Green Island

Village Mayor Ellen McNulty-Ryan has been asked to stop her years-long practice of shooting a pyrotechnic gun to scare away geese from the grounds of a local school.

The gun blasts alarmed staff members and students at the Heatly School, its small public school for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The most recent incident prompted Principal Erin Peteani to send the mayor an email asking her to stop shooting the gun during school hours.

Ryan, 63, questioned why the incident was newsworthy and told the Times Union she's been firing her wildlife gun in village parks for 12 years to scare away geese. The mayor said she contacted the school's office staff on April 22 and warned she would be shooting her gun in hopes of dispersing geese in the school's field and an adjacent playground on Hudson Avenue.

Green Island Union Free School District Superintendent Michael Mugits said Ryan shot the gun near school grounds. Ryan said she was shooting from the street. Many times in the past, Ryan has said she shoots the gun in River Park that is next to the school near the Hudson River.

The mayor said the gun discharges a pyrotechnic cartridge that explodes in the air and makes a noise. It's unclear if the gun is considered a firearm under state or federal laws, which prohibit carrying a weapon, including a starter pistol, in a school zone. State law prohibits the discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a building.

The superintendent described the incident as a "miscommunication," which he said could have been avoided if all staff members were made aware of the mayor's plans. School officials have tried to get rid of the geese by using cutouts of dogs and fluttering reflective tape on the property, he added.

"We never received any concerns or calls that I'm aware of, or any concerns from parents," Mugits said about the shooting incident.

The mayor said she's been on a crusade against the geese since she became mayor 12 years ago. Her efforts intensified in the last decade after she suffered a serious intestinal illness from ingesting dust from sweeping up dried goose droppings, she said.

She said that in past year some of Green Island's police officers were outfitted with the same wildlife guns, and that her efforts to chase away geese are noted in community newsletters sent to village households. Her disdain for the geese was highlighted in a 2003 Times Union story.

"Pretty much everyone in Green Island has seen me doing it the last 12 years," the mayor said. "I don't understand why this is a newsworthy story; I'm doing the responsible thing. It doesn't cost the village. Things are different in Green Island."

In a 2003 newsletter to village residents, the mayor wrote: "Did you know, and I swear this is true, that a goose poops a pound a day? That means that every week, with just five geese, we will have 35 pounds of goose poop in the park. You do the math and calculate how much poop that is before the snow melts."

The Democratic political ties of Ryan's family run deep in Green Island. Her father, the late John J. ''Jack'' McNulty Jr., was an Albany County sheriff who was also Green Island's longtime mayor. Ryan's brother, Michael McNulty, was a state assemblyman and U.S. congressman for 20 years.

Ryan continues to own the family's funeral home business while working as mayor. She was elected to the post in 2002, taking over for her father, who was mayor for nearly 30 years.

"I have not had one person complain," Ryan said of her gun use. "We sent out letters and told everyone what we're doing. I'd call the police dispatcher every time I went out. It's been a very cooperative thing."

She added that she'd like to know who told the Times Union about the incident last month. "I'd send the geese over to their house," she said.

lstanforth@timesunion.com • 518-454-5697