There's a cute animal story playing out right now on the campus of Western Illinois University. I've been extremely touched to read about the concern the campus has expressed for a family of geese that lives in the vicinity of Lake Ruth near West Adams Street.

One year or more ago, it was one goose. Passersby were quite curious to see it strolling around the bank of the pond.

Students made friends with it, no doubt feeding it with crumbs from their breakfast toast or part of a bun from their lunchtime hamburger.  Soon it was obvious the goose was there to stay.

Then there was a family of geese. The best time to see them is when their walk around Lake Ruth takes them to the western shore, about 50 feet from the bus stop.

You've probably seen or heard about the classic newspaper photo of traffic halted on a busy highway while a mother duck walks her ducklings across the road. The care those motorists gave to the ducklings is akin to the care WIU has shown to these geese.

The university is launching a major rehab of Lake Ruth and its surroundings. Dead or damaged trees will be removed, mulch will be placed around the remaining trees, and the shoreline of the pond will be reshaped and restored. If you drive by with your car windows down, your nose will tell you when they're scooping sediment out of Lake Ruth.

Fish and other aquatic animals will be relocated somewhere else until the cleanup is done. The university asked the Illinois Department of Natural Resources what to do with the geese.

According to a release this week from University Relations, IDNR said to leave them alone.  One of the state's waterfowl specialists said, though the geese may be creatures of habit, they are adaptive. If work around the pond bothers them, they'll just walk a few miles down the road and find a temporary home.

The university news release contains the kind of disclaimer you see from the ASPCA at the end of a movie. "We will use great care so the geese are not harmed in any way during the project," said WIU engineer Dennis Wells.

Summer frolic will apparently continue, as the students will bond with the family of geese much to the delight of those of us who pass by.  But, about that sediment: WIU says it's not toxic and will be taken to the university farm for use on the fields.