Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George refuses to duck the issue any longer: Boston has become infested by Canada geese that befoul our parks, sidewalks and waterways and chase after other animals, little children and even small adults.

In a request to fellow councilors for a formal hearing on what to do about the fowl beasts, Essaibi-George writes each bird can "produce as much as three pounds of fecal matter every day, causing little league teams to spend time cleaning fields, dog owners to clean goose feces from their pets’ paws, and walkers to walk in the street to avoid fouled sidewalks."

Also, they're territorial as all get-out and that makes them a menace to "other wildlife, children and small adults, hissing and even slapping and biting."

She notes that in Washington, the National Park Service has successfully used border collies to "haze" the birds away from the National Mall.

The council will consider her request at its regular meeting tomorrow, which starts at noon in the council's fifth-floor chambers in City Hall.