Evaluation of special management measures for midcontinent lesser snow geese and ross’s geese Report of the Arctic Goose Habitat Working Group A Special Publication of the Arctic Goose Joint Venture of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan Evaluation of special management measures for midcontinent lesser snow geese and ross’s geese Report of the Arctic Goose Habitat Working Group A Special Publication of the Arctic Goose Joint Venture of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan Edited by: James O. Leafloor, Timothy J. Moser, and Bruce D.J. Batt Working Group Members James O. Leafloor Co-Chair Canadian Wildlife Service Timothy J. Moser Co-Chair U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bruce D. J. Batt Past Chair Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Kenneth F. Abraham Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Ray T. Alisauskas Wildlife Research Division, Environment Canada F. Dale Caswell Canadian Wildlife Service Kevin W. Dufour Canadian Wildlife Service Michel H. Gendron Canadian Wildlife Service David A. Graber Missouri Department of Conservation Robert L. Jefferies University of Toronto Michael A. Johnson North Dakota Game and Fish Department Dana K. Kellett Wildlife Research Division, Environment Canada David N. Koons Utah State University Paul I. Padding U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Eric T. Reed Canadian Wildlife Service Robert F. Rockwell American Museum of Natural History Evaluation of Special Management Measures for Midcontinent Snow Geese and Ross's Geese: Report of the Arctic Goose Habitat Working Group SUGGESTED citations: Abraham, K. F., R. L. Jefferies, R. T. Alisauskas, and R. F. Rockwell. 2012. Northern wetland ecosystems and their response to high densities of lesser snow geese and Ross’s geese. Pages 9-45 in Leafloor, J. O., T. J. Moser, and B. D. J. Batt (editors). Evaluation of special management measures for midcontinent lesser snow geese and Ross’s geese. Arctic Goose Joint Venture Special Publication. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. and Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa, Ontario. Leafloor, J. O., T. J. Moser, and B. D. J. Batt (editors). 2012. Evaluation of special management measures for midcontinent lesser snow geese and Ross’s geese. Arctic Goose Joint Venture Special Publication. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. and Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa, Ontario. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number XX-XXXXX ISBN: XXXXXXXXXX Printed in Canada. Cover photo: Lesser snow geese and Ross’s geese mass at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge in Missouri, February 5, 2012. Photo credit: Missouri Department of Conservation / Noppadol Paothong. i Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................4 Literature Cited .........................................................................................................................7 NORTHERN WETLAND ECOSYSTEMS AND THEIR RESPONSES TO HIGH DENSITIES OF LESSER SNOW GEESE AND ROSS’S GEESE ...................................9 Introduction ..............................................................................................................................9 Summary of the First Assessment and a Preamble to this Assessment .......................................10 Crop Production, Fertilizer Use, and the Growth of the Midcontinent Population of Lesser Snow and Ross’s Geese...............................................................................................12 Land Use and Refuges ..............................................................................................................14 Prebreeding Nutrient Acquisition ............................................................................................15 Distribution and Habitat Use During Brood Rearing by Lesser Snow and Ross’s Geese ...........19 Impacts of the Midcontinent Population of Lesser Snow and Ross’s Geese on Subarctic and Arctic Ecosystems ..............................................................................................................20 Unresolved Issues: Re-vegetation of Southern Hudson Bay Habitats and Limited Knowledge About the More Northern Nesting Areas ...............................................................31 What is the Potential for Range Expansion by Snow and Ross’s Geese in the Arctic? ...............33 Summary .................................................................................................................................35 Recommendations .............................................................................................................36 Literature Cited .......................................................................................................................37 ASSESSMENT OF HARVEST FROM CONSERVATION ACTIONS FOR REDUCING MIDCONTINENT LIGHT GEESE AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE MONITORING ..............................................................................................46 Introduction ............................................................................................................................47 History of Light Goose Hunting Regulations...........................................................................48 Canada ..............................................................................................................................49 United States .....................................................................................................................50 Regular Seasons .................................................................................................................50 Light Goose Conservation Order ......................................................................................51 History and Methodology of Harvest Surveys ..........................................................................52 CWS Surveys ....................................................................................................................52 USFWS Surveys ...............................................................................................................57 State LGCO Surveys in the United States ..........................................................................63 Hunter Activity and Harvest ....................................................................................................65 Continental Harvest ..........................................................................................................65 Regular Seasons in Canada ................................................................................................69 Spring Conservation Harvest in Canada ............................................................................73 Regular Seasons in the United States .................................................................................75 LGCO in the United States ...............................................................................................78 Hunter Assistance Programs in the United States ..............................................................82 Discussion ...............................................................................................................................83 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................89 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................90 Literature Cited .......................................................................................................................91 TEMPORAL VARIATION IN SURVIVAL AND PRODUCTIVITY OF MIDCONTINENT LESSER SNOW GEESE AND SURVIVAL OF ROSS’S GEESE AND ITS RELATION TO POPULATION REDUCTION EFFORTS ..............................................................................95 Introduction ............................................................................................................................96 Temporal Changes in Harvest and Survival of Snow Geese ......................................................98 Background and Data Sources ...........................................................................................98 Temporal Changes in Harvest .........................................................................................100 Geographic Variation in Survival .....................................................................................101 Temporal Changes in Survival and Recovery Rates, 1989-2006 .......................................106 Temporal Changes in Survival of Ross’s Geese ........................................................................112 Temporal Changes in Snow Goose Productivity .....................................................................116 Harvest Age Ratios, 1975-2006 .......................................................................................119 Fall Population Age Ratios, 1990-2006 ...........................................................................122 Summary and Conclusions ....................................................................................................123 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................127 Literature Cited .....................................................................................................................128