Project Summary

Canada geese that do not migrate are considered nuisance wildlife in many places across the country. Known as resident geese, the controversy about their presence is complex, and Long Island has been home to this conflict between the geese and residents for several decades. Nearly all of what is known about Canada geese on Long Island comes from local municipalities and private groups struggling with population control, private companies hired to control geese populations, non-profit environmental groups interested in birds and humane issues, and citizen scientists. Those focusing on population control are concerned with specific associated issues such as sanitary conditions, aesthetics, and public safety. Citizen scientists simply census geese and otherwise help with counts. This report attempts to evaluate and document the human-wildlife conflict between Long Island residents and Canada geese. Our exploration of the issue has revealed some of the history of the conflict and how it is handled today. Some of the conflict involves aesthetics, with residents and business owners reporting that geese ruin the appearance of their lawns, parks, and golf courses by overgrazing and leaving excrement. Another large portion of the conflict involves hazards to the public. Airport officials work to manage geese at airports due to safety risks caused by birds colliding with planes. Many others say the geese are the cause of disease and nutrient contamination of Long Island water bodies. There is also concern about aggression from geese, especially during their nesting season. Long Island residents interested in goose management face both legal restrictions and a variety of options for help. Federal and state laws put restrictions on goose management methods, hunting, and how people can interact with them. Many of the local laws involving Canada geese on Long Island are meant to prevent people from feeding the birds. Residents can call town and state agencies for guidance on goose management or contact private companies for population control. Despite the level of human-goose conflict little focused research has been conducted in the region. Canada geese numbers and movement on Long Island are monitored largely through raw banding data, hunting data, and highly localized studies for airports. Citizen science projects such as Ebird and the Christmas Bird Count provide data on population numbers in specific areas across Long Island. An overall estimate of Canada geese on Long Island is conducted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation annually. The information aggregated in this report reveals aspects of the conflict, indicating its deeply woven presence in the lives of Long Island residents. First, it appears that the localized population control efforts by non-profit organizations, private companies, municipalities, and activists are not well documented or monitored, making it is impossible to assess their effectiveness.

Additionally, despite the widespread opinion that Canada geese are the direct cause of dangerous levels of bacteria in Long Island water bodies, such claims are not documented by scientific testing either locally or elsewhere. The method of doing such testing reliably is still in development. Therefore, studies that have attempted to evaluate the possible role of Canada geese as sources of bacteria levels in water could not rule out other sources.

The scarcity of research conducted on Canada geese on Long Island leaves many questions unanswered. When several population control methods are used in close proximity to each other, the results of one program may affect another. Whether the control methods reduce local population size, or just move local populations around Long Island remains to be seen. An evaluation of how much residents and municipalities across Long Island spend to remove geese and the cost effectiveness of each method would provide a more detailed picture of the extent of the conflict as well as the efficiency of each removal method. Testing of bacteria levels in water could be expanded with a comparison of potential bacteria levels per goose against other potential sources, such as septic systems, runoff, and other wildlife. Decisions regarding treatment methods may subsequently benefit from such information. This report is a broad depiction of the conflict on Long Island which begets many more specific answers. Without these answers, the effects of the conflict on both geese and Long Island residents will become more and more obscure.