Image Credit: Okanagan Valley Goose Management
April 26, 2015 - 12:12 PM
Last year’s trial tactics used to scare away geese from West Kelowna’s waterfront parks were successful and will begin again soon and the public is asked to help the Parks Department locate possible nesting sites.
As this is prime nesting time for the Canada Goose, a licensed contractor and District staff will be using noise guns and other scare tactics to frighten geese and discourage them from nesting in and around beaches and overcrowding lakeside parks.
One of the key components to the program’s success is public assistance in reporting nesting sites. Residents who are aware of nesting sites can contact Parks at 778-797-8849 or the program coordinator directly at 1-877-943-3209 to provide this information.
Licensed contractors will also continue with past years’ efforts to locate nests, conduct population counts and addle eggs to aid in further controlling goose numbers.
These humane efforts in West Kelowna are part of the wider Okanagan Valley Goose Management Program, which adheres to federal and provincial wildlife regulations. The program is a partnership involving the District of West Kelowna and the Cities of Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon, the Districts of Lake Country, Peachland and Summerland, the Glenmore Ellison Irrigation District, the Regional Districts of Central Okanagan and Okanagan Similkameen, the Towns of Oliver and Osoyoos and Westbank First Nation. The program is succeeding in holding population numbers steady in an effort to preserve water quality, reduce conflicts with humans and pets and prevent the invasive geese from crowding out natural species in the Okanagan as Canada Goose are highly aggressive and have few natural predators.
For more information on goose management efforts in the community, please visit www.districtofwestkelowna.ca or www.okanagangooseplan.com.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015