Snow Goose migration impacted by changing weather and availability of food

The snow Goose Conservation order is in full swing lasting until April 30th. This order was created in 1999 in order to solve a major issue in conservation. Tony Vandermore is the owner and a guide at Habitat Flats located in northwestern Chariton County, "So the spring conservation order was put in place because the snow geese numbers were too much and they were destroying their breeding habitat on the tundra faster than it could replenish itself."

These overly populated geese species have created issues in the breeding grounds across the arctic tundra. Ryan Askren of the Five Oaks Ag Research and Education Center cites, "The breeding habitats where they take all their goslings, they raise them, and where they are grazing it down to the point where they were worried that they were destroying it for other species including: other species of geese, caribou, other things that live up there in the Arctic."

Snow geese each year make massive northward migrations and race back towards their breeding grounds from Southern U.S., passing through areas such as Mid-Missouri. Robert Henry manages one of the most well-known conservation areas across the state known as Grand Pass, "You know, typically on the average, I would say we usually hold somewhere between 200 to 400,000 geese on the area as they're passing through."

This migration back north for snow geese is spurred by sunlight hours increasing, and also by changing weather conditions as temperatures gradually warm. However, this migration north can be stunted by abrupt cooldowns and snow.

Tony Vandemore of Habitat Flats explains, "Kind of ironic, snow geese do not like snow. They're gonna be as far north as they can be without being in the snow."

Chris Nicholi of Delta Waterfowl, "You know, snow geese are pretty tough. They can roost on ice, but you know, they still need some way to get water. I'd say the availability to access food is the real limiting one." Weather also impacts breeding populations such as late spring storms, flooding or freezing breeding grounds causing young goslings to die at increased rates.

Years seeing increased populations occur typically from average temperatures and precipitation totals in the Arctic tundra through wintering grounds such as Central Missouri.

Tony Vandemore, "Overall, hunters rely on weather changes to help try to keep the population from growing at dangerous rates. And as hunters getting that opportunity to get out there in spring and do it, that's great. I mean, it's fantastic. It extends our season, beautiful time of year, couldn't be better. "

To learn more about the Light Goose Conservation Order you can go to https://mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/seasons/light-goose-conservation-order

To find out more about Habitat Flats you can go to https://www.habitatflats.com/

To find out more about the Five Oaks Ag Research and Education Center you can go to https://www.fiveoaksrec.org/

To find out more about Delta Waterfowl you can go to https://deltawaterfowl.org/?gclid=CjwKCAiAiaC-BhBEEiwAjY99qNVJh1RwRV-2smINdMa3h8pfwuCprWz2yLlkqlYEqCY23IV28VK_xxoCZDIQAvD_BwE