The geese, taken from flocks which had congregated in areas near the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, had posed a safety hazard to airport travelers due to the possibility of plane/bird collisions. Over 1000 airplane flights arrive or depart from the airport each day.
To minimize the chance of such collisions, the adult Canada geese captured near the airport and adjacent area lakes last summer were slated for processing and distribution to needy residents through local food shelves. However, a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court by HSUS, the Minnesota Humane Society, and Friends of Animals and Their Environment (FATE) forced the Service and DNR officials to delay the plan. As migratory waterfowl, geese are subject to both federal and state regulations. Since July, the birds have been housed at the DNRs Carlos Avery Game Farm facility near Forest Lake.
While not common, numerous incidents of plane/bird collisions have been documented at airports around the nation, resulting in damaged aircraft and emergency landings. Human fatalities have also been recorded--in September of 1995 the entire crew of a U.S. Air Force Boeing 707 was killed when their $180 million four-engine jet aircraft crashed after striking Canada geese while on takeoff from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. The crash claimed 24 lives.
Although a court ruling on September 18, 1997 cleared the way for Service and DNR officials to proceed with the food shelf program, the Service agreed to a HSUS request that they be allowed time to locate another state interested in taking the birds, on condition the new location be far enough away from Minnesota that the likelihood of the geese returning to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area was minimal. Although no state wildlife agencies were interested, the Choctaw Nation, a Native American tribe in Oklahoma, did agree to take the birds.
Weve been given assurances by the Humane Society and the Choctaw Nation that the chance of these geese returning to Minnesota is minimal, said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Regional Director Bill Hartwig. My concern with these particular geese is one of airport safety. These are birds that were identified as frequenting areas around the airport, and I dont want to see them back creating the same problems. Choctaw Nation officials project that natural mortality will reduce the size of the flock over the winter. Those birds remaining in the spring will be unable to fly and will likely nest on or near reservation lands.
In granting the HSUS request, the Service is making an exception to its current policy of approving local management plans which involve processing problem geese and donating them to food shelves. In 1995, the first year of the food shelf program, 325 geese were processed and provided to local food shelves. Because of its success, the program was expanded in subsequent years. In 1996, 1847 metro birds were provided; in 1997, 1176 birds. Plans for 1998 include providing up to 2500 geese to food shelves.
Theres no question the local food shelf program has been successful, said Hartwig. But because the Humane Society plan benefits the Choctaw Nation and doesnt contribute to our airport problem, weve agreed to allow these birds to be transported to Oklahoma. The cost of moving the birds to Oklahoma will be paid by HSUS, who has assured Service officials that their relocation request involves only this particular group of Canada geese. The geese are to be removed by HSUS no later than December 4, 1997. If HSUS fails to take possession of the birds by that date their disposition will be turned over to the DNR.
The challenge of controlling metro goose populations is here to stay. Because the metro area offers nearly ideal Canada goose habitat--plenty of water, short grass for grazing, and a lack of natural predators--their population has increased from an estimated 5000 in the 1980s to 25,000 today. As their population has grown, many people have become increasingly intolerant of the geese. If numbers are not kept at a level which is acceptable to most people, the birds may be viewed as pests rather than as a majestic component of the Twin Cities environment.
Well continue to explore other methods of goose population control around the metro area and airports by working with the Minnesota DNR, sportsmens groups and organizations like the Humane Society, says Hartwig. We welcome everyones input into the problem.
Of the 280 geese bound for Oklahoma, 100 had been previously used as part of a DNR/University of Minnesota lead toxicity study. This study was designed to determine lead levels in the tissues of geese which ingest lead, with the goal of ensuring that geese supplied to food shelves were safe for human consumption (a concern raised by the HSUS). Prior to shipping, lead toxicity tests will be conducted on the geese involved in the study. If found to contain elevated lead levels, the geese will be destroyed and disposed of sanitarily. If they test within normal lead levels, these 100 birds will be released to HSUS along with the other 180 geese.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
