Geese management - Community involvement

To ensure geese management is a success, the community will need to work together.

How you can help

Join the RMOW volunteer team to protect your community's environment.

The Resort Municipality is seeking volunteers for the following activities:

Hazing Program

Hazing geese with dogs is an effective deterrence technique and a key part of our geese management strategy.

Your role: Volunteer to walk your dog and haze geese for a minimum of three weekdays (Monday through Friday) per week, either in the mornings or evenings throughout spring and summer.

Dogs are to run or swim towards geese to scare them off of our beaches (CARDA dogs or obedient, trained dogs that chase balls are well suited).

You receive:

• a free dog training and assessment session, and once the dog is approved by the trainer you will join Whistler's Geese Management Committee (GMC);
• an RMOW and GMC vest for your dog;
• permission to walk your dog off leash in RMOW parks adjacent to lakes; and
• invitations to all RMOW volunteer events.

Tracking and reporting geese nests

The key to the success of the addling program is finding new nests. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is asking the public to report lone geese, pairs of geese, or nest locations on private or public land from March until mid-April.

We are requesting your help if you:

• Live near a waterway
• Have a yard inhabited by geese
• Visit Whistler’s lakes and rivers frequently

Your role: Observe waterways and shorelines, and indicate your observations: 1) number of geese, 2) where the geese are located, and 3) if any nesting behaviour or nests were observed. 

We are looking for individuals who can take, record, and submit—via email to stewardship@whistler.ca or in person at the RMOW Public Works Yard—observations at least two times per week.

Assist the environmental team

The Resort Municipality of Whistler is seeking skilled kayakers who are comfortable around wildlife and wading through water to volunteer to assist the Fish and Wildlife team with geese management.

Timing: The program will run from late March to the beginning of May (specific dates are weather and nesting-dependent). The time commitment is one morning or afternoon per week for three weeks.

Your role: As a volunteer you will learn and gain experience in environmental management. You will be involved in tracking geese via boat, and providing support to RMOW’s Environmental team and implementing the geese management program. The work will involve using a motor boat, kayak, and approaching wildlife that can at times be aggressive.

Contact: To find out more information about volunteering, email the RMOW Environmental Technician at stewardship@whistler.ca.

By managing the geese Whistler hopes to keep local ecosystems healthy, beaches and parks clean, and to maintain visitor satisfaction.