Too Many Snow Geese

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This is a final contribution from Scrooge (for this Christmas).

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TO STATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS: 
 
Too Many Snow Geese: Conservationists Call for Urgent Measures to Trim 
Flocks 
 
      MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 18 -/E-Wire/-- The mid-continent population of 
snow geese has grown so large that the geese are literally destroying the 
fragile habitat on their arctic breeding grounds. And experts are warning 
that unless something is done soon, the damage to the habitat, the geese, 
and other wildlife species could be catastrophic. Several conservation 
groups, including Ducks Unlimited, the National Audubon Society, the 
American Bird Conservancy, and others, have endorsed a plan that calls for 
reducing the flock to half its present size by 2005. 
 
      Researchers estimate that, because of changes in agricultural practices 
on the birds' southern wintering grounds and other factors, snow goose 
populations in the central United States have tripled since the 1960s. The 
geese feed by "grubbing," or pulling plants up by the roots, leaving little 
or nothing behind. As a result of overpopulation, many areas are completely 
devoid of the tundra vegetation the birds feed on, and it may take decades 
for the habitat to recover. 
 
      The problem has received international attention since publication of a 
report by the Arctic Goose Habitat Working Group (AGHWG), formed in 1996 to 
study the problem and recommend solutions. Hundreds of stories have 
appeared in newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV. Secretary of the Interior 
Bruce Babbitt has called for action to remedy the problem. And a U.S. House 
of Representatives subcommittee passed a resolution supporting the use of 
conservation measures to reduce populations. 
 
      In September the National Audubon Society passed a resolution endorsing 
the science-based recommendations of the AGHWG. Those recommendations 
include extending hunting seasons, easing restrictions on some hunting 
methods, allowing increased subsistence hunting and egg-taking by native 
people, and further liberalizing bag and possession limits. 
 
      The American Bird Conservancy's Policy Council, a 60-member 
organization of bird conservation groups including the World Wildlife Fund, 
the American Ornithologists Union, the Wilderness Society, and others voted 
unanimously to support the AGHWG's recommendations. 
 
      "There is a real sense of urgency to do something about this problem," 
says Dr. Bruce Batt, Ducks Unlimited's chief biologist and chair of the 
AGHWG. "The broad base of support we're seeing from such diverse 
organizations is a good indication of the seriousness of the problem. 
Because this is essentially a man-made phenomenon, and because the loss of 
habitat is potentially harmful to so many other species, there is 
widespread agreement that man must step in and take action rather than 
letting nature take its course." 
 
12/18/97   Contact: Eric Keszler, Ducks Unlimited, 901-758-3937/ 
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