United States Department of Agriculture 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 

February 2017

Estimating

the Value

ofResident

Canada Goose

Damage

Management

Wildlife Services (WS), a program ofthe

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal

andPlantHealthInspectionService,

provides Federal leadership and expertise

toresolvewildlifeconflicts thatthreaten

the Nation’s agricultural and natural

resources,humanhealthandsafety,and

property. One area in which WS assists

individuals, local governments, and

businesses,particularlyinthe Eastern

United States, is with reducing impacts

associated with overabundant resident

Canada goose populations.

Unlike migratory geese, resident 

Canada geese (Branta canadensis) 

breed and nest in the United States. 

From 1970 to 2010, resident Canada 

goose populations in the United 

States increased about 14-fold—from 

250,000 to 3.5 million.

In the Eastern United States 

alone, resident Canada goose 

populations exceed 1 million and 

have increased by 2 percent each 

year during the last 10 years. A main 

factor contributing to their dramatic 

population growth is their tendency 

to nest in urban and suburban areas, 

where the geese have ideal habitat 

with few predators and where 

hunting cannot be used to control 

the population.

Though their resurgence is a 

conservation success story, 

problems arise when Canada goose 

numbers or densities increase to a 

level that is incompatible with 

human activities in an area. These 

problems include: overgrazing of 

grass, ornamental plants, and 

agricultural crops; accumulation of 

droppings and feathers in publicuse areas; attacks on humans by 

geese during the nesting season or 

by food- aggressive birds; the 

fouling of reservoirs and swimming 

areas; and collisions with aircraft.

This factsheet highlights a case 

study assessment of Canada goose 

damage management in Union 

County, NJ. Assessments provide 

insights into the value associated with 

wildlife damage management and are 

an important tool for decisionmakers.

New Jersey has a large human population density

and resident Canada goose population density,

increasing the potential for conflicts.

Canada Goose Damage 

Management in Union County, New

Jersey: A Case Study

In Union County, NJ, resident Canada 

geese create problems for people, 

parks, and recreation areas. In 2010, 

Union County requested Wildlife 

Services’ (WS) assistance in initiating 

an Integrated Wildlife Damage 

Management Program (IWDMP) to 

reduce damage caused by resident 

Canada geese. The program includes a 

combination of both lethal and 

nonlethal methods, such as 

conducting education and outreach, 

recommending “no feeding”

ordinances, managing habitats, applying 

exclusionary measures, employing 

harassment methods, providing 

reproductive control, and removing over 

abundant adult geese. By employing

a variety of these techniques, the 

IWDMP works to manage damage by 

Canada geese to tolerable levels, while 

conserving the regional goose 

population and natural environment.
Figure 1: Resident Canada geese live year-round and nest south 

of the U.S.-Canada borders; migratory geese nest north of the 

border and migrate south during winter months.

Estimating Damage Associated 

with Geese

To gain a better understanding of the 

economic impacts of resident Canada 

geese to Union County, economists at 

the WS National Wildlife Research 

Center (NWRC) conducted an 

economic assessment of the county’s 

resident Canada goose IWDMP and 

estimated the potential costs 

associated with damages in the 

absence of the program. The analysis 

focused specifically on damage costs 

associated with vegetation and turf 

maintenance, fecal removal, and 

reduced recreation and park user fees.

Economists collected information 

from published literature regarding the 

typical cost of damage management 

and park maintenance related to 

nuisance geese. This information was 

adjusted to 2010 dollars and provided 

realistic high ($61.77) and low

($20.08) values for annual damage 

estimates per bird. The data was then 

used to estimate potential damage costs 

for Union County based upon three 

different bird population scenarios.

In the first scenario, economists

assume the IWDMP maintains the

resident Canada goose population at

approximately 4,000 birds on 

average. In the second scenario, 

economists assume the population 

doubles in the absence of the 

IWDMP; and in the third scenario, 

economists assume the population 

triples to 12,000 birds in the absence 

of the IWDMP. From this analysis, 

economists noted that annual

damage costs in Union County could

potentially be as high as $741,240

($61.77 per bird at 12,000 birds) or 

as low as $80,320 ($20.08 per bird 

at 4,000 birds) (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Estimated costs associated with increasing resident Canada goose populations 

in Union County, NJ.

Canada Goose Populations in

Union County, NJ

Union County, NJ, lies in the 

Atlantic flyway (shown above), 

which is a flyway for millions of 

migratory birds annually. Several 

subspecies of resident Canada 

geese were introduced and 

established in the Atlantic flyway 

during the early 20th century.

The resident goose population in 

New Jersey is believed to have 

originated from populations in 

adjacent States, from private 

breeders/hunters, and 

purposeful introductions. Union 

County is the third most human 

populated county in New Jersey 

and has many parks, golf 

courses, and water bodies that 

are especially attractive to 

geese. This high mix of people 

and geese increases the 

potential for conflict at parks.
NWRC economists also calculated 

simple control and maintenance cost 

estimates per bird in Union County 

based on current spending levels. An 

estimated control cost of $28.36 per 

bird was based on the 2010 IWDMP 

budget($113,440) andtheexisting 

residentCanadagoosepopulationof 

4,000 birds. An estimated maintenance 

cost per bird of $17.09 was based on 

crew salaries, grass seed, and lawn

care giventheexistingresidentgoose 

population. Theseestimateswerethen 

usedtocalculatepotential savings 

associated with resident Canada

goose management.

Potential Savings

Equipped with damage, maintenance, 

and control cost information, NWRC 

economists showed that as resident 

Canada goose populations increase, so 

do the costs associated with grounds 

maintenance and goose population 

control. However, findings also showed 

that the use of a management 

program such as the IWDMP could 

offset those costs. In fact, the 

economic assessment indicated that 

for every dollar spent on the control of 

Canada geese, potentially

$1.31 to $5.56 could be saved. In 

both scenarios where the goose 

populations increased in Union 

County, economists found the 

implementation of the IWDMP led to a 

net savings.

Figure 3: Resident Canada goose populations in the United States have increased 14-fold since 1970.

Canada Goose Statistics:

• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service reports 3.5 million 

resident Canada geese in 

the United States.

• Atlantic flyway resident 

Canada goose populations 

exceed 1 million and have 

increased 2 percent per 

year during the last 10 

years.

• In New Jersey, biologists 

estimated the State’s 

population of resident 

Canada geese in 2010 to 

be 76,190.

• The majority of Canada 

goose damage pertains to 

fecal contamination at parks 

and recreation areas.

• For every dollar spent on 

Canada goose damage 

management in Union 

County, NJ, potentially 

$1.31 to $5.56 could be 

saved on damage and 

maintenance costs.
AdditionalInformation

For more information, please contact:

Aaron Guikema, NJ State Director

USDA–APHIS–WS

140-C Locust Grove Road

Pittstown, NJ 08867-4049

Phone: (908) 735-5654

www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlifedamage/

National Wildlife Research Center

USDA–APHIS–WS

4101 LaPorte Avenue

Fort Collins, CO 80521

Phone: (970) 266-6000

www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlifedamage/

nwrc/

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

prohibits discrimination in all its programs and

activities on the basis of race, color, national

origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political

beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family

status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all

programs.) Persons with disabilities who require

alternative means for communication of program

information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.)

should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202)

720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA,

Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W,

Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue,

SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202)

720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal

opportunity provider and employer.

Feeding of resident Canada geese is discouraged.