Did you know that the population of light geese increases by more than 5% per year?

The light goose population has dramatically increased over the years. The increase in population has brought up several ecological issues- habitat destruction, wildlife food sources decline, and has become a massive nuisance to farmers across the U.S.

One of the reasons there has been such a drastic increase in these waterfowl species is from the expansion of agriculture on their migration and wintering areas. This food source has allowed these birds to survive to increase their lifespan, thus allowing more birds to reproduce.

Waterfowl managers have estimated over 17 million light geese between lesser snow geese, Ross’s geese, and greater snow geese. These numbers have resulted in the Light Goose Conservation Order, with the order’s main goal to reduce the number of these species and preserve habitat not only for these birds but also other wildlife that calls the Tundra their home.