Michiganders will soon be able to ask for nuisance Canada geese to be killed.
In the past, landowners could ask for the birds to be relocated or for their nests and eggs to be destroyed. But starting in 2025, small numbers of geese will be euthanized instead of relocated.
The decision comes as Canada geese populations grow in urban and suburban areas.
"We as humans have just done a tremendous job of creating the perfect Canada goose habitat," said Barbara Avers, a waterfowl and wetland specialist for the Department of Natural Resources. "It's very lush, manicured, fertilized lawns that are next to water... That's what a lot of our subdivisions look like. It's a lot of what our urban and suburban parks look like."
More geese mean more conflicts with humans. Excessive goose poop on lawns and swimming beaches can be a nuisance, as can aggressive birds.
Those issues aren't new, and for years, the state has offered eligible landowners options for managing the birds. People could apply for permits to have the geese rounded up and relocated, or to have nests and eggs destroyed.
But Avers said it's no longer practical to round up and relocate the birds, partially because of an ongoing outbreak of bird flu which can affect poultry and livestock.
"One of the worst things you can do is start moving wild birds around the state; it could really help facilitate the transmission of that virus," Avers said. "So the last several years, we've actually canceled all of the goose roundup and relocation."
With a growing goose population, there are also fewer sites to relocate them. And the geese eventually migrate back to their original home anyway.
So the Natural Resources Commission approved a regulation change last week that will allow for rounded up Canada geese to be euthanized starting next year.
Under the new rule, the carcasses will be disposed of or processed for meat and donated.
Avers said this is an option available to eligible landowners who meet certain requirements, not a statewide program attempting to reduce geese populations; the DNR encourages landowners to increase their tolerance of the birds and try non-lethal techniques, like replacing waterside grass with shrubs, before applying for a roundup permit.
"It's a tool that we offer to help people address some of those conflicts, but the decision is completely on them," she said.
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