NJ Outdoor Women's League Meeting Honk If You've Seen a Canada Goose Today! May 2005

	Although you most likely have not had a Canada goose nest in you front porch planter (as pictured in one of the slides at the meeting), you probably have had to slalom through their droppings at the local park, been hissed at for coming too close to their offspring or have been squeezed out of a place at the local pond. The ubiquitous Canada goose has become to some New Jerseyans an invasive species and to others a nuisance, but to Janet Bucknall the presence of this species is a challenge in striking a balance between minimizing the damage its numbers create and affirming its value as native wildlife. Janet, who is the state director for Wildlife Services with the US Department of Agriculture, came to our May meeting to share with us the unique set of problems presented by resident Canada geese in our state.	Janet Bucknell
	According to Janet, at one time the Canada goose was strictly a migratory species, nesting in the North during the warm months and coming south in the winter. But now two populations of geese exist in the States; those that migrate and those that spend the entire year here. In New Jersey, resident geese, which number approximately 100,000, are responsible for agricultural and property damage resulting in erosion, loss of cover crops, and natural resource damage. Fecal contamination in fields and other areas frequented by humans pose a health concern. Their aggressive behavior and choice of nesting sites along highways and in close proximity to areas of human activity impacts human safety and they are increasingly implicated in collisions with cars and airplanes.

The US Department of Agriculture in NJ has partnered with the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife to come up with creative solutions to minimize this impact. Part of their strategy is to promote an understanding and tolerance of this species, and to communicate management issues to the general public. Some preventative measures they recommend are to not feed geese since this increases their dependence on humans and also makes them less fearful of people, as well as spreading disease, and making it more likely that they won’t respond to other management techniques.

Nesting in a planter on someone's front stoop.

Where geese tend to congregate they recommend spraying repellents on the grass, planting tall uninviting grasses and putting up fences or other barriers to discourage access. In addition, putting up flags or tapes that shine, using noisemakers or trained dogs to harass geese are other methods designed to discourage their presence. However, these methods are not very successful when they have young since adults are very protective of their goslings and they won’t fly away because the goslings aren’t able to follow them. Another issue is making sure that when geese are harassed from one place that they don’t relocate to another area where they will cause problems for other people.

The average goose pair has one brood a year; each consists of 5 or 6 goslings out of which 4 or 5 survive. The department has also engaged in methods to slow down the rate of geese reproduction. One way of accomplishing this is to prevent the eggs from hatching after they are laid (in April) by shaking, puncturing, chilling or coating them with oil. Another method under study is a sterilization program using Nicarbazine, a chemical used by the poultry industry that stops chickens from producing eggs. However, this is just in the very beginning stages of research, and it’s use raises questions as to feasibility and whether it is a sound environmental idea.

Other options for controlling goose-human conflicts involve the relocation of geese and their nests from situations that threaten human safety, instituting a goose hunt, and capturing and euthanizing geese. Janet stressed that the treatment of eggs as well as the removal of geese require a permit and license.

Janet is not only engaged in the management of Canada geese but has also been active in rescuing migratory birds. This past fall when the Greek tanker, Athos I, hit a submerged anchor on the Delaware River bottom, a hole was ripped in its side, spilling 265,000 gallons of oil into the water. The US Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency coordinated the efforts of hundreds of people to control the oil, clean up the river and help affected birds. The Division of Fish and Wildlife requested the assistance of Wildlife Services along with police to capture and treat the birds. The birds were lured with bread laced with alphachloralose (a dangerous controlled substance), which put them to sleep for about 45 minutes, long enough to be captured and placed in a box where they were cleaned up. Some birds were lured in to a bait site and then captured with a cannon net. After 30 days most of the birds were rehabilitated and ready for release but not before they were photographed as evidence to this environmental incident. According to Janet of total of 500 birds were rescued.

Canada Geese covered with oil from the Athos 1 oil spill.

Janet’s very enthusiastic presentation was supplemented by her recommendations and discussion of some thought provoking books pertinent to wildlife issues, achieving one’s potential and women’s involvement in important issues. The Journals of Lewis and Clark, West with the Night by Beryl Markham and Good to Great by Jim Collins were among those she mentioned. Our thanks to Janet stimulating our thinking about ways to manage wildlife and for encouraging us to view the Canada goose as a valuable part of our wildlife here in New Jersey. - Sandy Norman Copyright Statement