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RESEARCH PROPOSAL <br />Title: Efficacy of Canada goose population control by egg <br />removal. <br />Date: March 21, 2002, revised March 30, 2005 <br />Prepared by: Dr. Jim Cooper, Professor Emeritus, Department of <br />Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University <br />of Minnesota, 1980 Folwell Ave., St. Paul, MN 651- 644 -6206 <br />jacooper @umn.edu <br />JUSTIFICATION: <br />Canada goose (Branta canadensis) management in urban <br />settings is a pressing challenge (Christens et al. 2001, U.S. <br />Fish and Wildlife Service 2002). Urban goose management <br />approaches can be divided into short term or redistribution <br />techniques, and long term population or habitat management <br />procedures (Cooper and Keefe 1997). Redistribution techniques <br />include preventing or reducing goose access to specific sites <br />for periods ranging from hours to several weeks. Redistribution <br />has been done by hazing using humans (Aguilera 1989), dogs, <br />swans, decoys, or sounds (Mott and Timbrook 1988), temporary <br />barriers such as wire, rope, or bird -scare tape fences, and <br />aversive chemicals (Conover 1985, Cummings et al. 1991, Belant <br />et al. 1996, Dolbeer et al. 1998). Long -term approaches <br />comprise reduction of the population by directly decreasing <br />reproduction and survival, and habitat modification. <br />Reproduction has been reduced by using embryocides (Christens et <br />al. 1995, Cummings et al. 1997), egg removal (Cooper and Keefe <br />1997), and vasectomatzation (Converse and Kennelly 1994). <br />Recreational hunting, shooting, capture and relocation of <br />goslings and adults (Blandin and Heusmann 1974, Martz et al <br />1983, Cooper 1987), and capture and processing for human food <br />(Cooper and Keefe 1997, Cooper 2001a) have increased or <br />simulated mortality by removing birds from a population. Goose <br />removal by capture and process or by hunting are believed to be <br />the most effective population management methods (Cooper 2001a). <br />Habitat modification is not a viable urban goose population <br />management technique (Cooper 1998). <br />Recruitment reduction has been promoted as an effective <br />urban goose population management technique (Grandy and Hadidian <br />