LAKE NOTES for PROTECTING OUR LAKES

• HOME AND YARD POLLUTION CONTROL

• SEPTIC SYSTEMS:

  Their Function, Operation, and Maintenance

  For a Healthy Environment and Healthy Lakes

• SHORELINE BUFFER STRIPS:

• THE RIPARIAN BUFFER AND LAKE ECOLOGY

• CANADA GEESE AND OUR LAKES

Lake Notes are adapted from publications produced by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.  The objective of the series is to provide watershed residents with a greater understanding of environmental cause-and-effect relationships and what actions can be taken to protect Pennsylvania's lakes and other waterways.

For other publications in the Lake Notes series visit the PACD website or contact the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. at 4999 Jonestown Road, Suite 203, Harrisburg, PA 17109 (717) 545-8878 or your county conservation district.

For additional information, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protections website at www.dep.state.pa.us. Go to: Wastewater Management (Subject) where you will find numerous resources. You may also e-mail your inquiries to: www.askdep@dep.state.pa.us 

HOME AND YARD POLLUTION CONTROL

You may not be surprised to learn that the health of your lake is linked to various activities occurring throughout your watershed.  But what may surprise you is that a many sources of pollution can start in your own back yard!  Activities such as yard work, car maintenance, salting the steps in winter and even walking the dog, can impact ground and surface waters. This publication will give you tips to help minimize impacts your household may have on a lake or stream in your watershed. 

When homes are developed, buildings, driveways, sidewalks and streets reduce land surfaces.  What once was covered with vegetation is replaced with impervious surfaces.  Consequently, the amount of water that is able to soak into the soil is reduced, resulting in more water running off the land and into lakes.  As runoff heads toward a lake, it picks up pollutants such as excess nutrients from lawn fertilizers, bacteria from pet wastes, litter, and sediment particles from soil.  The list goes on and on. 

What you do around your home can help—or harm—lake water quality.  For example, rain can wash fertilizers and pesticides into lakes.  Similarly, anything that drips from a motor vehicle can wash into storm sewers.  Antifreeze, gasoline and motor oil are toxic to aquatic life.  Just five quarts of motor oil, for instance, can create an oil slick the size of two football fields! 

Simple Tips for Cleaner Lake…Around your home...

• Along lake shores, establish a “buffer strip” of dense, native vegetation to help filter pollutants, stabilize the shore edge and provide important wildlife habitat. 

• Never burn yard waste along the lakeshore.  The ashes are quite high in nutrients and can easily washed into the lake. 

• Use yard waste on-site as mulch or compost, or dispose of it properly off-site.  Never dump yard wastes along or in a lake or tributary stream. 

• Clean up pet wastes to prevent nutrients and bacteria from washing into the lake. 

• On icy pavement, use sand or gravel rather than salt.

• Properly maintain your septic system. Have it inspected and pumped out regularly—at least every three years. Conserve water, and use water saving plumbing fixtures to maximize the septic system’s efficiency. 

• Limit your overall use of toxic or hazardous products.  Keep them away from drainage ditches, storm sewers, streams and lakes.  Always properly dispose of toxic products— never dump them down the drain! 

• Wash cars on the lawn so soapy water can be absorbed instead of running off into storm sewers. 

• Keep your car well maintained.  Check for drips and repair leaks immediately. 

• Properly dispose of (or better yet, recycle) used motor oil and other automotive products.

• Choose appropriate types of turf grass and groundcovers for your site’s soil, sunlight, and water conditions to minimize maintenance.  Do not use fertilizer. 

• Keep your mowing height high.  Set your mower blade at 3 inches to provide a “taller” lawn that holds water better, requires less irrigation, and helps shade out weeds. 

• Mow often enough to leave grass clippings on the lawn, and use a mulching mower if possible.  Grass clippings actually promote healthy lawns by recycling nitrogen nutrients back to the grass—for free!  Alternatively, use clippings as mulch or compost them with leaves. 

• Direct roof downspouts away from driveways and foundations and toward your lawn or planting beds where the water can soak into the soil.  Use a splash block directly below your downspouts to help prevent soil erosion.  If erosion still occurs, attach some flexible, perforated plastic tubing to the downspout to diffuse the water flow. 

SEPTIC SYSTEMS: Their Function, Operation, and Maintenance For a Healthy Environment and Healthy Lakes

A functioning septic system, one that is of correct design for its site, will remove disease-causing organisms and some nutrients and chemicals from wastewater.  However, it will not remove or treat many liquid pollutants such as solvents, automotive and lubricating oils, drain cleaners and other non-cleaning household chemicals.  Proper location, design, construction, operation and maintenance of septic systems are critical to protecting water quality throughout a watershed.  This is especially true when systems are located close to lakes and streams or in areas having shallow groundwater zones. 

Septic systems that are not functioning properly can pose health threats.  Bacterial contamination is a concern if the lake is used for recreational activities involving body contact such as swimming. 

In addition to threatening human health, malfunctioning systems can also harm the ecology of lakes.  Sewage is high in nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus, which help plants grow.  Untreated effluent that makes its way to lakes or tributary streams, either through surface flow or groundwater seepage, can contribute to increases in algae or aquatic plant growth.  This over-enriched system, called eutrophic, can significantly impact the lake’s health over a period of time. 

Algae overgrowth, for instance, create blooms that cover surfaces, cloud water, block sunlight and deplete oxygen supplies needed by aquatic plants and animals. In extreme cases, oxygen depletion associated with untreated sewage has created massive fish kills. Some nutrients and other pollutants generally are very slow to leave a lake system.  Thus, untreated sewage discharges can have lingering effects long after a malfunction has been repaired. 

Septic systems are safe and effective if selected, designed, located and constructed correctly.  However, homeowners must actively monitor and maintain their systems. Because nutrients and other pollutants are generally very slow to leave a lake, a malfunctioning septic system can have a long-term impact on the lake’s health.  The most common type of septic system consists of two primary components: 1) a septic tank for collecting waste and settling out solids; and 2) a soil absorption field for filtering the liquid waste. Where soil composition or depth is not suitable for a conventional septic tank/absorption field, other systems, such as elevated sand mounds, may be used. 

Older methods of sewage disposal include drywells instead of an absorption fields or use a cesspool.  These methods are permitted, by law, if installed prior to the initiation of state regulations, but only until they are found malfunction or present potential or actual health nuisance.  Because these methods do not provide any certainty of adequate treatment and disposal of sewage, they should be replaced whether replacement is mandated by law or not.

The Septic Tank

The septic tank serves three functions: storage, settling and digestion.  The tank must be able to store waste from high flow periods (e.g., the morning round of showers) until it can pass through the absorption field.  Hence, the size of the septic tank is determined by the size of the household it is intended to serve.  The formula accounts for the number of bedrooms in the house.  The minimum size and the location of a septic tank and its absorption field must comply with state regulations. 

Sewage flow coming from the house is separated into three fractions after it enters the tank.  Grease, oils and other light materials accumulate at the top of the tank in a layer of scum.  The heavier solids settle into a sludge layer at the bottom of the tank.  The intermediate layer is wastewater.  Wastewater passes on to the absorption field.  The scum and sludge are held in the tank by a set of baffles.  Since the settling process requires time, tanks are designed so that liquids are retained for about 24 hours, under normal flow conditions, before discharging to the absorption field. 

Even though it has no moving parts, the septic tank requires regular maintenance.  Annual inspections of the baffles are recommended to ensure that scum is not leaving the tank and entering the absorption field.  Similarly, accumulated sludge must be removed on a regular basis.  Otherwise, the tank capacity will be reduced so that solids are not able to settle out before the wastewater effluent leaves the tank. 

The minimum frequency of sludge removal (“pumping”) varies with the amount of use your system receives and may be regulated, in Pennsylvania, by local sewage management program ordinances.  For the average family of four, a septic tank in normal use needs to be pumped out every three years.  If you place heavier demands on a system, such as a large family or a garbage disposal, the tank may need to be pumped every year.  Due to several considerations, including personal safety, a professional contractor should do septic tank pumping and inspections. 

The Soil Filter 

When the wastewater leaves the septic tank it flows to the absorption field.  The absorption field consists of a network of perforated pipes (often plastic) laid out in a bed of trenches lined with gravel.  The pipes are connected to the septic tank through a small chamber known as a distribution box.  The distribution box is designed to distribute liquids equally among the absorption field pipes.  Wastewater then flows through the gravel and into the surrounding soil.  Microorganisms in the soil decompose many of the remaining contaminants.  However, the soil cannot remove dissolved solvents, automotive and lubricating oils, drain cleaners, and other household chemicals that can easily percolate into groundwater. 

If the absorption field is properly located, designed and installed it will accept septic tank effluent for a very long time.  Design life is normally a minimum of 20–25 years.  The design presumes that in operation: 1) the field does not become overloaded with liquid, and 2) the septic tank is properly maintained and does not allow sludge or scum to escape and clog the field.  Minimizing household water usage and waste output will extend the life of the absorption field and help keep it in good operating condition. 

The size and placement of the absorption field is determined by the type and depth of soils on the site, as well as the sewage load it is expected to handle.  Some soils are better than others for placement of an absorption field. In sandy soils, for example, water may pass through too quickly to be treated efficiently, while heavy clay soils may not allow enough flow.  In addition, there must be sufficient soil above the water table or bedrock for complete treatment (generally about six feet). 

Some lake homes have septic systems that do not have sufficient capacity for the type of use they receive, are located too close to the water table, and/or are in poor soils.  Your county conservation district can help you estimate the type, depth, and location of the various soils on your property.  A final determination of their suitability for septic systems will be made by your local sewage enforcement officer. 

The absorption field ceases to function when the soils surrounding it become saturated.  This can happen when the system is overloaded or when the water table rises to the level of the absorption field.  When the absorption field becomes saturated, septic effluent can rise to the field surface, enter groundwater, or travel underground and resurface at another water source-quite possibly your lake or a stream tributary to your lake!  As you can see, whenever the absorption field becomes saturated, the sewage you flush flows essentially untreated into the surrounding environment.

Septic System Tips 

The following list of tips reduces impacts to your lake and environment. 

• Limit the amount of water entering your septic tank.  Give your system time to absorb exceptionally heavy loads.  For example, it would be best not to immediately do five loads of laundry after hosting a party for twenty or so guests.  Use water-saving fixtures. Repair leaking toilets and dripping faucets. 

• Do not connect foundation sump pumps or other “clean water” discharges to your septic system. 

• Inspect your tank every year.  Measure the level of sludge build-up and inspect the baffles for scum. Pump your septic tank at least every 3 years (or sooner as indicated by your annual inspection of the tank).  Save money—organize neighborhood tank pumping! 

• Get complete design and maintenance records from the previous owner when you buy a house with a septic system. Know the location of the system’s components.  Make a sketch showing locations and distances and keep the drawing in a safe place. 

• Driveways, patios, aboveground pools and other structures should never be built over the absorption field.  As much as one third of the water in septic effluent evaporates up through the ground over the absorption field. 

• Avoid using a garbage disposal.  Garbage disposals add tremendously to the amount of solids entering your septic tank. 

• Discard grease in the garbage instead of the drain.  Grease can clog the septic tank or the soils surrounding the absorption field.  Also, use of liquid fabric softeners can contribute to excessive scum in the septic tank. 

• Use toilet paper that decomposes easily.  Purchase brands labeled “safe” for septic systems. 

• Install a lint trap on your washing machine.  Lint can clog the pipes in the absorption field. 

• Read product labels!  Use low phosphorus detergents and cleaning products whenever possible. Phosphorus is the nutrient most likely to cause damage to a lake after leaving your septic system. 

• Perform (at least) annual routine maintenance on any lift or distribution pumps associated with your system.  Systems that utilize pumps will quickly back-up if a pump fails. 

• Do not pour strong cleaning agents, chemicals, or old medicines down the drain.  These can kill beneficial bacteria that break down waste in your septic system.  As a rule of thumb, if the label says “harmful if swallowed”, it probably isn’t good for the septic system.

• Keep all non-biodegradable items such as sanitary napkins, disposable diapers, paper towels, and plastic out of your septic tank.  They can block the tank’s outlet and necessitate expensive repairs. 

• Do not drive or park vehicles on your absorption field.  Vehicles can compact soils and break pipes. 

• Keep trees and shrubs at least 35 feet away from your field to prevent roots from plugging or breaking pipes. 

• Avoid all so-called ‘septic tank treatment’ additives.  No additive can alleviate the need to regularly pump your septic tank; some may actually promote clogging of your absorption field or contaminate groundwater. 

• Route surface water drainage away from your absorption field.  Snowmelt, rain and other surface runoff can temporarily inundate your field. 

• Do not inhale gas emitted from an open septic tank.  The atmosphere produced in your septic tank may suffocate you. 

• Locate your absorption field as far away as possible from surface water to reduce its potential of becoming a source of contamination. 

Signs of a problem

• Slow draining toilets, showers, or sinks. 

• Sewage backing up in the basement or drains. 

• Ponded water or wet areas over the absorption field in your lawn. 

• Bright green grass over the absorption field may indicate that effluent is coming to the surface. 

• A dense stand of aquatic plants of algae growing only along your shoreline. 

• Sewage odors. 

• Bacteria or nitrates show up in tests of a nearby drinking water well. 

• Biodegradable dye flushed through your system is detected in the lake. 

SHORELINE BUFFER STRIPS: THE RIPARIAN BUFFER AND LAKE ECOLOGY

The interrelationship between a lake and its shoreline is important.  The shoreline, or riparian zone, is the last line of defense against forces that may otherwise pollute a healthy lake.  A naturally vegetated shoreline filters runoff generated by surrounding land uses in the watershed, removing harmful chemicals and nutrients.  At the same time, plant roots bind to the soil helping to keep it in place and prevent soil erosion.  The riparian zone also provides critical habitat for aquatic insects, microorganisms, fish and other animals.  As you can see, riparian zones are unique areas, linking the land with the water. 

Unfortunately, as watershed landscapes are developed, natural lake shorelines often are damaged.  In urban and rural environments alike, cutting, mowing, or removing vegetation can lead to soil erosion, water pollution, degraded aquatic habitat, impaired aesthetics, and a reduction in property values. 

The Buffer Concept 

Ecologists, water quality specialists, land planners and lake managers all agree that a naturally-vegetated buffer strip along the edge of a lake (or a stream or wetland) is critical to maintaining the health of a water body.  The buffer concept is fairly simple.  A riparian buffer should ideally be comprised of a mixture of trees, shrubs or grasses that naturally exist in an area.  Buffers usually require little maintenance, and the use of fertilizers and pesticides is strongly discouraged.  

Buffer Strip Benefits 

• Runoff filtering: As runoff from adjacent lands flow through a buffer, pollutants and sediment are filtered and removed.  Excess nutrients from animal manure and failing septic systems, for instance, can be taken up and used by plants.  In addition, buffer grasses can help slow down the velocity of surface runoff. 

• Bank stabilization: Natural buffers that extend down to the water’s edge can be very effective in stabilizing lake banks and preventing erosion.  In contrast to conventional turfgrass (which is shallow-rooted), natural riparian vegetation often has dense, deep root systems that firmly anchor shoreline soils. 

• Preservation of fish and wildlife habitat: Many aquatic organisms, particularly insects, spend substantial portions of their life cycles in upland environments.  Buffers provide a critical transition zone between upland and lowland aquatic/wetland areas.  Buffer plants also can shade shorelines providing necessary habitat for fish and other wildlife.  Depending on the width, buffers also can shield sensitive species, particularly birds, from potentially disruptive activities occurring on adjacent land uses.  Buffers also deter geese.  Canada geese don’t like to nest in or walk through tall grasses, plants, or shrubs.  Extending a buffer strip around the whole lake will make the entire lake less desirable as a habitat.

• Screening noise: Beyond protecting wildlife uses, buffers also can preserve the quality of lake recreational uses by filtering noise.  Forested buffers, in particular, can effectively intercept noise from adjacent highways and industrial operations. 

• Preservation of aesthetic values: Lakeside property owners often have varying opinions about what constitutes “appropriate” shoreline landscaping.  However, most will agree that “natural” is better than “artificial.”  Even a narrow buffer can enhance the view across a lake.  In addition to reducing noise levels, forested buffers can help provide privacy from surrounding developments. 

Depending on the width and characteristics of the buffer, as much as 70 to 95 percent of incoming sediment, and 25 to 60 percent of incoming nutrients and other pollutants can be removed from the runoff. 

How to Create Effective Buffer Strips 

Buffer characteristics can vary widely depending on local circumstances.  However, it is important to understand certain basic, minimum criteria.  Before beginning any activity that alters an existing lake, stream or wetland, contact your County Conservation District for required permitting and other helpful information. 

• Buffer width: Any width of natural vegetation will provide some benefits, however, a 25 foot minimum width is most often recommended.  Wider buffers (e.g., 50 to 100 feet) should be established for larger or more sensitive lakes.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends “filter strips” of 66 to 99 feet for water quality protection. 

• Buffer intrusions: While a continuous, uninterrupted buffer is preferable for protection of water quality and habitat, some flexibility may be needed to provide shoreline access.  Access typically is provided via a footpath or stepping stone trail.  Paving through a buffer is discouraged. 

• Buffer vegetation: For many reasons, planting species native to an area is preferred over using non-native species.  One reason is that in general, native species are established more successfully. Properly selected native plants, for instance, are usually able to withstand extended periods of drought or inundation.  They also can prove to be easier to maintain.  As you can see, planting native species can potentially save a landowner replanting time and money. 

Non-native species on the other hand, often called exotics, can create many problems for the landowner and the surrounding community.  Non-native plants can be difficult to establish and maintain.  Many exotics become invasive, choke out preferred plants and can pose other risks to the lake ecosystem. 

• Buffer maintenance: Once the buffer is well established (typically within 1-3 years), maintenance will involve occasional mowing or measures to control weeds and maintain native plant diversity.  If certain noxious weeds need additional control, limited use of approved herbicides may be appropriate in localized areas.  Use of fertilizer is not necessary and should be avoided in the buffer strip.  For additional information on buffer maintenance, contact your county conservation district or Penn State extension office. 

CANADA GEESE AND OUR LAKES

The Canada goose (Branta canadensis) is a familiar and popular game bird.  They are instantly recognizable in a field or on a lake, and their distinctive V-shaped flying formations overhead hearken the changing of seasons.  Canada geese figure strongly in tales and folklore: their heroic migration jaunts and devotion to their mate (they bond for life) make them good animal models for humans. 

Canada geese also are a success story in wildlife management.  By the early 1940s, heavy hunting had reduced migrating Canada goose populations close to extinction.  A concerted effort by federal agencies, particularly the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has brought the Canada goose back to levels where hunting is again allowed—and has been for more than 20 years.  All in all, the Canada goose has enjoyed a reputation as a proud, respectable bird…until now.  People tell tales about trying to drive a Canada goose from their yard with savage screams that catch the attention of everything but the goose.  Headlines are full of proposals to kill Canada geese and donate them as food for the homeless.  Companies have sprung up that specialize in keeping Canada geese off of ponds and property.  Why all the fuss about this seemingly harmless creature?  Quite simply, the problem lies not with the majestic migrating flocks, but with their resident cousins – those Canada geese that have been born and bred in our own backyards. 

There are three distinct populations of Canada geese in Pennsylvania.  Two of these are migrants that nest in northern Canada (the Southern James Bay and Atlantic populations) and fly south for the winter.  The third is the local resident bird, which is essentially non-migratory.  Resident Canada geese are the products of birds released by sportsmen organizations and state wildlife agencies in the east, along with bird releases when live decoys were outlawed in the early part of this century. 

Unlike the migratory Canada goose, whose numbers are again in decline due to poor survival and reproductive rates, the population of resident Canada geese has skyrocketed in the last ten years.  These birds are full-time residents who don’t fly away with the first chill.  They are big and intimidating, hissing and charging in defense of their territory.  There are so many of them that even their ordinary honking can become irritating.  They have been known to eat turfgrass down to a nub and then leave uncountable piles of slimy green droppings.  They can also contribute to the spread of waterborne diseases, such as giardia and cryptosporsis, which have the potential to affect humans. 

Canada geese have 11 subspecies.  These subspecies range in size from 29 to 38 inches in length and 6 to 12 pounds in weight, with the smaller populations generally living further north. In 1965, a biologist found a population of the subspecies Branta canadensis maxima, the giant Canada goose, which had been thought to be extinct.  Since its rediscovery, the giant Canada goose has recovered more quickly than any other subspecies and now makes up the bulk of our resident goose populations.  There are estimated to be as many as 1 million giant Canada geese in the Atlantic flyway, as many as all other Canada geese subspecies in the flyway combined. 

For the Canada goose, “paradise” might be defined as acres of short tender grass, a freshwater pond for drinking water and security, and no predators.  It would look much like a public park, corporate office campus, golf course, cemetery, or waterfront yard.  While other Canada goose subspecies are wary of humans, giant Canada geese are predisposed to ignore people.  The biologist who rediscovered the giant Canadians noted that the “placid disposition of the giant Canada goose sets it apart from all others.” 

Placid disposition or not, the giant Canada goose has adapted well to living among us.  They have a weak migratory instinct and will stay in place as long as there is ice-free water and available food.  Since people are willing to feed them and often keep their ponds ice-free in the winter, the geese are truly at home in suburbia.  They have become accustomed to autos, planes, and other noises of modern life. In fact, they are so used to cars that they are willing to walk out in front of oncoming traffic, secure in the knowledge that the cars will stop for them.

Whereas migratory Canada geese may layover at a site on their way to and from their hatching sites, giant Canada geese are true homebodies, generally staying where they are hatched.  Further, the lack of predators and abundance of food near urban and suburban lakes allows giant Canada geese to lay more eggs and have more goslings survive to adulthood than their migrating cousins, so a small population can quickly grow into a large population.  The presence of geese and goslings (as well as ducks) also is an attractant to other giant Canada geese who might have been displaced from another area. 

In addition to being a nuisance to people living around lakes, excessive populations of giant Canada geese are as much or more of a problem for the lakes themselves.  Geese eat plant material on land, but are frequently out on the water or ice when they defecate.  This material is high in nutrients derived from the plants they eat.  These nutrients are the same ones used for growth by algae and plants in the lake.  When the geese are year-round residents, the nutrient loading can become significant, contributing to algae blooms and excessive plant growth.  In fact, one Canada goose can contribute about a half pound of phosphorus to the lake each year.  If you have 20 resident geese on your lake, that is the same as dumping a 100-pound bag of fertilizer with a “10” phosphorus number into the lake each year! 

It important to know that all Canada geese are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, whether they migrate or not, as well as by state laws.  This means there are limits to what you can do to control Canada geese.  In most cases, you cannot physically harm the geese or their eggs without a permit.  Killing geese outside of hunting seasons, or outside of designated areas during hunting seasons, is a federal crime and may violate state and local laws as well.  With these restrictions in mind, there are still several approaches you can take to control your local resident Canada goose population. 

As a homeowner, there are three simple techniques to employ to discourage geese and growth in their population: 1) discourage feeding; 2) maintain a shoreline or riparian buffer; 3) implement scare tactics.  

The key to the success of these measures is persistence.  Established resident Canada geese populations are reluctant to leave and can be undeterred by control methods if not consistently applied.  A combination of methods works best since geese can quickly become accustomed to any single technique. 

Discourage Feeding

This sounds simple but it can be very difficult to implement on a lake-wide basis, especially without educating the human population.  People aren’t feeding the geese in order to cause trouble; on the contrary, they think they are assisting in wildlife survival.  Yet, geese gain little nutrition out of bread, crackers, and other processed grain products.  And, while feeding geese corn or other grains is better nutritionally, it will quickly make the geese dependent on handouts and unable to forage for themselves.  Feeding also creates overcrowding, making it more likely that the geese will transmit diseases to one another.  People who feed Canada geese in their yard quickly learn the drawbacks of having a flock of geese living with them.  A ban on waterfowl feeding is the first step in any public campaign to control problem goose populations. 

Maintain a Shoreline or Riparian Buffer

Canada geese don’t like to nest in or walk through tall grasses, plants, or shrubs.  They would prefer to be able to see around themselves at all times, to watch for predators.  One good method for discouraging geese from your yard is to keep your turfgrass from going all the way to the lake edge.  Establish a buffer strip between your yard and the lake (see the “Shoreline Buffer Strips” publication in this Lake Notes series).  This buffer strip will inconvenience the geese, and they may avoid your yard as an entry/exit point to the lake.  Extending a buffer strip around the whole lake will make the entire lake less desirable as Canada goose habitat.

Implement Scare Tactics

Scaring is a traditional method for controlling nuisance bird populations.  Scare tactics usually involve loud noises, or real or imitated threats to the birds.  However, the effectiveness of most scaring techniques on giant Canada geese generally has been disappointing.  They seem to be able to adjust to the noise and quickly see through imitation predators.  The best option is to be prepared to change methods often and keep the geese from becoming adjusted to any one method.   Scare tactics include:

• Visible repellents, such as flags, helium balloons and scarecrows; 

• recorded Canada goose distress calls; 

• propane cannons that make a loud noise without discharging a projectile; 

• pyrotechnics, such as shellcrackers, whistle bombs, screamer rockets, and noise bombs; and 

• trained dogs, especially herding dogs like border collies (either free running, on slip wires, tethered, or under the control of a herder). 

Before employing scare tactics, take into consideration all applicable laws, especially those concerning loud noises, firearm and pyrotechnic use, and local animal ordinances.  And, don’t forget the potential reaction of your neighbors. 

In the past, concentrated geese populations were rounded up and transported to a different area.  Translocation of geese in Pennsylvania and in many eastern states is no longer practiced.  The Pennsylvania Game Commission has a policy against translocation because it is ineffective; Canada geese are quick to repopulate vacated habitats. 

It appears that the ultimate method for giant Canada goose control is population reduction.  Hunting may be an option in some areas, especially on larger bodies of water or in less densely populated areas.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency permits special hunting seasons before and after the traditional season.  These periods are designed to reduce flocks of non-migratory Canada geese, and are scheduled when few migrant geese are present.  These special hunting seasons protect declining numbers of migrant Canada geese populations while controlling the ever-increasing resident Canada geese population.  Even if there are laws currently prohibiting hunting in your area, it might be worthwhile to talk to state and local officials about an exception. 

Destroying nests and eggs can slow the growth of local Canada goose populations.  Eggs are made non-productive by shaking them vigorously as soon as possible after a full clutch is laid and incubation begins.  This process is called “addling.”  After the eggs are shaken, they are returned to the nest and the geese are allowed to incubate them for at least three weeks.  Because the eggs are returned to the nest seemingly unharmed, the geese are tricked into thinking nothing is different (if the eggs were removed entirely, the female would promptly lay more eggs).  After three weeks of incubating their eggs, geese will usually not try to renest.  Removal and disposal of the nest and eggs can then be done.  This discourages continuation of nesting effort and defense of the nest territory. 

Egg shaking and nest destruction requires a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), or from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  It is important to note that if the eggs have begun to hatch they may not be disturbed, even if you have a permit for egg shaking.  Another method for destroying eggs involves oiling eggs with mineral oil.  This technique is more effective than addling and also does require a permit.  Detailed guidelines on destroying nests are available from USDA and USFWS.