GOOSE BUSTERS CANADA GOOSE CONTROL GOOSE BUSTERS 1997 Started - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

GOOSE BUSTERS CANADA GOOSE CONTROL

GOOSE BUSTERS • 1997 Started Business – Goose removal only – 5 sites, 822 geese removed – avg. 164 per site • 1998 Became sole proprietor • 1999 Added Nest Destruction • 2011 Added Dog Hazing • 2013 – 138 GR sites - 4162 geese relocated avg. 30 per site, 134 ND sites – 803 nests and 3,784 eggs, 22 dog sites

CANADA GEESE • Federally Protected Migratory Bird • Must have permits to handle • Must be licensed to handle • Live 20-25 years • Able to have babies for 15-17 years • Come back to where they learn to fly • Mate for “life”

HOW CAN WE CATCH THE GEESE? • In June Canada Geese molt • Molting is where the geese lose their flight feathers – rendering them flightless (most of them) • The juvenile geese do not have their flight feathers yet • In late June / early July, the adults re-grow their flight feathers and the juvenile geese grow their flight feathers • Both the adults and juvenile then “learn” to fly together

SERVICES GOOSE BUSTERS OFFER • Goose Removal • Nest Destruction • Dog Hazing • Lawn Spraying (Flight Control Plus) • Stringing Ponds

AREAS GOOSE BUSTERS SERVICE

WHAT IS GOOSE REMOVAL • Goose Busters arrive onsite with 1-2 crews (4- 5 people per crew) • Goose Busters set up a “catch” pen • Goose Busters herd (walk, kayak, run, etc…) the geese to catch pen • Goose Busters pick the geese out by hand and put into trailers • Goose Busters drive away with all your geese

WHAT IS NEST DESTRUCTION • Nest Destruction is the process in which the State allows you to legally remove the goose eggs from the nest. • Open to anyone in Oakland, Wayne, or Macomb counties • Must “qualify” for program elsewhere

WHAT IS DOG HAZING • Dog Hazing is the process of removing geese from sites with the assistance of trained dogs • Geese think the dog is a predator – fly away • No barking, wildly running around crazy dogs – specially trained dogs that “stalk” the geese

TIMEFRAME FOR SERVICES • Dog Hazing – Year round if have resident geese, beginning of March – end of migration (end of November) for non-resident geese • Nest Destruction – Middle to end of April, when the geese have been on nests over 10 days, up until they hatch (28 days of incubation) – DNR mandated dates • Goose Roundup – Middle of June until late June – DNR mandated dates

DEADLINES FOR PERMITS • Change from year to year • 2014 : • April 1 for nest destruction • May 27 for goose roundup

CUSTOMERS WE SERVICE • Lagoons • State Parks • County Parks • Lakes • Residential Communities • Businesses • Municipalities • Retirement homes • Apartment complexes • Zoos • Golf courses

WHY REMOVE GEESE OR EGGS? • Waste products add nutrients like BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand), Ammonia, and Phosphorus. • Nutrients cause Algal Bloom – which die and sink causing additional oxygen demand. • Waste also adds to fecal coliform bacteria count – most lagoons don’t remove. – End up in rivers.

WHY REMOVE GEESE OR EGGS? • Nuisance • Step in feces – slippery/dirty • Nesting mothers attack employees • Bring duck weed and other nuisance plants with them from other locations

WHY REMOVE GEESE OR EGGS? • Consume up to 4 pounds of grass a day – which is 3-4 pounds of fecal matter per goose per day. • Feces is 76% Carbon, 4.4% Nitrogen, and 1.3% Phosphorus – which cause harmful algae blooms • Attract predators

HOW CAN YOU CONTROL GEESE? • Hire Goose Busters! • We come out in mid June and remove all geese that are onsite and relocate throughout the State • If you have relocation in 3 of 5 years with an average of 25 geese removed per year, you can then participate in the nest destruction program

DO THE GEESE RETURN? • We relocate all geese onsite that can be caught • The State of Michigan DNR states that… • 0% of the goslings caught return – they return to where they learn to fly – we catch them before this stage • The following year – 60-80 % of adults may return • May get fall migration geese stopping in.

LAGOON EXPERIENCE • YCUA – Ypsilanti, 1999 – 2005 Do own now. • Sugar Springs – Butnam Township – 2008-present • Genesee County – 2012 • Ann Arbor – 2012 Aggressive geese removal only

WHAT STEPS DO YOU HAVE TO TAKE? • Request Goose Removal Permit from the USDA • Contact local DNR for approval • Pay $200 permit fee from State • Hire Goose Busters!

CONTACT INFORMATION • Goose Busters • 800-521-8777 • www.goosebusters.net • E-mail: Goose_Busters@yahoo.com • Business cards at booth

QUESTIONS??