06-11-2003 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Results Page 1 of 8 Results Policies The Twin Cities Canada goose program policy requiring local units of government to implement urban goose management programs has remain unchanged for 15 years. While legal challenges occurred in 1982, 1993 (MNDNR 1994), and 1996, none have stopped or modified the program. The requirement that LGUs with adequate open space for hunting permit shooting as part of a goose management plan has resulted in 3 cities and 2 county park system opening or keeping open portions of their jurisdictions to goose hunting. Population Growth Hawkins (1970) reported 480 geese in the Metropolitan Twin Cities in 1968, Cooper and Sayler (1974) found 1,500 birds, and Cooper (unpubl. data) estimated the population at 14,000 in 1984. An exponential model fit (Figure 1) to these data was highly significant (P <.001). Similar growth of a re- introduced Canada goose population in Ontario was reported by Ankney 1996. Determination of the carrying capacities of the Ontario and Twin Cities populations would require unrestricted growth in the future, which is unlikely given the conflicts with human activities at current levels. However, if nest habitat is the limiting factor - -we believe it is - -then an approximation of the Twin Cities maximum population can be made using the wetland area available for nesting, typical Canada goose nest densities, and the ratio of total geese to nesting pairs. Canada geese use type 3, 4, and 5 wetlands plus the lake shorelines for nesting (Cooper 1978). Assuming that the Metro Area geese will nest at densities similar to those recorded for B. c. maxima and B. c. moffitti breeding the Midwest 250000 225000- 200000 - 175000 - 150000- 125000 - 100000 - 75000 - 50000- 25000 - 0 1960 1980 1990 Year Figure 1. Metropolitan Twin Cities Area Canada goose population growth (A) projected without control, and (B) actual population with control. 1968 -94 2000 2010 and western U.S. and Canada, where the average nest density approaches 3 nests /ha (Cooper 1978). -35- http://www.fw.umn.edu / research /goose /html /urban /manage6.html 4/7/00