Egg addling program into its 14th year in Okanagan

The program that looks to control the Canada Geese numbers in the Okanagan is back for a 14th year.

The Canada Goose Management program uses egg addling – or shaking eggs – to reduce the population between Vernon and Osoyoos which currently stands at around 2,500 birds, according to the program.

“In the last 13 years, more than 17,000 eggs have been addled along the valley, which equates to an estimated 10,000-13,000 geese not entering the population, not to mention thousands of offspring,” program coordinator Kate Hagmeier said.

Hagmeier points out the management actions are targeting geese not native to the region.

“These are hybrid offspring of several different subspecies of Canada Geese that were introduced in the 1960s and ’70s. Canada Geese from elsewhere in Canada and the U.S. were moved here as part of managed introduction programs.”

Hagmeier said egg addling is a critical component of goose population management and is the most minimally invasive form of population control.

She added egg addling must adhere to strict federal rules and cannot be done by members of the general public.

“The public is asked to keep away from goose nests and not touch the eggs. A federal permit is required to allow crews to addle goose eggs,” she said.

The public is asked to report lone geese, pairs of geese, or nest locations on private or public land by emailing coordinator@okanagangooseplan.com or calling 1-877-943-3209.

If a nest is on private land, a permission form to access the nest is available on the program website (www.okanagangooseplan.com).