Sebastian the talking goose is not shy about discussing his bathroom habits. How many pounds he produces, how long it takes his food to get from “bill to butt” — that sort of thing. It’s a gross-out, but that’s the whole idea. Sebastian is the invention of Bret Shaw, assistant professor and environmental communication specialist in life sciences communication, and a team of his grad students. The team have posted a video on You Tube in which Sebastian thanks shoreline property owners for maintaining closely mowed lawns along their waterfront. He explains why the lawns are perfect place for him to hang out, avoid predators and do his, uh, stuff.

In fact Sebastian is part of a campaign to encourage lakeside homeowners to consider planting buffer zones of native plants to prevent runoff of nutrients — including those in goose poop — into the state’s surface waters.

For more info about Sebastian, see this article in The Country Today.