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Attached to the back of a small truck, Mike Hicks spent Monday morning pulling what he believes is the answer to the region’s goose poop problem.
“A goose discharges three pounds of goose crap a day. There’s 100 geese on this field so you do the math,” Hicks said.
For years, the director for the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area has searched for ways to keep the fields clean. Goose discharge has been an ongoing issue all over the Capital Region, causing headaches for students and athletes.
“Every single day, I’ll walk in goose crap,” explained one student sitting in the nearby bleachers.
Hicks says he found the solution online.
Once attached to a vehicle, the machine’s wheels drive brushes which flicks the excrement into a catcher. Hicks has been testing out the machine in Sooke, unloading the droppings on the side of the field. He says they can be used for compost, or even sold for charity.
After making local headlines last week, the device has caught the attention of Capital Regional District (CRD) chairman and Saanich councillor Colin Plant.
“I hope everyone will, it’s a great idea,” he says.
Last summer the CRD wrote a letter to the federal government asking for help dealing with the region’s goose problem. Plant says the board is still waiting to hear back.
The device has even earned him a new nickname around Sooke.
“Instead of the King of Pop they’re calling me the King of Poop…the Michael Jackson of goose poop,” he says.
Joe Perkins
