Geese

Expanding one of the nation's busiest freeway interchanges won't make life easier for some weary commuters. A new ramp proposed for the 101-405 interchange in Sherman Oaks would destroy part of a wildlife reserve in the Sepulveda Basin that provides a rare resting place for migrating Canada geese, environmentalists say. "We've trained the geese to come here for 20 years and forage in grasses we planted," said Steve Hartman, a volunteer with the California Native Plant Society.

A man accused of killing a pet Canada goose named Wee Wee has pleaded guilty to shooting wildlife out of season. David Gregory Davis, 48, of Marysville was fined $1,229 after entering the plea this week in Yuba County Superior Court. Wee Wee was considered part of the family after Todd Hulsey and Sherri Neel rescued him as a gosling from the Sacramento River more than a year ago.

It turns out that Mother Goose has been hard at work. Once upon a time, goose dinner was a holiday favorite, trimmings and all. "Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat," goes the old nursery rhyme. Perhaps the most famous roasted goose was served by the Cratchit family in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," complete with applesauce and mashed potatoes. But goose, a greasy, gamy bird, never quite caught on in America -- until recently.

Piles of goose waste at a city lake have officials struggling to clean up the mess for picnicking park-goers. Full-time resident Canada geese arrived at the city's Lake Merritt in 1954 when several injured birds were introduced to the refuge. Their numbers have exploded in the last 20 years to at least 200 regulars, with about 2,000 geese descending on the park each summer, according to the National Audubon Society.

Regarding "Trumpeter Swan's Rare Southland Layover" [Jan. 4]: I know it's a direct quote and I should get a life, but it never ceases to chap me when I find Canada geese incorrectly referred to as "Canadian" geese -- and by a former wildlife officer, no less! Will Campbell Los Angeles As one writer recently put it: "These birds are never 'Canadian geese' unless, of course, they are found carrying passports." Tony Gaston Encinitas

The operator of a home for the elderly faces 22 felony animal cruelty charges for allegedly maiming Canada geese so they couldn't fly from his property. Titus Bujdei, owner of Lakeside Villa, is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Placer County Superior Court. He could face a maximum sentence of 17 years.

The Aleutian Canada goose, which went from the brink of extinction to a farm pest, has been taken off the state's endangered species list, officials said in Grants Pass. With the population considered fully recovered at more than 64,000, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will recommend that the birds can be hunted, said Ron Anglin, a division administrator.

A California wildlife agency may soon get the green light to kill pesky Canada geese that have been fouling city parks, golf courses and urban lakes throughout the state. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed handing over the day-to-day geese management responsibilities to the state Department of Fish and Game, which would have several mitigation options to pursue.

She once counted 1,600 Canada geese grazing on her green soccer field. Not only did the population upset the gentle ecosystem of the park, but the geese's slippery droppings, which amount to as much as three pounds a day, can fell even the most nimble of soccer players. Clearly, Central Park's Supervising Park Ranger Judy Felber had to act. Nearly five years ago she hired Luke, a McNab herding dog, and the bird count plummeted.

Re "Sonoma Is Front Line in War Over Foie Gras," Nov. 29: The force-feeding of geese or ducks constitutes torture of animals, pure and simple. It involves forcing a feeding tube into the animal's mouth and throat and forcing feed down into the stomach above and beyond what it eats normally. It is decadent and indefensible for a civilized person to wish to eat the resulting product -- foie gras. If someone is in "business" to own, force-feed and slaughter geese and ducks and then "manufacture" foie gras from the enlarged livers, he or she is in the wrong business.