Oregon set to delist goose

[Washington Hunter]

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SALEM, Ore. -- Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski is expected to sign a bill passed by the Legislature this week that removes the Aleutian Canada goose, a major pest to farmers, from the state's threatened species list.

The state Senate gave the bill final approval Monday on a unanimous vote.

The geese were removed from the federal list in 2001 after it was discovered the population had grown to almost 70,000, mostly because of West Coast predator control.

California began permitting limited hunting of the birds earlier. But in Oregon, ranchers couldn't even legally haze the birds to move them to public land.

The birds prefer commercially grown grass, and they eat a lot of it. Oregon is their last stop before their 3,000-mile flight to their breeding grounds in Alaska's Aleutian Islands.

The bird is one of seven subspecies of the goose, and is a bother to farmers from the southern Oregon coast to the Willamette Valley. Even the Audubon Society has advocated the state delisting.

The bill would allow the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to manage the goose population, possibly including hunting.

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[MarvB]

Ahhh the old golf course goose!

We've got them here year around now and in numbers that are almost unbearable on the parks and g.courses...I think it would provide great sport to stalk them in carts with archery tackle! hump

YOU TALKIN' BOUT ME??

 

[Curly]

I didn't even know the Aleutian Canadain goose was listed as threatened. How do you tell the difference from the Aleutian and a greater or lesser Canada goose?

 

[MarvB]

By their accent

Actually the Aleutian Canada goose has a small white band or ring of feathers at the base of the neck. I'll see if I can find a pic showing it.

 

[Curly]

By their accent

I asked for that, eh.

 

[MarvB]

Here's a pic showing the white band at the base of the neck...your right though, since they're small its hard at a distance to tell them from the other lesser species (they all look about the same on the BBQ ) We've got quite a few that winter up and down the valley here as far south as Modesto.

 

[Curly]

Thanks for the pics.