Plants for Erosion Control & Geese

Hello,

I've been subscribed to the Perennials mailing list pretty
much since it first started, but it's only now that I've
started to do any actual gardening.  I have some questions
that I hope someone will be able to help me with.

We're fortunate enough to have the opportunity to live on
approximately 8.5 acres just outside of Fort Worth, Texas. 
On the south and east sides is a creek, and on the north and
west sides are gullies that feed the creek when there is a
lot of rain.  Parts of the gullies are rather wide and deep,
with some parts being ten feet wide and at least 15 feet
tall.

I'm looking for ways to control the erosion of the soil
along the creek and the gullies.

Last June we received approximately 12" of rain in a 24-hour
period.  I've never been exposed to 'water' like that
before, and when the creek overflowed its banks by 75 feet
on either side and the gullies overflowed as well, a large
part of our pasture looked much more like a lake than
anything else.  

The electricity went out about 10 p.m. the night we received
the bulk of the heaviest rain, and I remember poking my head
out the back door to see how my blue heeler was faring, when
there was a flash of lightening, and I saw what looked to be
water everywhere.  I thought to myself "This just can't be",
and then I heard the roar and realized that it wasn't the
roar of the wind; it was the creek.

I took a flashlight outside and went over to see what was
happening in the gullies, and there were no gullies to be
seen.  It was just water, deep water, everywhere.

Boy, was that a heart-stopper.

The force of the water was such that it took out quite a bit
of soil in the gullies, particularly when there were bends
in the path the water took, and when the soil went, so did
the red oaks and burr oaks who had their root system in it. 
Some of these trees were at least 50' tall, and my heart
sank the next day when I saw what had happened.

I've been perusing books and catalogs, e.g., Shady Oaks,
trying to figure out what kind of plants/ground cover that I
could put along the sides of the creek and gullies in an
attempt to keep the soil in place, but what the books don't
tell me, and what I need to know, is what kind of a root
system do the plants that they're selling/talking about
have?  I think I need plants that have an extensive
underground root system, and I need some that can take full
sun, some that can take medium shade, and some that can take
deep shade - and all in heavy clay soil.

If anyone has any suggestions regarding this erosion
question, it would be appreciated.

My second question is about plants that are safe for geese. 
Also last June, this city girl received a box from the post
office that had six of the loveliest little goslings in it. 
They're not so small anymore, but still just as lovely, and
friendly too since I raised them from babies.  

I was wondering what I could plant around their yard that
would be safe for them to eat should they decide to take a
bite of it.  They're in a 400 sq. ft. area that is enclosed
by a hogwire fence.  I was thinking about planting some
cherry tomatoes and a Hyacinth Bean Vine up the fence, with
maybe some pole beans as well, to give them some shade in
the summertime.  In the yard itself, I was hoping to plant
some comfrey, buckwheat, and sorghum grain grass.

Can anyone tell me if this would be a safe thing to do? 
There's some good information on the net and in books about
chickens, but I haven't been able to find a thing on geese.  

Best Regards,
Carol Lively

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