Drones may be answer to annual geese problem on the Peninsula
There may be hope at last. No, we aren’t talking about peace in the Middle East or an end to the Reign of the Insipid Kardashians or a change in Donald Trump’s unique hairstyle.
This involves something far more pressing here on the Peninsula: the Canada geese problem. Surely, you have experienced the slimy depredations produced by this infernal creature, which migrates south from colder climes to linger in the warmer precincts of places like San Mateo County.
Foster City, for one, has been a particular victim of the birds’ gross personal habits. Their steady release of semi-solid waste material, up to 2 pounds per day per bird, becomes a noxious issue on an annual basis.
The stuff is slippery and foul. It’s a menace that has vexed local authorities for some time.
How to get rid of the geese who are persistent and tend to arrive in considerable numbers? We’ve tried dogs, loud noise and a variety of other methods, most of which are staunchly opposed by the usual collection of tut-tutting enviros.
None of the ploys has worked. It’s a conundrum. Now, however, there might be light at the end of the avian tunnel. Officials in Ottawa are considering something new as they grapple with their goose problem: drones.
It turns out that these remote-controlled aircraft are quite effective in keeping the geese out of areas deemed unfit for their presence. Great.
Still, according to a piece in the Wall Street Journal recently, opposition to the use of drones in Ottawa seems to be building in the ranks of the animal rights army. Some things never change.
San Mateo stats
As last week’s item in this space indicated, there is continuing concern about how — and where — to educate Hispanic students who live in the north-central area of San Mateo.
Pressure to re-establish a neighborhood school in that part of town has increased as the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District tries to pass a $148 million construction bond measure in the Nov. 3 election.
However, at the secondary level, those pupils, as they get older, do have a neighborhood school, San Mateo High School. The latest numbers from that campus indicate that Hispanics are gravitating there in considerable numbers.
According to the state Department of Education, San Mateo had 659 Hispanic students in 201415. It also had 337 Asian youngsters and 307 whites. There were only 19 African-American pupils there during the past academic year.
Overall, for the first time in its 113-year history, the San Mateo Union High School District had a plurality of Hispanic students this past year. That demographic trend is expected to persist.
Old cheap thrills
With the 2015 NFL exhibition season under way, fans of the 49ers can only gaze back to a more innocent time when ticket prices were downright reasonable.
In fact, when the Niners’ pro football franchise opened up shop for the first time in 1946 at old Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, you could purchase a regular season end-zone ducat for $1. That’s right, a single buck.
Even counting for inflation, which would make that ticket about $12 now, it’s still cheap. These days, you can’t buy a burger and a beer for $12 at the team’s new digs in Santa Clara.
The Lucky Losers
Last weekend’s street fair in downtown Burlingame was challenged by some steamy August heat, but one decidedly upbeat band actually managed to increase the temperature a notch or two.
The Lucky Losers, an accomplished blues group out of San Francisco, had folks dancing on Primrose Road and asking for more.
The six-person crew has its own website, www. theluckylosers.com. You can check them out on YouTube as well.