ADDISON, Vt. – The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is asking for a limited number of volunteers to help in rounding up and placing identification bands on the legs of Canada Geese at its Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area off Route 17 in Addison on Wednesday, July 1.
"We need to keep the number of volunteers at 40 in order to ensure the event is manageable and safe for the participants and the geese," said Andrew Bouton, state waterfowl biologist. "If you are interested in attending, you must call our Fish and Wildlife office in Essex at 878-1564 for more information and to register as a volunteer."
Volunteers should wear appropriate clothes and boots and use adequate sun protection. Bring plenty of water and be prepared to walk a long distance to capture geese for a biological exam and banding. All geese will be released back into the wild.
The Canada geese nesting in Vermont today are the result of work begun at Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area in the 1950s by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. Bouton says the data gathered in the annual Dead Creek goose roundup helps in monitoring the status of Vermont's resident population of Canada Geese.