Gaggle of geese gathers in Bella Vista
Posted on Monday, September 4, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/News/39297/
BELLA VISTA They fly in perfect formation, but no matter how beautiful these grand birds are, once Canada geese populations become overabundant, they become a nuisance.
Many Property Owners Association members have complained of this goose surplus on the lakes and golf courses: The birds make a lot of noise and litter yards with their feces. The geese have also been to blame for unusually high E. coli readings in certain places on Bella Vista lakes.
The geese are a problem at every location I take samples, said Rick Pearson, POA lakes superintendent. I know theyre causing some of these high E. coli readings.
Pearson regularly collects water samples from each lake. The samples are tested by an independent laboratory. Pearson does come across high E. coli readings from time to time, but a short time later after another sample is analyzed, the readings tend to drop back to normal levels.
Canada geese are migratory birds protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Before this month, anyone wanting to harm or kill Canada geese other than during a hunting season or conservation season in order to curb populations had to obtain a permit from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Now depredation orders can be obtained without a federal permit, the group announced Aug. 11. Nicholas Throckmorton, a spokesperson for USFWS in Washington, D. C., said control of so-called kill permits will now switch to the state level.
For Arkansas, that agency would probably be the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Throckmorton said. It is now up to the states governments to decide if they want to issue these permits. If a state decides not to, the authority would switch back to the federal level.
Other components of the new decision include extra provisions for hunting during August. By hunting in August, hunters are assured of killing only resident geese, because the migrating populations have not yet flown south for the winter. Only states in the Atlantic, Central and Mississippi flyways are able to implement all of the new components for resident Canada geese management. Arkansas is an important part of the Mississippi flyway, Throckmorton said.
Luke Naylor, water fowl coordinator with the AGFC, is aware of the changes and has started discussions with the USFWS, as well as within the commission, to understand the new procedure. Even if the AGFC decides to regulate these permits, Naylor said it is doubtful if anything can be implemented this year.
We are just beginning to get our heads together and talk about it, Naylor said. My understanding is the states would have more flexibility with hunting seasons and issuing permits. Hunting has always been a good tool for population control of these birds.
Harassment and other nonlethal techniques do not require any sort of permit. Only moving or destroying nests and eggs, or the geese themselves, must be approved by state or federal agencies.
The idea was to create a sustainable, viable population with Canada geese, Throckmorton said. You have to manage it to a human tolerance level, which is a decision each community has to make for itself.
Canada geese prefer grazing on land and like walking between water and land, which is why golf courses are so appealing to them. Allowing grass to grow higher on the edge of the lake blocks their access to grazing opportunities and seeing possible predators.
Fencing can be an adequate barrier, but will not stop all geese. Harassment techniques can also discourage geese from settling into one area. These can range from scarecrows and radio-controlled model boats to more aggressive techniques such as pyrotechnics and the use of dogs, such as border collies. These dogs have a natural herding instinct and can chase the birds until they move to another area, according to the Humane Society.
The chemical methyl anthranilate, which is used to give a grape flavor to candies and soft drinks, is noxious to birds and can be used as an effective chemical repellent. There is also a contraceptive bait, OvoControl, which the geese ingest, reducing the hatchability of eggs.
When all nonlethal methods fail, the most humane way of management is by a process called egg addling, which means a loss of development. This can occur naturally when incubation is interrupted, causing the eggs to cool, which disrupts embryonic development. Eggs can also be rendered nonviable by applying cooking oil which cuts off oxygen exchange or by simply shaking the egg.
According to the Humane Society, the greater Canada goose was believed to be extinct until a small number were discovered in 1962 in Minnesota. In an effort to restore the populations, geese were collected during their annual molt, when they cant fly, then redistributed throughout different areas of the country. Thirty years later, Canada geese numbers top 1. 7 million in the Mississippi Flyway alone.
Some populations of Canada geese no longer exhibit migratory patterns and are called resident geese. The redistribution of the geese in the 1960 s has been blamed for this separation, because geese are very ancestral and learn migratory routes from other geese.