Goose management efforts continue at Cultus Lake with 164 geese counted by volunteers of the lakeside community on July 11.
"Our goose management committee counts geese four times a year," said Taryn Dixon, electoral area H rep of the Fraser Valley Regional District, in her summer newsletter.
The ultimate goal is managing the Canada goose population at the lake, not to "eradicate them." It's a perennial problem not just at Cultus Lake but also Harrison Lake and Kawkawa Lake.
"Geese are wonderful to look at and watch, but too many of them can also create unhealthy situations," Dixon pointed out.
"We try to educate people too, and ask that no one feeds the geese."
Dixon offered a fun fact: The average goose produces about two pounds of poop per day.
"So those 164 geese managed to make over 300 pounds of poop in just one day."
Unfortunately the waste ends up on the beaches, grassy areas and in the water. There's bacteria and pathogens in the bird feces, like E. coli which can contaminate the water and sand.
Several methods keep the numbers at bay: habitat modification; disturbing them in a way that does not harm them; educating the public around the importance of not feeding the geese; and signage.
Feeding them is highly discouraged because the birds become human-habituated, and lose their fear of people.
"They should be eating goose food, not people food."
The non-migratory nature of this goose population could explain why they tend to hang out by the lake. They were introduced to the area in the 1960s and never learned to migrate.
A 2018 study by EBB consulting found that if left unchecked, the local goose population would skyrocket.
"Many thanks to our dedicated volunteers who try and keep the numbers manageable to protect the lake and surrounding areas," Dixon said.