The Impact of Canada Geese on the James River Park System

Over the past few years, we have seen an increase in news reports that discuss Canada geese and the problems that the bird's population growth can cause. Usually, the news reports that geese have damaged a golf course, a subject for which someone may have little sympathy unless he or she is a golfer. However, it turns out that the burgeoning Canada goose population conflicts with other areas frequented by humans, not just golf courses. Humans may not be the only species affected by the geese, either. What is really happening in regards to the Canada goose population explosion, and what impact is it having on our natural resources?

According to the James River Park Overview, the James River Park System consists of 550 acres of river shoreline and islands located in the urban heart of Richmond, Virginia. The flowing river, meadows, and forests combined with the human visitors provide an ideal habitat for Canada geese. It is an environment in which the geese have not only thrived, but one in which they appear to not wish to leave. What could the growing numbers of geese mean to the James River Park, and should steps be taken to control their numbers?

Research

When many people think of the Canada goose, their first thought is usually that of a group of geese, flying in "V" formation on their migratory journey North or South. Unfortunately, this image is no longer the only one that might pop into someone's mind. While many Canada geese still follow their ancestors' migratory habits North and South each year, man has artificially created a second group of Canada geese who choose to remain fixed all year.

An estimated 4 to 5 million Canada geese coexist with humans, year-round, in every state except Hawaii and in every Canadian province (Hope). These geese are known as resident Canada geese.

The phenomenon of resident Canada geese came about over the last century as a result of situations manipulated by humans. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hunters in each flyway owned "decoy flocks" of wounded or captured migrant Canada geese, which they kept in captivity to lure others out of the sky and into shotgun range. When live decoys were outlawed in 1935, many hunters released their domesticated geese into the nearest bay or marsh. The freed birds had never learned how to migrate from their parents, so they stayed put. The freed decoy geese had become conditioned to residing year-round in a single location and relying upon their human keepers for food. As long as the geese had access to open water and food, they had no incentive to move. It is estimated that 20,000 birds were freed in this manner. The resident geese thrived and slowly spread, and today, in the Atlantic Flyway, the 1.2 million residents actually outnumber migrants by 50 percent. (Hope).

Virginia, with its milder winters than many northern states, is an ideal spot for resident Canada Geese. According to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' Fact Sheet: The Status of Resident Canada Geese, the current population estimate is 145,322 (+/- 26%) in Virginia. The Virginia resident population is down 45% from its all-time high of 264,867 in 1998. In order to manage its resident Canada goose population, Virginia instituted a special resident goose hunting season which has proven to be very successful. However, hunting in not a feasible option in urban and suburban areas, where other population control options must be utilized.

Resident Canada geese flourish in many urban and municipal parks, as parks frequently provide the water, nesting sites, and wide-open, mowed grass preferred by the geese (Crary). Many park visitors enjoy feeding the resident geese, not realizing that this further encourages the geese to remain and helps them to thrive and multiply.

While the park goers may enjoy seeing the geese up close, too many geese begin to cause problems. Human - goose conflict may occur during the nesting season, when the geese become aggressive and very protective of their nests. Canada geese can also damage personal property. They often forage for food in large groups, which damages lawns and ornamental plants and gardens, leaving bare spots that are subject to erosion. They may also compact the soil, preventing new growth of vegetation, leaving little habitat for other living species (French & Parkhurst).

A large population of Canada geese in a municipal park may also create public health and safety risks. A healthy, well-fed adult Canada goose may produce up to 1.5 pounds of fecal matter per day. When a flock of geese lives in a park, this can create a situation which is both inconvenient and dangerous for park visitors. Walking paths may become slippery and dangerous. The bacteria and particulate matter in the feces may also lead to the need for special treatment of drinking water if a large number of geese live near the water source (French & Parkhurst).

In urban and suburban areas where hunting is not an option for population control, other options have been implemented. A Virginia-based company called GeesePeace has partnered with more than a dozen towns to offer a solution in which border collies chase the geese away. The geese usually return after the dogs leave, though. Another option frequently used is to locate the nests and cover the eggs in oil, causing them to be deprived of oxygen; they will never fully develop and die (Crary). One of the drawbacks to this method is that many nests cannot be located.

Other municipalities conduct annual goose round-ups when the geese cannot fly due to their annual feather molting. Once the geese have been gathered, the geese are killed and their meat is donated to charity. This population control technique is growing in popularity as more and more towns and cities across the country struggle with controlling the population of the geese (Swinn).

The James River Park System provides its resident geese with an attractive year-round home. For this reason, the resident goose population has grown to the point of being a nuisance. Goose feces covers the rocks along the river, and state environmental officials say that the geese (along with dogs, raccoons, and upriver cattle) contribute to high levels of fecal bacteria in the James (Springston). At a public hearing to discuss draft EIS on resident Canada goose management, park manager Ralph White estimated between 575 - 700 nests in the 7 mile stretch of the James River Park System, and the already large population continues to grow at a very rapid rate. The park's current strategy consists of damaging eggs, limiting the amount of turf, and the application of chemicals to deter the geese.

Opinion

It is most unfortunate that humans created the artificial non-migratory behavior of the resident Canada goose. However, since the situation cannot be reversed, we can only try to find a solution that works best for the geese, the environment, and every living thing that shares the goose's habitat. The James River Park System should continue the population containment strategies it has already begun, plus enhance the strategy with additional user education.

Many citizens do not realize how many issues are caused by feeding the geese. Feeding them not only encourages them to stay, it encourages more geese to join the flock, makes them less wary of people, and the diet can be unhealthy for the geese (Swinn). Citizen education is a solution that should be implemented by the James River Park System. A simple campaign of signs at the park's entrances would be inexpensive to implement, and the park's pamphlets and website could be updated to include a statement against feeding geese and birds. Guides and volunteers could be sure to educate school groups as they visit, as young children frequently like to feed geese and should be aware of its harmful effects.

At the public hearing to discuss draft EIS on resident Canada goose management, James River Park Manager Ralph White also proposed a new strategy in which the park's geese should be harvested using licensed trappers during the summertime, killed, and their meat sold to nice Richmond restaurants. He envisioned this as a self-supporting initiative in which the restaurants would pay for the trappers' services. Killing the James River Park geese should happen as a last resort, and only be implemented if the levels of goose fecal contamination in the water reach levels in which the river should not be used. As it stands right now, the goose feces may be unattractive and inconvenient for humans, but it was humans who created this situation so we should have a bit a tolerance and humility.

The continuation of the park's current strategies along with community education will hopefully be sufficient, and living geese will not need to be killed in the James River Park System.

Bibliography

James River Park Overview. June 2005. James River Park. October 30, 2006 < http://www.jamesriverpark.org/general.htm >.

French, Lisa and Parkhurst, Jim. Managing Wildlife Damage: Canada Goose (Branta canadensis). November 2001. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and University. October 30, 2006 < http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/wildlife/420-203/420-203.html >.

Public hearing to discuss draft EIS on resident Canada goose management. May 2002. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. October 29, 2006 .

Springston, Rex. "Friend or Fowl? Canada Geese Becoming Targets After Wearing Out Their Welcome." Richmond Times-Dispatch 19 October 2006. 01 November 2006.

Hope, Jack. "The Geese That Came in From the Wild. (Canada Geese). " Audubon 102.2 (March 2000): 122. InfoTrac OneFile. Thomson Gale. 2 November 2006

Fact Sheet: The Status of Resident Canada Geese. August 2006. Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. 1 November 2006.

Crary, David. "Canines Called in to Scare Geese by Land, water." Capper's 127.16 (August 2005): 10(1). InfoTrac OneFile. Thomson Gale. 2 Nov. 2006.

Swinn, Brian W. "Canada geese: population explosion." New York State Conservationist 53.n2 (Oct 1998): 14(4). InfoTrac OneFile. Thomson Gale. 2 Nov. 2006.