Canada Geese can be seen regularly around Nanaimo, but this wasn’t always the case.  Their numbers on Vancouver Island soared as a result of pre-1990’s introduction programs.  In many areas, these introduced geese are conflicting with agriculture, fouling sports fields, and causing damage to local estuarine ecosystems.

How many geese are there?  Where do they like to hang out?  Do they fly to other locations on Vancouver Island?  To help answer these questions, Vancouver Island University (VIU) in partnership with the City and Nanaimo has set up the VIU Canada Goose Project to assess the abundance, distribution, and movement of Canada geese in the Nanaimo area.

In late June 2016, 200 Canada geese in Nanaimo were fitted with white collars, each with its own unique code in black lettering.  Sightings of these collared geese are an integral part of gathering the data necessary to accurately assess the abundance, distribution, and movement of geese in the Nanaimo area.  If you see geese with collars around Nanaimo, please report them using our Canada Goose form.

Your help is greatly appreciated!

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact Stew Pearce at stew.pearce@shaw.ca