The Okanagan Valley Goose Management Program is halfway through its annual egg addling program.
The program prevents the nesting Canada goose population from growing.
“Field crews are having great success at finding nests, more than 200 so far,” said Kate Hagmeier, co-ordinator.
“However, we still rely on the public to help find new or different nest locations. Input from the public allows thorough reach of the program.”
The public can report nesting geese on their property by e-mailing coordinator@okanagangooseplan.com, calling 1-877-943-3209 or online at www.okanagangooseplan.com.
Participating jurisdictions include the City of Vernon, the Regional District of Central Okanagan and the District of Lake Country.
Hagmeier says the program’s focus is geese who are not native to the area.
“These geese are descendants of young geese and eggs that were introduced in the 1960s and 70s. They were brought here from different areas in Canada and the U.S. to encourage the creation of an Okanagan goose population,” she said.
“Hindsight is 20-20, but biologists today would never take a species and introduce it outside of its native range. We understand the perils of introducing non-natives into environments to which they do not belong.”
The egg addling program involves shaking eggs or coating them with non-toxic biodegradable food-grade corn oil within 14 days of incubation to make them non-viable.
The U.S. Humane Society supports this minimally invasive population control technique.
