Earlier this summer we had a successful Oiling of the Canadian Goose Eggs with a grand total for Whitewater and Rice Lakes combined for 2009 of 540 Eggs in 82 Nests.

Whitewater-Rice Lakes Management Board has taken the next step to start the process of lowering the population numbers for the lake’s Resident Canadian Geese.  Our Board in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (USDA) started a program this summer of capture and removal of some of our Resident Canadian Geese.  From approximately June 15^th to July 7^th each year, the adult geese lose their flying feathers and therefore cannot fly during this period of time.  The USDA, along with our help, came to our lakes and captured many of our Resident Geese.  They will then send these geese to a food processor to make goose patties which will be donated to Wisconsin food pantries for the hungry.  This certainly will be something positive that comes out of our Canadian Geese Problems.   

On Wednesday, July 1^st was the day that we had our Canadian Goose Round Up on our lakes.  We had a successful round up!  We captured 64 Canadian Geese on Whitewater Lake and 37 Canadian Geese on Rice Lake for a Grand Total of 101 captured Canadian Geese.  They are on their way to a food processor to be made into goose patties to be distributed to our Wisconsin Food Pantries.

I want to give a special Thank You to Don Wickersheimer,  Pat & Tom Koppelman, Brian Morris, Jim Vondrak, Gordon Philip, Fran Cleven, and Bernie Tangney for all their efforts in the Goose Round  Up.  Without their help, the Canadian Goose Round Up would not have been successful!

We will never eliminate all of the Canadian Geese, but we certainly will reduce the problems that we have had in the past.

Dave Cleven  dfcleven@earthlink.net
PS:   If anyone has any questions, you can give me a call at 815-222-1857