Smart Communities Network: Green Development Articles / Publications

Smart Communities Network: Green Development Articles / Publications

Geese in the City

Here is an excerpt from an article on goose management in cities:

"For many residents of greater Toronto, the honkers flying in V-formation are no longer a sentimental symbol of the passing seasons, but the first sign of an onslaught of noise, droppings and damage. Southern Ontario has always been a stopover for populations of Canada geese migrating between their wintering grounds in the United States and their vast nesting grounds in Northern Canada. But overhunting in the late 1800s and early 1900s almost wiped them out. Now the birds have become a continent-wide problem wherever urban shorelines and goose flyways intersect.
When the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources reintroduced Canada geese (Branta canadensis) across southern Ontario beginning in 1968, the project was heralded as a wildlife management success: people welcomed the majestic, white-cheeked birds back to Toronto. But it soon became apparent that wildlife managers had created a monster: fuelled by a ready food supply and safe from hunters, the goose population stopped migrating and began to double every five years, reaching an estimated 250,000 birds in southern Ontario by 1997, concentrated between Hamilton and Oshawa. Today, municipal and wildlife officials are trying everything in their power to discourage geese without discouraging people from using urban green space -- a tricky balance since geese and humans are drawn to the same places for the same reasons: secure, manicured lawns and waterfront vistas."

It was a surprise to me to learn that the Canada goose, one of our national symbols, was once an endangered species. These days they are treated like pigeons, as a nuisance. The article goes on to discuss the different management options, such as deportation, planting unappetizing grass, noise makers, herding dogs, and finally slaughter.

The author highlights the fact that urban wildlife management is a touchy issue because people are competing with animals for space and it's not clear whose rights are more important. Is it more important to have manicured lawns, or is it more important for geese to have a place to rest? I'm not sure that I agree with the view that animal rights should be valued over human rights. I believe in a balanced perspective; however, I must admit that I don't like to step in goose 'guano.' One of the most promising management options seems to be the use of plants that discourage geese from feeding. What do y'all think?

Here's the full article:
http://www.ccge.org/ccge/english/resources/archives/goose_MJ98.asp