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Michigan pauses program to lethally gas nuisance geese at Belle Isle, other sites

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has paused a pilot program that allowed for the collection and lethal gassing of nuisance Canada geese, according to a Friday letter from M. Scott Bowen, the state agency's director.

Bowen announced the decision in a message to a group of Democratic lawmakers who had expressed concerns about the so-called "capture and euthanasia" initiative, which was authorized last fall by the Natural Resources Commission.

"After further consideration and consultation with our wildlife staff, we have decided to pause the program for this year and will not be issuing any permits or conducting this work on any sites, including Belle Isle Park," the letter from Bowen said.

Belle Isle Park is a 985-acre island park located near downtown Detroit with a large goose population.

The department planned to continue to research "alternative options for managing human-goose conflicts and health and safety concerns" for areas with overabundant Canada goose populations, Bowen's letter added.

The department will also continue to encourage non-lethal techniques for landowners to deal with problem geese, including eliminating feeding, using scare tactics and destroying nests, Bowen wrote.

On April 22, 12 Democratic lawmakers expressed concerns about the "capture and euthanasia" program in a letter to the Natural Resources Commission.

The pilot proposal passed by the commission on Oct. 10 allowed for the "roundup of Canada geese and their goslings and lethally gassing them inside portable gas chambers," the lawmakers said.

The approach was a "disproportionate, inhumane response" to nuisance complaints that were "mainly about goose droppings" at places like parks, businesses, condominium complexes, subdivisions, golf courses and lake associations, the lawmakers contended.

"If allowed to proceed, the DNR, with NRC authorization, will annually round up potentially 10,000 or more Canada geese and their goslings in their natural habitat during their summer molt (June and July) when they are flightless," the lawmakers said.

Among the legislators who signed the letter were two Democratic members of the Senate Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee: Dayna Polehanki and Sue Shink.

Bowen is a member of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration.

Bowen's response letter came a week before the May 16 deadline for people to apply for permits to transport, capture, hold and euthanize Canada geese. Geese can be captured only during the summer flightless period of approximately June 1 through July 1, according to the website of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

An organization called In Defense of Animals has been asking people to contact state officials in opposition to the "capture and euthanasia" program.

"Michiganders have the power to stand up for geese and demand ethical, non-lethal management solutions in their own communities," the organization's website says.

Under the program, landowners were able to seek a permit to have geese on their lake or site captured and humanely euthanized only after they have tried a variety of control methods, including nest and egg destruction, according to the state department.

"The DNR encourages tolerance and coexistence with Canada geese," the department's website says. "There are numerous non-lethal techniques available to help address conflicts with Canada geese.

"Capture and euthanasia should be considered a last resort to address conflicts."

To get the permit, most sites were to be charged a non-refundable $200 fee, according to the department.