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Wild and free - words you think of when you see Canada geese. Nearly everyone recognizes
these handsome birds. Geese feeding in a winter field symbolize strength, survival and beauty.
But wait, they represent adaptability, too. In recent decades, Canada geese have made
themselves at home in urban settings. Lack of predators, ample water, and feeding sites
ranging from lawns and golf courses to urban parks make cities the ideal headquarters.
And Canadas have gone from welcome city visitors to, in some cases, an outright nuisance. Geese
often congregate near office complexes or residential areas on ponds, fountains and
reflecting pools. Here, feeding damages lawns and often fouls sidewalks and use areas with
goose waste. Water quality can also be damaged. Geese acclimated to a city environment readily
nest and raise young. Since Canadas always return to the place where they learned to
fly, urban geese populations can quickly build to unmanageable levels. Sometimes, cities
cooperate with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks to organize expensive goose round-ups
to relocate fledgling geese and lessen this problem. Birds are often taken to distant
reservoirs where they develop new, local populations. The sight of geese flying low over a busy
city is always a welcome reminder of the value of wildlife. Even so, the Canada’s willingness
to live in close contact with humans creates interesting conflicts in the city environment.
I’m Mike Blair for Kansas Wildlife and Parks.