Geese gain

Dozens of Canada geese in Henrico County may be getting a break, but not for long.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services division has decided it's too late to round up the geese, which were scheduled to be exterminated after they had molted but were still unable to fly.

State director Scott Barras says the geese have already molted and grown back their feathers. They would just fly away if someone tried to capture them. Barras says the USDA is looking at other options.

The geese live on Canterbury Lake. The Canterbury Lake Board Association had voted in favor of exterminating the birds.

Luke Floyd, a lakefront property owner and former association board member, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch he was "relieved" that the USDA's plans fell through. "The geese don't need to be killed," he said.

Floyd cast one of two dissenting votes by the association's board. He has since resigned.

Last Thursday, around a dozen residents protested the association's decision. They came with a life-sized decorative goose.

Floyd told the Richmond Times-Dispatch some of his Canterbury Lake residents are "absolutely livid" about the decision to put down the geese.

Residents have complained that the geese foul their lawns and driveways. According to the Virginia Cooperative Extension, a well-fed, healthy adult Canada goose can produce up to 1.5 pounds of fecal matter per day. That can cause problems for people who slip in the slimy mess, and it can also create significant bacteria build-up.

Jane Schmidt, wife of the association president, told the Dispatch that the geese have destroyed her lawn for years. "There's just a lot of them, and they're destructive. Very destructive," she said. "They leave poop everywhere."

According to the Cooperative Extension, there are a few options to manage the geese. Non-lethal methods include using loud noises and threatening images to scare away the geese, or disturbing nesting geese before any eggs are laid. Herding dogs can also be used to scare away geese, but it is illegal in Virginia to allow any dog to catch or harm a Canada goose because they are a protected species.

Lethal methods have to be approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The association decided to get rid of the geese using net-like fencing to capture the birds, then euthanizing them.

"They really don't bother me," Joe Lawson, a resident of the neighborhood, told the Dispatch. "We're definitely opposed to just offing them because they're a nuisance."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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