Relaxing on a poop free Canoe Beach.

(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

It wasn't without controversy, but a local government policy to cull the geese living in the north end of Okanagan Lake appears to have been a huge success.

While the geese may differ on the definition of "success", the once goose-poop-strewn sand at Vernon's Kin and Canoe beaches is now clear of the birds' feces, which for years had covered almost every inch of the kilometre-long beach.

"You were navigating little bombs everywhere," Daimery Mast says of how the beach used to be.

Getting some late summer sun with her two-year-old and her mom, Daimery says that since the geese have been culled, it's made a huge difference, not just to the quality of the sand but the water as well.

"I won't lie... it's been nice," she said. "I couldn't take (her son) in the water without him dunking his face... and drinking it."

Daimery lives nearby and said while she used to come to the beach even with the goose poop, she always brought three blankets.

Now that the sand is much cleaner, it's easier for her two-year-old to play, and she doesn't have to worry about him popping something in his mouth he shouldn't.

Daimery's mom, Kelly Mast, said she's not sure whether she is in favour of the cull, but said people have to be pragmatic and felt it was appropriate.

"When you live in society, these things happen. Every structure, every building, has created a ripple effect, and that's just going to happen where there are people," Kelly said. "If you're going to have a public beach... it's going to have to be managed for human habitation… that’s the reality."

Kelly's sentiments are shared with others iNFOnews.ca spoke to on the beach. Happy the poop was gone, but concerned for the geese.

"It's a tough one," Vernon resident Susan Knowles said.

She wasn't really comfortable with the cull, but appreciates the lack of goose poop.

"This beach ended up that nobody would... come here," she said.

From left, Kelly Mast with her daughter Daimery and grandson Desmond. They all say the beach is much better.

(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

Sitting in a lawn chair, enjoying the sunshine, she said she will "absolutely" use the beach more now it's free of goose-bombs.

Enjoying her day off at the beach, Vernon resident April Quinn said she used to avoid Kin Beach because of all the mess.

"It is definitely nicer being around here without poop around," she said.

She said she'll definitely use the beach more now.

The issue of the goose droppings dates back years and while Vernon did try to mitigate the effects the geese were having on the beach and park, it was an uphill battle.

During a visit to Kin beach last summer, it was impossible to find a clear spot to lay down a towel.

Everyone iNFOnews.ca spoke to last year complained about the mess and questioned why, after all the chatter and debate, nothing had been done.

But Vernon council tried.

In early 2020, a motion to cull birds was narrowly defeated by a tied vote. A year later, the issue was back on the table and passed.

However, the city couldn't find a contractor to carry out the work, so the geese got a reprieve.

The city carried on its kill-to-scare tactics and its egg addling program, which saw the geese population increase about 10% a year.

Then in early 2024, the City devoted $100,000 over three years to a harvesting program run by the organization Guardians of Our Salish Estuaries, in collaboration with Okanagan Indian Band.

"Okanagan Indian Band’s participation reflected the Band’s inherent right to harvest and manage resources throughout its ancestral and unceded territory. All geese were processed and were shared within the Okanagan Indian Band community," City of Vernon spokesperson Jessica Hewitt said in a statement.

Once harvested, the meat was tested, packaged and stored.

Canoe Beach, without the goose poop.

(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

The geese were introduced in the 1960s and 1970s to support recreational hunting and don't migrate.

In 2021, around 70 goose nests were found in the Vernon area, a steep increase from the 10 to 20 nests which were found just a few years earlier.

According to the City, the birds had been challenging for local ecosystems and affected water quality, crowded out native wildlife and damaged farmland.

They also make quite a mess.

Walking through the grassy park at Kin Beach and down to the sand, it's hard to convey the difference from a year ago. The geese had outnumbered people by 15 to one, wandering the grass, the beach and the lake.

Now, not a single one could be seen.

Geese on Kin Beach in July 2024.

(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

The beach may have been almost deserted at noon on a workday, but those there expressed relief that they got their beach back.

"We were here all summer long," Brittany told iNFOnews.ca.

Sitting in a beach chair soaking up some late summer rays with a girlfriend, Brittany says she often found the beach too gross, but now it's different.

"It's made a big difference," she said.

Like others, she's sympathetic to the fate of the geese.

"I feel bad that that's what they had to do," she said. "I hate to say it, but it's way better."

To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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