This summer, the state will offer golf courses, parks, and lake associations a "last resort" lethal option to get rid of large flocks of nuisance Canada geese. The geese will be captured during their molting phase, when they can't fly, and killed in chambers with carbon dioxide.
But that's only if multiple non-lethal methods are tried and fail, said Kaitlyn Barnes, a waterfowl specialist with the state Department of Natural Resources.
She said groups requesting the state's lethal program must first try tactics like destroying the nests and eggs, and do other things like harass the birds into leaving with lasers or trained dogs.
But harassment techniques don't always work on large properties, she said.
"If the geese are just able to evade any harassment and go onto the water and come back up onto another lawn, sometimes it's not enough to ameliorate the issue," Barnes said.
Likewise, while geese don't like to settle, feed, and nest in areas where grasses have been allowed to grow tall, it's not an option for certain kinds of properties.
"Letting the grass get tall, well, that would impede a golf course's ability to maintain the course the way they need to, right?" Barnes pointed out.
The new capture and kill program will only be offered when flocks of 100 birds or more can't be dispersed by other methods. Groups taking advantage of the program will have to pay for it, and Barnes said it will be far more expensive than any other non-lethal steps that groups could take to get rid of nuisance flocks.
Barnes said the state earlier had a program of capturing nuisance flocks of Canada geese and relocating them to state parks, but that program was abandoned in 2022 for fear of spreading avian flu.
She said only ten groups so far have submitted permits for the new program; that doesn't mean they will necessarily need to use the permits, if they are able to get rid of their flocks using non-lethal methods, such as destroying nests and eggs and taking other steps.
Animal rights groups say killing birds with carbon dioxide gas is an inhumane way to kill animals.
Barnes said the method is approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
