Papa Goose Memorial (6 photos)

We are so accustomed to using the gifts of nature and considering ourselves its full owners that we don’t even think about giving it something in return. At least out of a sense of elementary gratitude. Fortunately, not all people are like this.





This stone monument is proof of human caring and selflessness. After all, it is dedicated to the man who raised and released Canada geese in Fort Collins, Colorado.



Canada goose (geese)

In 1957, Gurney Crawford, better known as Father Goose, introduced a small flock of Canada geese (geese) to Northern Colorado. A Colorado fisheries worker purchased goose eggs from Denver poultry farmers and used his own chickens to hatch the chicks. Then, when the goslings were nine weeks old, he released them into College Lake, located on the campus of Colorado State University.





Chickens became mothers

It is obvious that his endeavors were crowned with success. Descendants of those geese that were released decades ago regularly fly into the city of Fort Collins. The number of returning birds is in the hundreds, if not thousands.



Gurney Crawford with his pets

Of course, you will never be completely satisfied with any undertakings or good intentions. Some are critical of the reintroduction of geese due to environmental concerns and the banal bird droppings, which do not make lawns more beautiful (although they may be good for the grass).



Gurney Crawford (right) is known as Father Goose for his role in introducing Canada geese to Fort Collins

But it is worth considering the fact that when the geese were introduced and then released into the wild, there were much fewer people in this part of the state. And, accordingly, there was no talk of conflicts.



In memory of Father Gus Crawford

In 1985, a year after Crawford's death, a memorial was erected on the university grounds to honor his work. It stands to this day - a small piece of the past, hidden in plain sight and waiting for someone who wants to look at it, appreciate it and think a little about the connection between man and nature.