Dealing With Geese

Sun., Sept. 28, 1997

Associated Press

Hunting

Oregon has won federal approval of a plan to use hunters to make the Willamette Valley less comfortable for the growing flocks of Canada geese each winter.

The plan would open virtually all of the Valley west of Interstate 5 and the lower Columbia River, to goose hunting three days a week from Dec. 1 through the end of February.

The western Willamette Valley is the traditional wintering grounds for the dusky Canada goose, a large, dark Canada subspecies that nests on Alaska’s Copper River Delta.

The 1964 Alaska earthquake drained much of the 700,000-acre delta and left the duskies vulnerable to predation. To protect the species, biologists closed down hunting across most of the Willamette Valley.

When they did, between 150,000 and 200,000 other Canada geese began stopping in the relatively safe valley instead of continuing to California or Mexico.

The goose glut led to farmers’ fields being stripped of winter wheat, ryegrass, clover, carrots and other crops.

All hunters in the special zone would be required to take a tough new test of their ability to distinguish the valley’s seven wintering Canada subspecies. , DataTimes

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