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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-08-014 - Geese Management in Victoria Park1 R Community Services REPORT Report To: Community Services Committee Date of Meeting: March 3, 2008 Submitted By: Jim Witmer Director of Operations Prepared By: William Sleeth Landscape Architect Ward(s) Involved: All Date of Report: February 26, 2008 Report No.: CSD-08-014 Subject: GEESE MANAGEMENT IN VICTORIA PARK RECOMMENDATION: For information. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The numbers of Canada Geese using Victoria Park has greatly increased over the past few years. This has presented conflicts with park users and nearby residents. Concerns and complaints from the public included issues such as bird droppings on pathways, traffic problems with large numbers on roadways, defensive and aggressive birds in the park and private gardens as well as concerns about deteriorating water quality. Staff has met with residents and the Victoria Park Citizens Committee to determine the most effective course of action for this issue. Management of Canada Geese in Victoria Park was initiated in May 2007 and continued throughout the year. Management was conducted by PCO Canada using a variety of methods to discourage geese from using the park. This included "hazing" methods using harmless laser lights and trained dogs. The management program was approved by the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) which issued a permit for the seasonal program. One relocation event occurred in August 2007 when about 150 Canada Geese were "rounded up" and moved to a temporary feeding site in North Dumfries Township, a site managed by PCO Canada. This relocation of Canada Geese also falls under the authority of the CWS which issued a second permit for this event. Any proposed relocation requires an individual application and CWS permit. Mitigation measures implemented in 2007 resulted in a reduction in the number of Canada Geese in Victoria Park and a reduction in the level of "nuisances" caused by the geese. The implementation of mitigation measures was greatly reduced following the hatching of goslings. The CWS does not permit the disturbance of any geese, adult, immature or gosling, when goslings are present. Report No: CSD-08-014 2 Population control, through egg and nest depredation, is proposed as part of the management program for 2008 and beyond in order to reduce population growth and facilitate effective management through the season. Implementation of a multi-year Canada Geese management program is required to mitigate the "nuisance" caused by excessive numbers of birds. The Victoria Park Citizens Committee is in full support of the proposed 2008 program as they see this additional piece of egg depredation in our program as a means to assist in getting us down to a manageable number of geese that would inhabit the park. There were also several reports in the media during the 2007 program from residents suggesting more aggressive measures be taken to reduce the number of geese in the park. The 2008 program would continue to include lasers, dogs, decoys, relocation and the addition of egg depredation. BACKGROUND: The numbers of Canada Geese using Victoria Park has greatly increased over the past few years. This has presented conflicts with park users and nearby residents. Concerns and complaints from the public included issues such as bird droppings on pathways, traffic problems with large numbers on roadways, defensive and aggressive birds in the park and private gardens as well as concerns about deteriorating water quality. The Community Services Department initiated active management of the Canada Geese within Victoria Park in April 2007. This included the services of PCO Canada Ltd., Bird and Wildlife Division who were contracted to manage the geese population in such a manner that conflicts with park users and residents was reduced. PCO Canada conducted regular visits to Victoria Park throughout 2007 and implemented management practices which humanely disrupted the behaviour patterns of the geese in order to reduce the number of geese in the park at any one time. These techniques included the use of harmless laser lights in pre-dawn time periods to discourage nesting, trained dogs which encouraged the geese to find other feeding and nesting habitat outside the park as well as a one time relocation of large numbers of geese in June of 2007. PCO Canada also conducted monitoring throughout the period of April to December 2007 and recorded information which included the location of nesting sites, the number of nests and eggs within the park, the number of mating pairs, immature adults and goslings, the total number of birds within the park at each site visit and a recording of the time and date of all management interventions. This information has been documented in a report prepared by PCO Canada. REPORT: The Canada Geese management activities conducted in 2007 has been effective in reducing conflicts between the geese and park users and neighbourhood residents. The active management by PCO Canada combined with the weekly efforts by City Staff has reduced the number of complaints and issues. The one-time relocation of approximately 150 geese in August was very effective for a period of about 6 weeks. An ongoing management program will be necessary to provide an acceptable level of park use by Canada Geese which does not reduce the enjoyment of park visitors. The management activities through 2007 has provided mitigation of many of the conflicts but populations of Canada Geese are growing rapidly in southern Ontario which will place greater and greater pressure on Victoria Park. Victoria Park is an ideal habitat for Canada Geese. There is an abundant food source of manicured turf, safety is provided by the easy access to the lake and the wooded islands and nearby wooded areas provide opportunities for defendable nesting sites. This habitat is suitable Report No: CSD-08-014 3 for much greater numbers of Canada Geese and we can expect the population to continue to grow significantly. Canada Geese return to the same nesting areas year after year and offspring will return for mating and nesting as they mature. Without some mechanism of population control mitigation efforts such as those conducted in 2007 will need to be increased to achieve the same level of control. It is expected that mitigation without population control will become increasingly onerous and time consuming and place an increasing financial burden on the Community Services Department operating budgets. The Community Services Department intends to continue mitigation efforts using the services of a qualified wildlife management firm and will be issuing a request for proposals for amulti-year program starting in early spring of 2008. Some form of population control will be included in this program. The most common form is egg oiling or similar method which prevents hatching. Monitoring, data collection and reporting will be an integral component of all mitigation and population control activities in the park and will provide the opportunity for year end review and modifications to the program as required. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The annual fees for the services of a firm specialized in bird and wildlife management, including population control is expected to be in the range of $20,000 to $30,000 annually, which has been included in the Victoria Park approved capital budget for 2008 and identified in the capital forecast to 2013. COMMUNICATIONS: Operations staff will work with the Corporate Communications and Marketing Division to ensure residents are kept informed about the geese control program. CONCLUSION: The Community Services Department will continue to provide mitigation of the conflicts between Canada Geese and park visitors in Victoria Park and ensure the continued enjoyment of the park by the public. Our goal will be to always have Canada Geese and other wildfowl in the park but at a level compatible with other park uses. We will continue to work with the Victoria Park Citizens Committee who is in support of the proposed 2008 program. Jim Witmer Director of Operations Greg Hummel Manager, Park Planning, Development & Operations