The phone call to my office was a typical one for mid- to late June: Canada geese were causing a problem. There was too much poop, and they were eating some flowers. The former was all to common, but the latter part was somewhat new, and the location was a first-time complaint. So, I found myself driving to the caller’s house to investigate and talk with the homeowner.

At the time, in 2006, I was the waterfowl biologist for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and my job duties included responding to calls like this and finding an appropriate solution.

When I got there, the homeowner’s complaint intensified. Without question, she wanted the geese gone – immediately and completely. I listened and then went to check the property and the geese. Her husband came along with me, and after we went a little ways from the house, he said, in a hushed tone, “I like the geese. They could stay here as far as I’m concerned.”

And there it was – the ultimate dichotomy about what to do with nuisance Canada geese. A husband and wife weren’t even in agreement.

Disagreement about what to do with urban – and sometimes nonurban – Canada geese is typical. That’s particularly true in places like Colorado and other states where the Canada goose population has flourished since being reintroduced starting in the 1960s.

Canada geese may be a nuisance, but their management requires collaboration between community members and wildlife managers. The solutions often require patience and persistence. I currently am a professor of wildlife management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While I do not deal directly with nuisance animals anymore, I sometimes work to find new........

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