September 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 90

Operations
Managing the Canada
Geese Population in Parks
By Del Williams

P

arks are vital for community health, whether for sports, picnics, play
areas or relaxation. But flocks of previously migratory Canada geese,
drawn in recent years by food, water and safety, have settled yearround in many parks, devouring turf, defecating abundantly and leaving some areas virtually unusable.
Hunting, draining of wetlands
and over-harvestings of their eggs
brought the population of Canada
geese to near extinction in most parts
of North America in the early 1900s.
With the passage of the Migratory
Bird Treaty Act of 1918, it became
illegal to hunt waterfowl or other migratory birds, except during the hunting season or by federal permit. But,
Canada geese are very adaptable, especially to urban and suburban habi-

88	 Parks & Recreation

tats, and with the changing weather,
increased development along their
migratory route, and changing farming patterns, many Canada geese no
longer migrate to traditional wintering grounds in the southern United
States and Mexico. Home has become the parks, golf courses and suburban sub-developments across much
of North America. The population
explosion of these beautiful heralds
of spring and fall, whose V-forma-

| S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | W W W. N R PA . O R G

tions continue to enthrall us, have, in
places such as airports and parks, become a nuisance and a danger.
To put things in perspective, here
are a few interesting facts about the
damage Canada geese can inflict: A
single Canada goose can eat up to
3 pounds of turf and defecate up to
2 pounds per day. According to National Geographic, just 50 geese can
produce 2.5 tons of excrement in a
year. Excessive Canada geese droppings in ponds and lakes can raise
fecal coliform levels, diminishing water quality. The nitrogen content in
the droppings also can contribute to
excessive algae growth in ponds and
lakes, causing local health authorities
to close them. Not surprisingly, reducing the geese population in public
areas of park districts, big and small,
is a major issue. But, because Canada
geese are a protected species, this requires finding unique ways of getting
the geese to " move out " without killing or harming them.
" We're trying to get the Canada
geese to move to where there's less
conflict, away from people in highuse park areas, away from where
there could be a water-quality issue, " says Cathy Breitenbach, Chicago Park District's (CPD) director
of Cultural and Natural Resources.
CPD, with approximately 600 parks,
26 miles of lakefront, 16 historic
lagoons and natural water features,
and more than 8,300 acres of open
space including 1,000 turf-based athletic fields, sought a humane way to



September 2015 - Parks & Recreation

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