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Cackling and Taverner's geese
- Oregon Fish and Wildlife- |
The Oregon Goose Control Task Force was created by Senate Bill 622 (passed by the 2009 Oregon State Legislature) to study ways to address agricultural crop losses created by current goose populations in the state. The Task Force will also look at aviation concerns as more geese use land by airports.
The number of geese wintering in Oregon has increased in the past few decades, as geese shifted from wintering in California to wintering in the Pacific Northwest, migrated out of California earlier in the year, or began using different parts of Oregon to stage before migrating. Geese can damage agricultural areas, particularly grass seed fields, and compete with livestock on pasture lands. The Willamette Valley and the Klamath Basin have the highest goose populations but growing numbers of geese are using Oregon coastal areas,too.
Two populations of Canadageese that winter in Oregonare of particular concern to wildlife managers. Cackling Canada geese are becoming very abundant in the Willamette Valley but remain an important foodsource for Native Alaskans’ subsistence harvest. Dusky Canada geese are also of concern because their numbers have been on a long-term decline. Goose hunting innorthwest Oregon, which includes the Willamette Valleyand northern coastal areas, is complex and restrictive in order to conserve dusky Canadageese.
Currently, wildlife managers use a variety of methods toreduce goose damage including sport hunting, encouraging geese to remain onfederal wildlife refuges and state wildlife areas, hazing geese, and destroying the eggs of resident Canadageese.
Canada geese are migratory birds and protected by state, federal and internationallaw. Management of migratory birds is a cooperative program through the PacificFlyway Council, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the lead managerbecause of federal treaties with Russia, Japan, Canada and Mexico.
Those interested in the issues being discussed by the GooseControl Task Force should watch this website for updates on reports, research, meeting minutes and proposals.
Meeting Minutes:
Documents:
Federal Depredation Permit Information:
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