Volunteers need to help Fairfax County control Canada Geese population

Fairfax County is seeking volunteer “goose addlers” to help control the growing population of Canada geese. Addling is a humane practice, in which the goose eggs are coated with oil to prevent them from hatching.

Anyone interested in joining this volunteer effort is invited to attend a hands-on training session Monday, April 5, 1:30-3 p.m., or Sunday, April 11, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Both sessions will be held at the Fairfax County Government Center, Conference Rooms 2/3.

Most of the Canada Geese in our area are part of a resident species that has adapted to an urban environment. They do not migrate and no longer need to live by a natural body of water, says Fairfax County wildlife biologist Victoria Monroe. They can be found throughout the county. Favorite gathering spots in the Mason District area include Lake Barcroft, Bailey’s Crossroads by Route 7 and Spring Lane, Green Springs Gardens, the Hidden Oaks Nature Center, Pinecrest Golf Course, and various stream valleys.

The goose population is growing because there aren’t enough natural predators, like foxes, to control it, Monroe says. And their numbers need to be regulated because they present a health and safety hazard. Geese crossing roads have caused accidents, and their waste creates a mess in parks and streams. Since Canada Geese are protected by the federal government, it is a federal crime to kill them.

Addling works because it prevents the formation of embryos. Merely removing the eggs isn’t effective because the mother goose would just lay more eggs. The nesting season runs from mid or late March to the first week of June, and the best time for addling is the first two weeks of April.

Volunteers need training because nesting geese can be “extremely aggressive,” Monroe says. Volunteers work in pairs. One person uses an umbrella to shoo the mother goose off the nest, while the other coats the eggs in 100 percent corn oil and puts them back in the nest. Goose nests usually have about five eggs. Last year, volunteers addled 264 eggs.

If you want to try your hand at goose addling, contact Victoria Monroe, 703/324-0240, to sign up for a training session. You can also learn more about goose addling volunteer efforts from Geese Peace. Who knows, you might even find the goose that laid the golden egg.

One response to “Volunteers need to help Fairfax County control Canada Geese population”

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July 26, 2010 at 4:49 pm

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