Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wildlife Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council splits on 2025 goose‑management hunt; motion to approve hunt in September fails
Summary
After a lengthy debate on Aug. 4 about Canada goose control, the Alpena City Council failed to approve a city‑sponsored goose hunt for September 2025, following concerns over effectiveness, alternatives such as egg‑oiling and public perception.
The Alpena City Council on Aug. 4 considered whether to authorize a city‑sponsored Canada goose harvest in September 2025 as part of a multifaceted goose‑management program and ultimately declined to approve the hunt.
City staff reviewed management measures used locally, including egg‑oiling performed under USDA APHIS guidance, harassment measures (decoys, dogs, audio deterrents), habitat modification and limited hunts coordinated in specific locations. The city’s Department of Public Works reported oiling 122 eggs from 15 nests in late April and early May this year as part of efforts to reduce local nesting.
Council and public speakers debated the merits and effectiveness of a hunt versus intensified egg oiling and habitat measures. Councilmember Daniel Ludwig (goose committee member) and staff described multi‑year data collection dating to 2016; the local census was reported at 246 geese in a July 28 survey. Staff and committee members said harvests varied by year — as many as 118 geese were harvested in a prior year, and 41 geese were harvested last year — but that trends are difficult to isolate because of weather, migration patterns and disease.
Supporters of a city‑authorized hunt argued it is one tool among several to reduce local nesting populations; opponents urged a pause and increased egg oiling, habitat modifications (longer shoreline vegetation), and public education. Several councilmembers and the city manager urged caution and proposed taking a year off from city hunts to measure the effects of intensified nonlethal measures.
A motion to approve a 2025 goose hunt at the fairgrounds in September 2025 was made during the meeting but failed on a roll call vote. The minutes record several councilmembers voting “nay” and the motion did not pass.
Council directed staff and the goose management committee to continue evaluating options, to improve data collection and to consider additional nonlethal measures and public outreach. Staff noted that if a hunt were held, the city would use barricades, press releases and law‑enforcement coordination to limit public exposure to hunting activity and to keep people away from the immediate area while hunts occur.
Sources: Presentation and discussion at Alpena City Council meeting, Aug. 4, 2025; statements by city staff and members of the goose management committee.
