Some Canada geese, usually migratory birds, have settled in Fairfax County and are fouling streams and fieldsand forcing the county to pay for an expensive cleanup, officials said.
The rise of home developments that include water features, such as ponds, and the lack of hunting pressure have allowed some Canada geese to set up a permanent habitat in the county, said Charles Smith, natural resource specialist with the Fairfax County Park Authority. Some of the geese, he said, were raised locally in captivity and have no memory of migration.
“These geese found everything they needed and didn’t have to migrate,” he said.
The glut of spoiled, shiftless birds has caused major problems. A environmental report issued this month said the Canada goose population is increasing 15 percent each year, and will “increase to critical levels” unless action is taken.
“The problem is not so much the animals per se but rather the fecal contamination they bring to our water bodies and watercourses and their fouling of grassy open areas,” the report says.
That waste is a source of fecal coliform bacteria, which has reached “alarming” levels in many ponds, lakes and reservoirs, according to the report. Smith estimated the man-hours required to clean up after the geese costs the county tens of thousands of dollars each year.
“It’s something that’s a growing issue because these flocks are large,” Smith said. “Depending on the time of year, you could have 1,000 geese at one location.”
The county is waiting for new guidelines from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that could allow wildlife staff and homeowners wider berth in taking eggs and adult birds.
