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A GIFT FOR SADIA By Marie Fritz Perry
Sadia, a new immigrant to the US, befriends an injured Rochester Canada goose in this heartwarming story.
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HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SILVER LAKE, ROCHESTER
Pages 28-29 of the Rochester Visitor, December 18 2006
Earl and I visited Rochester three times in the year 2006, the first two times when Earl was a patient at the world famous Mayo Clinic and the last time, simply to enjoy being in the company of thousands of wintering geese.
We decided to create these pages because it is a sad event when a city that was renowned for preserving the giant Canada goose is now doing everything it possibly can to destroy their habitat. This sends a chilling message for the future of Canada geese worldwide.
During our trips, we picked up the Rochester Visitor guide from our hotel and we have re-printed from their pages the story of the geese of Silver Lake:
MAGICAL SILVER LAKE
HOST TO ROCHESTER'S ANNUAL VISITORS
Silver Lake Park, located at North Broadway and 13th Street, hosts one of Rochester's prize attractions - giant Canada geese. Numbering approximately 30,000 - 35,000 during the peak of fall migration, these geese represent the world's largest winter concentration of the giant Canada.
The saga of the geese at Rochester began in the 1920s and 30s when a small number of migrants returned each fall to Mayowood Lake on the Zumbro River southwest of town. They were attracted there by a flock of captive Canada geese that were maintained at the lakeside home of the Mayo family. Those wild geese were little noticed by area residents.
The long-term use of Silver Lake began in 1947 after a flock of 12 larger geese from Nebraska were released at the lake. These geese, donated by a former Mayo Clinic patient, lured some of the few remaining giant Canada geese to Rochester.
In 1948, after Rochester's new power plant began using Silver Lake for cooling water, the geese started staying on the ice-free lake throughout the winter. The geese began arriving each September, and by late November, they had settled in for the winter. In that first winter an estimated 500 birds stayed the entire winter.
Some people always believed that the Rochester flock was "special", especially because of the large size of the geese. Biologists confirmed that belief in January 1962 when the geese were identified as Branta canadensis maxima (Giant Canada Geese). This subspecies, the largest of 11 races of Canada geese, was believed to be extinct until its rediscovery at Rochester on that cold, wintery day.
Although Giants appear to look similar to other Canada geese, they carry a few distinct differences. The Giant Canada has a longer neck and more massive bill than the other races and it has lighter colored breast and belly plumage. In addition, the average Giant Canada has a greater wingspan (69 to 71 inches) and weight (11 to 14 pounds) than the next largest Canada goose subspecies (the Western C Goose which weighs an average of 8 to 10 pounds).
During the 1970s and 1980s, people questioned whether or not the geese were polluting Silver Lake. An environmental study found that while there is a nutrient "loading" when a large number of geese are present on the lake, the levels of nutrients are a seasonal phenomenon. As part of the study, the public was questioned about the impacts of these geese on the community. Responses were positive and the study concluded: "The waterfowl using Silver Lake are an integral part of the Rochester community with concern for the well-being of the flock expressed nationally and internationally."
- information contributed by Jack Heather, MN Department of Natural Resources.
NOTE FROM LOVE CANADA GEESE:
The city of Rochester is now claiming that the geese are polluting Silver Lake, hence the "need" to destroy their habitat by the establishment of the buffer zone and a No-Feeding ordinance. What has happened to the "seasonal phenomenon" that was mentioned by Jack Heather? Obviously, the truth is no longer convenient for the sleazeballs that run Rochester!
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