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"Threat To Aviation Safety": 2,000 City Geese To Be Eliminated
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 12, 2009
Modified Jun 12, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 12, 2009
Modified Jun 12, 2009
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In other Flight 1549 news, the city and Port Authority are embarking on a plan to kill at least 2,000 pesky Canada geese living within 5 miles of airports. Mayor Bloomberg said, "The serious dangers that Canada geese pose to aviation became all too clear when geese struck US Airways Flight 1549. The incident served as a catalyst to strengthen our efforts in removing geese from - and discouraging them from nesting on - city property near our runways."
The NY Times explains the first phase of Operation: Goose Be Gone starts "next week, during the goose molting season, when the birds shed old wing feathers and are less mobile, and continue until the end of July. The immediate culling effort — in which the birds will be euthanized — will cost as much as $100,000...The 40 parks in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx will include Fort Totten and Flushing Meadows-Corona; culling will also take place at city properties like wastewater-treatment plants." Deputy Mayor Ed Sklyer said, “Clearly, geese are a threat to aviation safety, and we can’t count on miracles."
Other measures reported by the Post (which can now claim victory in its war against the birds) include: "Training airport supervisors as certified shotgun instructors, so they can shoot birds in 'emergency" situations,'" "Enhancing a falconry program, which involves training birds of prey to scare off the geese or attack them," and "Installing a new bird radar pilot program at JFK." Another interesting fact: The Flight 1549 was a US Airways Airbus 320, whose engines can "withstand a strike of up to seven birds weighing 1.5 pounds without shutting down, or one 4-pound bird without catching fire or breaking apart." But the geese that hit Flight 1549 were about 8 pounds each.
Tagged
airports
canada geese
Canada goose
flight 1549
miracle on the hudson
port authority
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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