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History & Highlights Chicago Illinois Field Office |
Resident Canada Geese
Depending on your perspective, the Chicago region is either fortunate or unfortunate to support a large resident population of Giant Canada Geese (Branta canadensis maxima).
Our urban-suburban environment provides ideal conditions for these large and adaptable birds. Within the six-county northeast Illinois area, Canada geese have benefited from a suite of factors common throughout our landscape. For example, our lawns provide high-protein forage, while agricultural areas just a short flight away provide grain-based forage. Our many ponds provide ample water supply, and suppressed predator populations and hunting activity allows for population growth.
For over a quarter century, this population has grown from a few individuals and now numbers in the tens of thousands. With this population growth, geese have increasingly come into contact with humans, and some conflicts "between species" have resulted.
Our expanding resident Canada goose population is creating a variety of challenges for local residents, businesses, and governments. Many residents find these "big, messy birds" to be nuisances.
There are similar scenarios in other major urban areas in the United States, and because all native migratory waterfowl are trust resources of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, we have a lead role in determining how to face these challenges nationally. In 2002, the Service completed public review on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Resident Canada Goose Management. An additional public comment period was opened in 2003. That document examines alternatives to dealing with localized populations of Canada Geese, and proposed empowering individual states to have greater local authority in managing these birds. The Service is now analyzing nationwide public comment and preparing a final version of the statement.
Contact Us
Locally, we work closely with partner agencies, such as the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, to suggest ways that our constituents may deal with geese. We will continue to do so. If you have specific questions regarding resident Canada geese, in the Chicago area, please call the Chicago Illinois Field Office at 847/381-2253.
Web Resources
We also recommend that interested persons check other web resources regarding "nuisance" Canada geese. Since problems are widespread throughout much of the eastern United States, a number of public agencies have posted suggestions on their web sites. Here are just a few links:
Illinois Environmental Policy Review.
Ohio State University Extension Service.
Technical Guide to Urban Goose Management (Berryman Institute).
Publications of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services.
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