouth. The repellant simply makes the grass unpalatable to geese and they will move on to find a better food source and a more comfortable environment for them.

As we approach spring and birds become abundant, we should think outside the box to preserve all the things that make this part of King County beautiful, including it’s wildlife and still make it comfortable for our citizens. We don’t have to take the nuclear approach.

Sharon Morris