Canada Goose Management

What you can do at your property — and what we can do together as a community.

Pond Health

Geese and Water Quality Go Hand in Hand

Canada geese are a familiar sight around Great Hill Pond — and an increasingly serious concern for the health of the water. A single Canada goose produces up to a pound and a half of waste per day, rich in nitrogen and phosphorus. Those are the same nutrients that fuel algae blooms and accelerate the growth of the invasive aquatic weeds we spend significant effort and resources to control every year.

Managing the local goose population is a natural extension of our broader pond health mission. The good news: individual property owners have real leverage here. The choices you make at your shoreline — especially whether you feed the geese — directly shape how many birds settle in around the pond and how long they stay.

The CT DEEP Wildlife Division is clear that no single technique solves the problem on its own. A layered approach, sustained over time, is what works. Here's what that looks like — both for residents and for FoGHP as an organization.

For Residents

What You Can Do at Your Property

Geese stay where the habitat suits them — short turf, clear sightlines to water, and reliable food. Changing those conditions at your shoreline is the most direct action you can take to reduce their presence on your property and around the pond.

Most Important

Stop Feeding the Geese

Feeding is the single most effective thing to eliminate. It attracts geese, keeps them there, and conditions them to lose their natural wariness of people — making every other deterrent harder to use. This applies to bread, corn, birdseed, and anything else left out intentionally. The CT DEEP has a "Do Not Feed Waterfowl" program and can provide signage (call 860-418-5960).

Let Your Shoreline Grass Grow Tall

Geese strongly prefer short, manicured turf — it's easy to walk through and easy to graze. Allowing grass along the water's edge to grow to 12 inches or more makes the area far less attractive to them. This is one of the most effective and lowest-effort habitat modifications available to shoreline property owners.

Plant Native Shrubs Along the Shore

Shrubs and small trees planted at the water's edge create natural visual barriers. Geese are uncomfortable feeding in areas where their view of potential predators is blocked, and they need open space to land and take off. Native plantings also improve shoreline ecology and reduce erosion. Good options include buttonbush, silky dogwood, and native willows.

Use Visual Deterrents

Mylar reflective tape, balloons, flags, and similar visual barriers can prevent geese from landing in an area. They work best when several methods are used together and when they're moved or varied regularly — geese adapt quickly to static deterrents they get used to. Effective as a short-term measure or as part of a multi-method approach.

Apply Chemical Lawn Repellents

Topical repellents sprayed on grass make turf unpalatable to grazing geese. They're practical for small lawns directly bordering the pond and are non-toxic, but they must be reapplied after rain. Available at garden centers — look for products containing methyl anthranilate, a grape-derived compound that geese find unpleasant.

Combine Methods for Best Results

CT DEEP is explicit: there is no single "silver bullet." Geese are adaptable and will habituate to any one technique used alone. The most effective programs layer multiple methods — habitat modification combined with visual deterrents, for example — and apply them consistently over multiple seasons. Even small changes add up across the neighborhood.

Community Resources

How CT DEEP Can Help

Much of the goose problem around the pond is driven by individual feeding habits and manicured shorelines — things that change one property at a time. Friends of Great Hill Pond isn't in a position to coordinate deterrent programs across private properties, but the CT DEEP Wildlife Division offers free resources that can make a real difference. They can provide educational materials on goose management and "Do Not Feed Waterfowl" signage for common areas and pond access points. To request materials or get guidance, contact the CT DEEP Migratory Game Bird Program directly at 860-418-5960.

Contact Friends of Great Hill Pond

Full Resource

CT DEEP Fact Sheet

The information on this page is distilled from the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection Wildlife Division's fact sheet on nuisance Canada geese. The full document covers additional hazing techniques, lethal removal permit processes, and a broader overview of management strategies for municipalities and land managers.

Source

Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, Wildlife Division. Dealing with Nuisance Canada Geese. Wildlife Fact Sheet, November 2016. Download PDF