You know how Marquette County was built on the mining of natural resources? How even today we have working iron ore & nickel mines? Well, I have another natural resource Marquette County could export, if we so choose--
Goose poop.
Okay; I realize that there may not be much of a market for goose crap out there, but we sure seem to have a surplus of it everywhere. And this year, for some reason, it seems to be even worse. You can walk anywhere along Marquette's lake shore or Washington Street bike paths, and spend most of your time dodging those little pieces of, uhm, stuff. And forget about trying to play soccer in Marquette's Lower Harbor Park, NMU's practice field out by the Dome, or even out at the Kaufman Sports Complex, a place that usually HAS no goose poop but for some reason this past weekend had loads of it. Loraine & I went out to play there Saturday and ended up having to wipe off the balls with sanitizer wipes after we finished. And, a few days later, we still have dried up goose crap stuck in our shoes.
It's glorious. It really is.
Marquette's had goose problems before. That's to be expected when you live on a huge lake (with lots of little ponds around) underneath a goose migration path. So we've had to deal with goose waste before. But as I previously mention, I don't think I've ever seen as much crap lying around as I have this fall. I don't know if there are just simply more geese using Marquette as a roadside rest area, or if the poop just hasn't been cleaned up as much as before, but it seems like it's everywhere.
It's a crappy situation to have.
If you don't believe me, just go down to Lower Harbor Park. It looks all nice & green and like a fun place to play. But as soon as you start walking on the grass, look down. Do it for two reasons—one, to be amazed at how almost every single inch of that nice green grass is actually nice & green because that's the color of the goose stuff covering it. And also do it so you don't spend the next ten minutes trying to get goose poop out of your shoes which, trust me, is an exercise in futility.
You know what? On second thought, DON'T go down to Lower Harbor Park. I like you guys too much to subject you to that crap. Maybe wait until, I dunno, spring. Maybe it'll be gone by then.
Like I said, I wish I knew why there's an marked increase in goose poop around Marquette this year. I wish it would go away; however, I have the feeling it's only going to get worse. That's why it would be nice if there was a market for it somewhere, maybe as fertilizer. Not only would it continue Marquette County's legacy as a provider of natural resources, but it would also allow those of us who like to play outside with a chance to do so, free of shoes that still carry a reminder of the bird's legacies days after the event.
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