Wednesday, April 19, 2006

A Waddling and Dangerous Commute to Get Food for the Charles River White Geese — with Love from Boston / Cambridge Drivers

Bob La Tremouille reports:

In the early evening of Tuesday, April 18, I was coming across the BU Bridge when I encountered a group of geese commuting to the grass under the Memorial Drive overpass. The grass really is quite poor for the most part, but eight plus strikingly irresponsible city councilors and the Commonwealth's Department of Conservation and Recreation / Metropolitan District Commission are starving the Charles River White Geese.

There is some access to the grass on the Charles River across from the Hyatt Regency Hotel, but the quantity of that grass is quite inadequate given the sick starvation situation which continues to be inflicted on the Charles River White Geese at Magazine Beach.

The Charles River White Geese are cautious pedestrians. In the goose meadow, they walk up to the area next to the sidewalk which is next to the goose meadow. They meander for awhile.

Then they go through the opening that was created in the meadow fence by the irresponsible behavior of the State DCR/MDC and of Boston University.

Then the Charles River White Geese stand on the edge of the sidewalk to the on ramp to Memorial Drive. They look at that luscious grass.

The Charles River White Geese look both ways and keep on looking both ways. They finally get up the nerve and decide it is safe to cross. They cross the on ramp to Memorial Drive to get to that luscious grass.

Trouble is that, after all that deliberation, they walk like geese. They slowly and deliberately meander as they cross the on ramp. They tie up traffic.

Last night, when I got there, most of last night's group was across the on-ramp to their beloved grass. One single China gander remained on the off ramp next to the grassy area.

Thinking it over, that China gander was probably the leader of the group, keeping an eye on the two stragglers who were having a difficult time getting up the nerve to cross. He was probably encouraging them on and serving as a beacon to show them where to go.

Once the stragglers got up the nerve to cross, the two stragglers had a difficult time crossing the off ramp rapidly and directly. The two stragglers walked like geese.

I came along on my bike and shushed the China gander to the grass, and I may have exacerbated the situation with the stragglers by moving the China gander, their leader, off the ramp.

I then got off my bike and went back to shush along the stragglers. Once the stragglers got the hint, they moved along rapidly.

The lady who was the first in the long line patiently waiting for the geese to cross gave me a loving thanks for helping the geese along. A gentleman who had been way behind her in line then pulled over to give me rather striking praise for helping the hungry geese to their grass.

From Boston-type drivers, as usual during these food crossings, there was not the slightest irritation at the geese crossing to get to their badly needed grass. No horns, no gripes, just praise to me for helping the Charles River White Geese through a dangerous situation.

Bostonians and Cantabridgians love the Charles River White Geese.

The problem of the Charles River White Geese is eight plus belligerently reprehensible Cambridge City Councilors, a truly sick state bureaucracy, and the heartless and very vocal development lobby which is the most visible beneficiary of the sick, environmentally destructive situation on the Charles River in Cambridge, MA, USA.