Fowl removal plan divides Forest Lake

When Forest Lake resident Joe Patrick left the hospital in 2017, he had to relearn how to live.

West Nile virus had attacked his central nervous system, rendering the avid cyclist a temporary quadriplegic. He’d spent two months at DCH Regional Medical Center and $200,000 in medical expenses to, eventually, emerge with his life.

“I almost died,” said Patrick, 56. “I had to learn how to walk and everything.”

And he suspects Forest Lake's increasing geese population is the culprit.

Patrick was one of three Tuscaloosa County residents diagnosed with West Nile virus in 2017, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During his path to recovery, Patrick said he met the two other Tuscaloosa County victims afflicted by the virus that's carried by mosquitoes from infected birds to humans.

Turns out, he said, they also live about a block from Forest Lake.

That’s why he, as president of the Forest Lake Homeowners Association, is leading the effort to remove the Canada geese from the manmade lake that gives the neighborhood its name. He's doing so despite opposition by some of his neighbors and other Tuscaloosa residents who want to see the animals remain.

“It’s a public health threat,” said Patrick, noting that by battling the illness he is now immune to any future infections. “I’m doing this to save my neighbors.

“There’s no benefit to me.”

Coincidence or not?

Muscovy ducks and their hybrid species have long been inhabitants of Forest Lake and, until the tornado that devastated the neighborhood and much of the city on April 27, 2011, they were the lake’s primary waterfowl.

But when the storm wiped away many of the centuries-old trees that surrounded the lake, it created a magnet for migrating Canada geese.

According to U.S. wildlife services, Canada geese are particularly attracted to open water surrounded by mowed lawns such as those around homes, golf courses and parks.

The now-open expanse of Forest Lake is such a place, surrounded by empty lots or homes with well-manicured lawns.

West Nile virus first appeared in the U.S. in upstate New York in 1999. It’s transmitted by mosquitoes that bite infected birds, including waterfowl like geese and ducks, and then carry that illness to mammals, like humans and horses.

The CDC said 20 percent of people bitten by an infected mosquito will develop a fever and other flu-like symptoms. And of these, about one out of 150 will develop a serious — and sometimes fatal — illness.

Health department officials said they couldn't definitively say whether Forest Lake's geese caused Patrick's illness without adequate testing and other procedures.

And Patrick himself openly acknowledges he cannot prove that the arrival of the Canada geese contributed to his infection. But with the trees gone, Patrick watched more and more geese arrive with each passing year.

And then, in July 2017, he came down with a 103-degree fever and stroke symptoms that led to him being placed on a ventilator. Afterward, he found that two of his neighbors also contracted the rare fever caused by the West Nile virus, which can lead to brain swelling, permanent damage to the central nervous system and, in some cases, death.

“(I’m) not positive that I was infected at Forest Lake,” Patrick said, “but when I met the other two people with West Nile virus within a block of Forest Lake I have to say the odds of this transmission are too great.”

Assistance sought

That was enough for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has agreed to remove the geese and some of the ducks if enough Forest Lake neighbors sign off.

“Because West Nile virus was found and transferred to humans in the area in the past few years, it was decided to remove the birds for the safety of human health,” said Tanya Espinosa, a public affairs specialist with the USDA. “I do want to stress that at this time there is no evidence to show those people contracted (the virus) from this particular flock of birds.

“However, several people that contracted the virus live in close proximity of the lake.”

While no West Nile virus cases have surfaced in Tuscaloosa County so far this year, according to officials with the local health department, Forest Lake residents still turned to Tuscaloosa city officials about the possibility of removing the birds out of infection concerns.

But after two ducks recently found dead near the lake were determined to have died after being struck by vehicles, Councilwoman Raevan Howard, who represents Forest Lake as part of District 2, said she will not encourage the city’s involvement in their removal.

“As a councilwoman, I’ve heard a lot from both sides and I think that, right now, I have a greater understanding of the geese and the ducks and their welfare there,” Howard said. “My hopes are to better educate the community, especially the newcomers or those who are only here temporarily … and make sure everyone is aware of the importance of why you shouldn’t feed the ducks.”

City officials now intend to study all found dead fowl for the presence of West Nile virus, for the time being, and currently are reviewing their mosquito control practices to determine the feasibility of expanding beyond routine spraying.

And while that is welcome to Forest Lake residents, the process of removing some of the birds that they once made efforts to save is proceeding.

Friends or foes

A year after the 2011 tornado, Forest Lake was drained to allow for a federal grant-funded debris removal project to proceed. While the waters were lowered, many residents filled kiddie pools with water to ensure the ducks had a livable habitat.

But the influx of geese — and the droppings and aggression they bring — along with an explosion of the duck population led to a change of perspective, for some.

Exactly how many are on board with removing the geese and, with them, some of the ducks, isn’t clear. Infighting among neighbors and vocal opposition from non-Forest Lake residents have led most of those in favor of removing the birds to steer clear of media inquiries.

Same goes for those in favor of protecting the birds.

A Facebook group, “Save the Ducks and Geese of Forest Lake,” has been created since it became known that there was an effort to remove them, but its creator declined to be interviewed when contacted by The Tuscaloosa News, opting instead for the safety of anonymity.

“I know how small town politics work,” the page’s creator said. “I'm afraid of the repercussions.”

But if enough Forest Lake residents agree, the geese and any of the ducks that are captured will be removed and killed.

From threatened to threat

While once thought to have gone extinct in the 20th century, the nation’s Canada goose population exploded between 1970 and 2009 from about 230,000 to 3.89 million, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.

Now, the Atlantic Flyway Council, a board of the Fish and Wildlife Services that makes recommendations regarding migratory game bird management, considers the Canada goose to be the most numerous waterfowl population under its jurisdiction of east coast states and has declared them overabundant, Espinosa said.

This has contributed to a number of nuisances as well as the threat of human infection, both of which serve as reasons for the USDA’s Wildlife Services division to step in and take action, when necessary.

There are ways to combat geese infiltrations, such as adding trees to interfere with flight lines, allowing grass to grow tall or creating vegetative or stone barriers around open bodies of water. Wildlife officials also recommend not feeding them.

When contacted, Wildlife Services will respond to local requests, such as those from municipal or county governments or private property owners. When it receives such a request, the division enters into a cooperative service agreement, or a contract, for its services.

“The requestor agrees to provide funding in return for the services provided by Wildlife Services,” Espinosa said, noting that the fee depends on a number of factors, including as the amount of manpower needed to accomplish the task.

She said the Forest Lake Homeowners Association has signed off on the goose removal project, but the cooperative services agreement is being sent to several individual property owners for final approval.

“If the (contract) is agreed upon, the work will commence sometime in the future,” Espinosa said. “The Canada geese, Muscovy ducks and any hybrids will be humanely rounded up and removed to a different location.”

There, Espinosa said, these waterfowl will be euthanized according to methods approved by the American Veterinary Association.

Reach Jason Morton at jason.morton@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0200.