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# Nevada Air Guard helps round up Canada geese to curb mishaps

By Senior Master Sgt. Paula Macomber152nd Airlift Wing

RENO, Nev. - Members of the 152nd Airlift Wing of the Nevada Air National Guard participated in the 33rd annual Canada goose round-up June 4-7 with the Nevada Department of Wildlife and the United States Department of Agriculture.

  The event helped relocate 396 Canada geese away from aircraft in the Reno-Tahoe region to a safer location at Carson Lake.

  Many geese don't migrate from Northern Nevada, preferring golf courses, water sources and other areas with food. This can lead to bird strikes with aircraft operating in the Reno-Tahoe region, including the 152nd Airlift Wing's C-130s.

  "The Goose round-up event the USDA sponsors helps mitigate the potential for commercial, civil and military aircraft striking birds in the Reno Tahoe IAP (airport) local area," said Maj. Tom Dorsett, chief of safety for the 152nd Airlift Wing. "The Bird Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) is the Air Force program with the goal of preservation of war-fighting capabilities through the reduction of wildlife hazards to aircraft operations. Having the relationship and coordination with the local Reno USDA office fostering a safer environment for flying operations is extremely important."

  He added: "The birds safely rounded up and relocated have a low percentage of returning to the local area, in turn greatly reducing the numbers that are repopulating locally leading to a potential hazard for our daily flying operations."

  During this time of year, the geese are flightless because they are molting their feathers. This makes for an ideal time to gather the birds. They are herded into "drive" traps, leg banded, loaded into a trailer and then relocated.

  The group of volunteers started at 5:30 a.m. each day. The first location was Virginia Lake. Then they moved on to the ponds near NV Energy, Fisherman's Park on the Truckee River, the Sparks Marina and Edgewood in Tahoe, over the course of the four days.

  The 152nd Airlift Wing Safety Office sought out volunteers from the base to be involved.

  "I really didn't know our unit's involvement in this program," said Senior Master Sgt. Angela Ash, the human resource advisor for the 152nd Airlift Wing. "I think it's great that the Safety office offers this opportunity for us to help something that directly affects our mission. It was a nice way to give back to the unit and the community. I wish more folks got involved with their children, it is definitely different than just looking at the planes because it involves the safety of Airmen and planes."

  She went on to say, "It's great to support anything that helps with the safety of the men and women of our flying squadron. I believe the safety of our Airmen and our planes is paramount, along with helping the neighboring airport is an added bonus. Also, anything that I can share with my grandson, Cory, is important to me. I want him to understand the different aspects of service, and my part in the service to our state and country. Being a member of the Nevada Air National Guard (NVANG) has given me an opportunity to share with my family very unique situations that regular citizens don't get to experience. This opportunity has given my grandson a special memory of me and the team which I support in the NVANG."

  Ash brought her grandson along for the event at the Sparks Marina.

  It's these types of experiences that start recruiting at a very young age, Ash said of her grandson.

  "Cory was excited when I asked him about helping gather the geese," she said. "After the first morning, he asked if we could do it again. He had no problem getting up in the early hours of the morning. He also asked me about how he would get a job later working with the Nevada Department of Wildlife."

  One of the geese had a 50-foot fishing line wrapped around one of its feet, which officials were able to safely remove; possibly saving its life. A domestic rabbit found during the round-up was turned in to Washoe County Animal Services. 

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