Echo Park Lake is the center of controversy yet again, but this time, it’s not a people problem.
Two years after controversy surrounded a homeless encampment and fence erected at the site, Canada geese are the controversy du jour, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Canada geese — which average 3 feet in length from beak to tail — have flocked to Echo Park Lake for years,” the Times reports. “But lately, they’ve ruled the roost: charging yappy little dogs, scaring children, pooping all over the sidewalk, and pushing out other, smaller waterfowl.”
The public has taken notice, with Laila Molina, field deputy for Council District 13, noting that she gets “a lot of emails — mainly now about the geese situation at the park,” she told the Echo Park Neighborhood Council, as reported in the Times.
On social media, Angelenos have shared those grievances. In June, Micaela Mielniczenko shared to X, formerly Twitter, a video of dozens of geese and other waterfowl approaching parkgoers and squawking loudly.
“The geese situation at echo park lake is out of control!!!!,” she noted.
And even when the fowl aren’t physically close or raising a ruckus, what they leave behind can ruin someone’s day.
The birds can produce up to 1 kilogram of feces a day, according to The Eastsider.
“Watch your step when you visit Echo Park Lake,” the report added.