The Hot Springs Village POA Common Property, Forest, and Wildlife Committee requests your assistance locating active geese nests. To report goose nests, call (713) 824-7814 or email hsvgoosenest@gmail.com with the location (latitude, longitude, address, etc. of identified nests.
HSV’s Egg Addling Program
The Problem
- HSV currently has 200 plus geese – possibly 50-75 breeding pairs.
- In 2023 they are likely to produce as many as 250-300 goslings – and more in successive years.
- Each goose poops approximately every 20 minutes – producing 1.5 to 2.0 pounds daily.
- 200 geese will deposit about 9,000 pounds of poop in and around our lakes and on our golf courses each month – that’s approximately 110,000 pounds a year.
- In 2022 Lake DeSoto was closed to swimming for a while due to E. Coli contamination which was probably the result of the goose poop in the lake.
- The Village spends substantial money and employee time dealing with the resulting damage.
The Cause
- Our geese are “RESIDENT GEESE” – they do NOT migrate. They were born here, stay here, and reproduce here – on average, 5-7 goslings per breeding pair. If we don’t aggressively address the problem, the population will grow.
- Please note that HSV Policy prohibits feeding the geese – a citation can be issued to those violating this policy!
The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission Program
- New in 2022 – this program focused on residential locations with a goose overpopulation.
- The Village was selected – and approximately 238 geese were removed.
- As a result, Hunters Feeding the Hungry provided snack sticks similar to Slim Jims to those in need – but at the cost of thousands of dollars to the Village.
The Egg Addling Program
- The egg addling program is a more humane approach to limiting the geese population.
- And there is a minimal cost to the Village.
- How it works:
- Nest locations must be identified.
- Addling must begin as soon as all the eggs are laid.
- “Addling” means coating the eggs with a small amount of vegetable oil at least once – and preferably twice after the mother goose has finished laying all her eggs.
- Coating the eggs prevents air from moving through the shell and stops development and hatching.
- It is done in two-person teams – one to fend off the geese and one to coat the eggs.
- If the eggs are merely taken or broken, the geese will lay more – not so with addling.
- Egg addlers must be registered with the Federal Government – IF YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER, please call (713) 824-7814.
WHAT WE NEED NOW ARE VOLUNTEERS TO LOCATE NESTING SITES AND REPORT THEM.
Call (713) 824-7814 or email: hsvgoosenest@gmail.com with the identified nests’ location (latitude/longitude, address, etc.).
