goose busters - mi-wea.org - lagoon presentation.pdfgoose busters •1997 started business– goose...
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GOOSE BUSTERS
CANADA GOOSE CONTROL
GOOSE BUSTERS
• 1997 Started Business– Goose removal only – 5 sites, 822 geese removed–avg. 164 per site
• 1998 Became sole proprietor
• 1999 Added Nest Destruction
• 2011 Added Dog Hazing
• 2013 – 138 GR sites - 4162 geese relocated avg. 30 per site, 134 ND sites – 803 nests and 3,784 eggs, 22 dog sites
CANADA GEESE
• Federally Protected Migratory Bird
• Must have permits to handle
• Must be licensed to handle
• Live 20-25 years
• Able to have babies for 15-17 years
• Come back to where they learn to fly
• Mate for “life”
HOW CAN WE CATCH THE GEESE?
• In June Canada Geese molt • Molting is where the geese lose their flight
feathers – rendering them flightless (most of them)
• The juvenile geese do not have their flight feathers yet
• In late June / early July, the adults re-grow their flight feathers and the juvenile geese grow their flight feathers
• Both the adults and juvenile then “learn” to fly together
SERVICES GOOSE BUSTERS OFFER
• Goose Removal
• Nest Destruction
• Dog Hazing
• Lawn Spraying (Flight Control Plus)
• Stringing Ponds
AREAS GOOSE BUSTERS SERVICE
WHAT IS GOOSE REMOVAL
• Goose Busters arrive onsite with 1-2 crews (4-5 people per crew)
• Goose Busters set up a “catch” pen
• Goose Busters herd (walk, kayak, run, etc…) the geese to catch pen
• Goose Busters pick the geese out by hand and put into trailers
• Goose Busters drive away with all your geese
WHAT IS NEST DESTRUCTION
• Nest Destruction is the process in which the State allows you to legally remove the goose eggs from the nest.
• Open to anyone in Oakland, Wayne, or Macomb counties
• Must “qualify” for program elsewhere
WHAT IS DOG HAZING
• Dog Hazing is the process of removing geese from sites with the assistance of trained dogs
• Geese think the dog is a predator – fly away
• No barking, wildly running around crazy dogs – specially trained dogs that “stalk” the geese
TIMEFRAME FOR SERVICES
• Dog Hazing – Year round if have resident geese, beginning of March – end of migration (end of November) for non-resident geese
• Nest Destruction – Middle to end of April, when the geese have been on nests over 10 days, up until they hatch (28 days of incubation) – DNR mandated dates
• Goose Roundup – Middle of June until late June – DNR mandated dates
DEADLINES FOR PERMITS
• Change from year to year
• 2014 :
• April 1 for nest destruction
• May 27 for goose roundup
CUSTOMERS WE SERVICE
• Lagoons • State Parks • County Parks • Lakes • Residential Communities • Businesses • Municipalities • Retirement homes • Apartment complexes • Zoos • Golf courses
WHY REMOVE GEESE OR EGGS?
• Waste products add nutrients like BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand), Ammonia, and Phosphorus.
• Nutrients cause Algal Bloom – which die and sink causing additional oxygen demand.
• Waste also adds to fecal coliform bacteria count – most lagoons don’t remove. – End up in rivers.
WHY REMOVE GEESE OR EGGS?
• Nuisance
• Step in feces – slippery/dirty
• Nesting mothers attack employees
• Bring duck weed and other nuisance plants with them from other locations
WHY REMOVE GEESE OR EGGS?
• Consume up to 4 pounds of grass a day – which is 3-4 pounds of fecal matter per goose per day.
• Feces is 76% Carbon, 4.4% Nitrogen, and 1.3% Phosphorus – which cause harmful algae blooms
• Attract predators
HOW CAN YOU CONTROL GEESE?
• Hire Goose Busters!
• We come out in mid June and remove all geese that are onsite and relocate throughout the State
• If you have relocation in 3 of 5 years with an average of 25 geese removed per year, you can then participate in the nest destruction program
DO THE GEESE RETURN?
• We relocate all geese onsite that can be caught
• The State of Michigan DNR states that…
• 0% of the goslings caught return – they return to where they learn to fly – we catch them before this stage
• The following year – 60-80 % of adults may return
• May get fall migration geese stopping in.
LAGOON EXPERIENCE
• YCUA – Ypsilanti, 1999 – 2005 Do own now.
• Sugar Springs – Butnam Township – 2008-present
• Genesee County – 2012
• Ann Arbor – 2012 Aggressive geese removal only
WHAT STEPS DO YOU HAVE TO TAKE?
• Request Goose Removal Permit from the USDA
• Contact local DNR for approval
• Pay $200 permit fee from State
• Hire Goose Busters!
CONTACT INFORMATION
• Goose Busters
• 800-521-8777
• www.goosebusters.net
• E-mail: [email protected]
• Business cards at booth
QUESTIONS??