Canada geese reduction program underway | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Canada geese reduction program underway

Image Credit: SOURCE/Wikipedia

By Shannon Quesnel

People are asked to stay away from goose nests and avoid touching goose eggs.

The Okanagan Valley Goose Management Program wants Canada geese to return to their undisturbed nests with eggs inside. The management program has an egg addling project where the eggs are shaken or coated with a non-toxic biodegradable food-grade corn oil. This is done within 14 days of incubation and results in no new birds being born. By the time the parents realize their eggs are duds there is not enough time to lay new eggs.

This was started six years ago to control the introduced Canada geese population in the Okanagan Valley. Trained contractors have been searching for pairs and nesting sites.

The geese being targeted are descendants of geese introduced to the Okanagan area in the 1960s and 70s. The young birds' had no parents to teach them to migrate so they adapted to living here year-round.

About 7,700 eggs have been prevented from hatching since 2007 through this minimally invasive approach.

In order for the program to succeed, new nests need to be identified. The public is asked to report lone geese, pairs of geese or nest locations on private or public land by emailing coordinator@okanagangooseplan.com or calling 1-877-943-3209. Information about the program is available at www.okanagangooseplan.com.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Quesnel at squesnel@infotelnews.caor call 250-488-3065.

News from © iNFOnews, 2013
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