Fake Coyotes Cause Scare At Michigan Beach

HOWELL (WWJ/AP) - A Michigan community that's fed up with geese fouling up a beach is hoping fake coyotes encourage the birds to land elsewhere.

Thw beach on Thompson Lake at Howell City Park was shut down this month and is expected to be closed for the rest of the summer swimming season because of elevated E. coli levels.

Goose poop is being blamed, and Howell Area Parks and Recreation Authority director Debbie Mikula said the fake coyotes have shown some success in keeping birds away.

"We purchased three of these 3-D coyotes and they are on a spike and they move with the wind -- so they are kind of like whirly gigs. They turn in the wind, and their tails will actually wave in the wind," Mikula said. "Coyotes are a natural predator to the Canadian geese."

The phony coyotes are being moved at night to trick the geese into thinking they're real.

The hope is that the beach about 45 miles northwest of Detroit will reopen next year.

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