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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-03-01 DNR Ltr Re Goose Population Control Program a , 4111 10closure 14A Ittr STATE O F HIES DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES PHONE NO. FILE NO. March 1, 1995 Jon Parker, Area Wildlife Manager AUG 1 O 1200 Warner Road St Paul MN 55106 Phone: 772 -7981 CANADA GOOSE POPULATION CONTROL PROGRAM 1995 Under DNR policy, a City must determine a need for Canada goose control within its city limits and provide for funding of control measures, if necessary. There are two choices currently possible for goose population control. One is to open specific areas in the city to a special goose hunting season. The other is to contract with the University of Minnesota for goose trapping and removal. For a special hunting season, DNR could implement regulations to allow a specific area to be included in the early season: September 2 - September 11. Although our regulations generally prohibit hunting within 100 yards of water during this period, we will consider opening specific lakes or wetlands at the request of a city. If hunting is feasible, it should be considered as the first option. Such sites will be assigned a very low priority for trapping. If you wish to investigate the possibility of goose trapping and translocating starting June 1995 or later, you should contact Dr. James Cooper, University of Minnesota, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, 200 Hodson Hall, 1980 Folwell Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108, phone: 612 - 624 -1223. It is also possible that the program is unable to accommodate more trapping sites at this time or funding may not be available. The steps required in this process are as follows: 1. Determine proposed target goose population reduction levels via discussions with city residents, feedback from press coverage, etc. (City). 2. Hold a public hearing to explain program and obtain additional input on acceptable population levels and reduction procedures (City, University, Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture). AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER 4111/ 4111/ -2- 3. Ascertain goose population size and distribution (University). 4. Obtain state and federal permits (University). 5. Capture and ship birds (University with cooperation of DNR and U.S. Department of Agriculture). 6. Monitor populations to determine additional removal (University). 7. Conduct additional removal as needed under contract. The services provided by the University include design of the removal program, public hearing participation, answering technical questions on goose ecology and management, humane and professional removal of problem geese, coordination of permits and bird disposal via the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and evaluation of the effectiveness of the program. The cost will range from $700 to $1000 per concentration site per year. These funds cover salaries for a crew of 6 University students, transportation, and equipment maintenance costs. Funding by affected landowners may be required by the city. Capture and removal is done during the flightless period, extending from the second week of June to the first week of July. Because they have only three weeks to do removal, crews and equipment needs must be planned in advance, therefore, steps 1 and 2 should be completed by April 1. Based on previous research, we recommend a 4 -year adult and young removal program to reduce the flock, followed by removals at 3 -year intervals to maintain low numbers. In 1995, a small proportion of adult geese which are captured will be killed and processed for distribution of "food shelves ". In future years, this may be the only feasible dispostion of adult geese, since the damand for geese in other states is rapidly diminishing. HUNTING POLICY 5/3/94 It is the policy of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to control and maintain wildlife populations whenever possible through a hunting harvest. There are three times Canada geese can be hunted in Minnesota: a regular season from October to early November, and two special hunting seasons specifically designed to impact local Canada goose populations. The first special season is held in early September before the arrival of migrant geese. The second is held in mid - December after most migrants have left the Metropolitan Area. Bag limits are set at four per day in the September season and two per day in the December season. Metropolitan Area harvest surveys indicate that between 4,000 and 5,000 per year a taken in these seasons. Increasing the harvest will help control Metropolitan Area goose populations. Based on the distribution open space, Metropolitan Area municipalities have been classified by the potential for safe hunting. These classes are: Class 1. Open space is too limited for safe discharge of shotguns. Class 2. Open space is patchy within the municipality but some areas may be hunted safely with minimum of restrictions. Class 3. Extensive open space where shotgun hunting can be done safely. The following priorities have been established for the nuisance goose relocation • program based on potential for hunting harvest: Class 1. High priority Class 2. High priority at public swimming beaches and airports; medium priority at locations within extensive areas that cannot hunted safely; low priority at other locations. Class 3. High priority at public swimming beaches and airports; low priority elsewhere. If your municipality is rated Class 2 or Class 3 and has prohibited the discharge of shotguns, it will be necessary for you to assess of the potential for hunting prior to requesting approval of a relocation program. For assistance, please contact: Mr. Jon Parker Area Wildlife Manager 1200 Warner Road St. Paul, MN 55106 (612 -772 -7981) It STAT EE O F DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES 500 LAFAYETTE ROAD • ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA • 55155 -40 DNR INFORMATION (612) 296 -6157 CONTROL OF CANADA GEESE Short Term Solution #1: Bird Scare Tape This mylar product is silver on one side, and red on the other. It looks like a roll of shiny red tape about 1 /2" wide, although it does not have adhesive on it. The object is to construct a low fence with the tape between the water source and the yard area. The fence is both a physical barrier for the geese traveling between the water and their resting place in your yard, and they also find the mylar tape to be frightening when properly used. Place several garden stakes in your lawn as shown in the drawing (back of this sheet) and attach the tape to the end stake with duct or electrician's tape as it will break if tied in a knot - it is a very thin material. Keeping the tape as tight as possible, twist the tape a few times as you walk along the row of stakes so both colors show, securing the tape to each stake as you go. If the tape is fairly taunt, it will make a low buzzing sound in the wind which geese don't like. Now add another row a few inches from the first so you have two bands of tape per fence (see diagram on back). You may have to construct two or three "fences" if the geese are numerous and especially determined to fly into the center of your yard area instead of approaching from the water. The fence should be about 24 inches high. Leave the "fence(s)" up as long as the geese are a problem. You should be able to re -use the stakes and mylar tape as needed. If you must discard the tape - do so properly and responsibly - it is not biodegradable. Do not let it blow into the water. It is recommended that you leave a small area for the geese to use if possible, because if everyone blocks them from access to their shoreline, they will eventually have to breakthrough the tape to get on shore to rest and preen their feathers. Where do I find this product - how much does it cost? The tape sells for under $3 per roll, and is available from many retail lawn, farm and garden centers. OBEI.110The Wild Bird Stores also carry this product. Short Term Solution #2: Goose Removal This service is quite expensive, but available on a limited basis. For details, contact your local DNR Wildlife Manager: North Metro: 296 -5200, or South Metro: 496-4151. Long Term Solution: Landscaping for the prevention of goose problems The larger the area of mowed grass, the bigger you goose problem will be. The goal is to cut the sight -lines down that geese have of your yard from the water. If they see a large, easily accessible area of short grass, they will waste no time in making themselves at home on it. To reduce their access, "hide" your open yard space with clusters of hedges, shrubs, tall native grasses, or tall wildflower plantings. Canada geese will not be likely to "invade" property that has a screen of emergent aquatic vegetation in the water, an unmowed shoreline or shrubs /cover plantings, and trees providing some overstory. Leaving a buffer of natural vegetation along the shoreline is also beneficial to the quality of the lake water, acting as a filter for harmful pesticides and herbicides. See the enclosed information sheet for suggestions of flowers, trees and shrubs to use in your landscaping plan. AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER . I. .. Au-- . d • - !'. t Secure the mylar tape to tho stakos with duct tape or olectrician's tapo. Two to 3 rows of tape are recommended per fence. This example shows 2 rows of tape. r i A ... ..a�..:.., il , s� .____ � — — I - Taw= ••�'"�- t_+rt mi s,' 'r Twist the Taps _ _- 1 If ..I 11110 iiililkiLuti 1111 11 tiilli Ill it (1 I 1 Multi 11(11( .tll \IL(Ltll i1tt11i►.1 You may certainty add an extra row of tape fora total of 3 - increase fence height to about 36 inches to accommodate the third row of tape. - _ - .- ^ - ~ prvPartV RM -'. ... -- \ W ATER 80VACi2 `- A _ i 4 HOUSE ... ///, . A ■ ••• 4. - V Start with one fence by the water, add extra fences if needed. Try to leave the geese a small area of land along the water's edge if possible. The fences should keep them from coming up into the main part of the yard. 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Phone: 1- 800 - 423 -2473 or Technical Services (513) 242 - 3300; FAX (513)482 -7377. According to the company's literature, a mixture of 1 quart AG -36 (slurry formula) with 3 quarts of water and 1/2 ounce of BOND (a sticker or wetting agent) will treat 2000 square feet of lawn OR 4000 square feet of golf course fairway OR 8000 square feet of golf greens. The cost of the AG -36 alone would be $12.88 per 2000 square feet of lawn (a square 45 feet on a side). Product for a one quarter -acre lawn would cost $70.13 per treatment, not including the "sticker ". The manufacturer claims that a smaller amount of chemical may be effective after the "first or second treatment ". The literature does not tell how often an area must be re- treated. The product is "micro - encapsulated" in a starch matrix. This is intended to extend the activity of the product. High- pressure spray equipment will destroy this encapsulation. Methyl anthranilate, a human -safe food flavoring which occurs naturally in concord grapes, was shown to be produce a reduction goose numbers and fecal deposits on test plots in one study (Cummings, et. al. 1991). It is a nasal irritant to geese, and geese will not develop tolerance to it over time. We do not know if this product is exactly the same formulation as the product studied. DNR considers this product to be in an "experimental" stage. Therefore we cannot recommend its use. We have no information related to ! the product's safety for humans or pets other than the implication of the EPA registration. The product label cautions to avoid contact with eyes or clothing and to wear safety glasses and a dust /mist filtering respirator when handling. Property owners should follow all label directions and avoid purchasing large amounts until they are satisfied that the product works. If property owners are interested in trying the product, contact your local DNR Area Wildlife Manager and technical assistance will be provided if work schedules permit. Reference: Cummings, J.L.; Mason, J.R; Otis, D.L.; and Heisterberg, J.F. 1991. Evaluation of dimethyl and methyl anthranilate as a Canada goose repellent on grass. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 19:184 -190. File: GOOREP 7/05/95