BPRD continues nonlethal approach to goose control
Tracee Tuesday
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — BEND, Ore. — Bend’s long-running goose management program is drawing renewed attention as the Bend Park and Recreation District continues oiling Canada goose eggs to keep them from hatching.
The district says the nonlethal method helps control a resident goose population that can damage turf, erode riverbanks and leave behind waste in parks across the city, including Drake Park and Discovery Park.
BPRD says the birds can also pose public health concerns, pointing to risks including E. coli, salmonella and swimmer’s itch.
“There’s some disease risks that are happening in addition to any esthetics and just nests that people may be seeing,” Julie Brown, with the district’s community engagement team, said. “E. coli is a concern. Salmonella is a concern. Swimmer’s itch that sometimes can develop in bodies of water has a direct correlation to geese population.”
The district says goose egg oiling is only one part of its Canada Goose Management Plan. Other efforts include:
Public education, including asking residents not to feed geese and ducks.
Habitat modification, such as creating buffer zones with vegetation to discourage nesting.
Egg oiling during nesting season to prevent eggs from hatching.
Hazing, including trained dogs used to move geese out of park areas.
Relocating independent juvenile geese during a short summer capture period.
Encouraging residents to report nest locations so staff can respond before eggs hatch.
BPRD says the program is designed to reduce the number of geese in Bend while balancing wildlife management with park use.
But the practice is not without controversy.
Bend resident Justin Gottlieb says concerns over goose management go back years, including a 2010 culling that drew backlash from animal rights activists and helped push the district toward nonlethal methods.
“About 15 years ago, the solution to this problem was to gas 109 geese, which was permitted by the Oregon Wildlife Department and feed their remains to the homeless,” Gottlieb said.
He said he believes earlier relocation efforts also helped reduce the goose population in parts of Bend.
“Many of these geese that would have been born in Bend have been those eggs and those geese have been relocated out to other areas,” Gottlieb said. “We didn’t kill them. We just moved them out of the center of town.”
The district says it continues to use the program to balance community concerns, park conditions and wildlife management.
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