2011 Canadian Goose Report

   
Whitewater-Rice Lakes Management Board has again passed a motion to control the Canadian Geese population on our lakes in 2011 utilizing our Canadian Goose Nest and Egg Depredation Program and our Round-Up Program. We do not wish to eliminate all the Canadian Geese on our lakes but our goal is to reduce them to a manageable level.

Canadian Geese have a life expectancy of about 20 years. We have about 200 Resident Canadian Geese on our lakes. Each Mature Canadian Goose deposits about 2 ½ pounds of feces each day in our lakes and on our shorelines bringing E-coli bacteria and increased phosphorus loading in our waters. Any reduction in our goose population will improve the quality of our lake waters and shorelines.

Many of the nests are hidden especially well under a deck or in a hidden area. Please notify me in early to late April with location of any nests that you see in your area of the lake (608-883-2483 or dfcleven@earthlink.net). If you do not want the geese to be gathered on your property, please contact us and we will respect your wishes.

We all look forward to another fun year on Whitewater/Rice Lakes.

Dave Cleven, Committee Chairman