Spring is here which means a malignant force is around us, stalking our parks, beaches and grassy medians. 

I’m talking about the Canada Goose. You turn a corner and you see two geese and small goslings.

They hiss, they honk, they’re aggressive, their poop closes Lake Washington swim spots and, I hate to implicate you, but they are here because of us.

Western Washington wasn’t home to abundant year round Canada Geese until the mid to late 20th century. Humans purposefully moved them here in an operation dubbed “Mother Goose.” 

Guest: 

David B. Williams, author and historian of books like Wild in Seattle: Stories at the Crossroads of People and Nature and the newsletter The Streetsmart Naturalist

Relevant Links: 

History Link: Operation Mother Goose begins to distribute Canada geese across the state starting on April 11, 1968

The Street Smart Naturalist: Operation Mother Goose

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.