The following research attempts to resolve the environmental impact of recent enormous increases in the numbers of residential Canada geese residing in Virginia, specifically the Newport News region. The population of geese has grown exponentially during the last decade, creating an impact on the region in terms of environment, economy and culture. Included in the research is an opening problem statement that discusses why a resolution is mandated by the current situation in this Virginia region. The body of the research discusses the history of residential Canada geese in Virginia, including environmental impact and efforts at managing geese populations. After presenting this body of research, a formal Integrated Pest Management (IMP) plan is offered, including plan provisions, time-frame, costs, and benefits from implementing the plan to the environment, economy and culture of the region. A conclusion then offers a summary of the research and justification for why such a plan as the one offered is merited. An appendix is then provided, followed by a list of the various sources used in the research.
“Wild beasts and birds are by right not the property merely of the people who are alive today, but the property of unknown generations, whose belongings we have no right to squander.”
The Canadian Goose (Branta Canadensis) that makes its way in winter to the Virginia coastal area is part of the Atlantic Flyway population of migratory geese, whose numbers have been in decline over the past decade. These birds winter in the south and return to breeding grounds in the spring. There are also non-migratory or residential Canada geese in Virginia. For a while numbers were kept in check by natural forces, such as “poor gosling hatches in the 1980s and early 1990s due to lethal icing that occurred during the time geese sat on nets” (Mueller G3). However, the population of non-migratory resident Canadian geese in Virginia ha...