In 1990, an estimated 6,000 geese existed. The species was then reclassified from endangered to threatened. The count in the spring of this year indicated that there are now more then 19,000 Aleutian Canada Geese. The Aleutian Canada Goose is currently a federal threatened species and of special concern in Alaska. It is now known that the geese winter in and use pastures and grain fields along the coasts of Oregon and Northern California and in California's Central Valley.
Many birds stop at pastures near Lake Earl in Crescent City.
They arrive in the fall before continuing on the Central Valley. Almost the entire population stages at Crescent City. They arrive in early February and head north in April. At night, the geese roost on the coastal rocks near Bandon. It is presumed that the geese migrate between the Aleutian islands and their wintering grounds by flying non-stop over the Pacific Ocean, a distance of nearly 2,000 miles.