Troublesome Canada geese at some city parks likely will become table food later this month.

Don Shrubshell photo

Carrie Koepke and her children Skylar, 2, and Sage, 6 months, dodge goose droppings on a walk today at Stephen Lake Park among about 30 Canada geese.

Frustrated by birds that feed on golf course greenery and leave droppings in and around city lakes, the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department has devised a plan to capture and kill 200 of the geese at four locations this month. Targeted are populations at Stephens Lake Park, Twin Lakes Recreation Area, Lake of the Woods Golf Course and L.A. Nickell Golf Course.

Since 1987, when Twin Lakes was built, the city has tried to prevent Canada geese from setting up homes in parks. Parks and Recreation has tried planting grass the birds don’t like, using chemical sprays on nests and harassment - using "pyrotechnic devices" - to shoo the geese away.

Those methods have been unsuccessful, and the Missouri Department of Conservation recently issued the city a permit to conduct a "goose roundup" and thin the bird herd.

"I think it’s important that people know this is an act of last resort," said Fourth Ward Councilman Jim Loveless, a wildlife management biologist.

The city will spend up to $3,500 on the roundup if the Columbia City Council approves the measure at its meeting tonight. Under the Parks and Recreation plan, the birds will be captured, killed and processed for human consumption at a facility in Springfield.

Dave Graber, a waterfowl biologist with the conservation department, said such action is "relatively uncommon" but noted Canada geese can be a nuisance and cause health hazards in urban areas. He said droppings contain E. coli bacteria and can cause a condition called "swimmer’s itch," a patchy red rash that can last up to a week.

"People really enjoy seeing them around, but when you get too many in one place, that’s when they cause a problem," he said.

Adult Canada geese typically weigh 11 to 12 ½ pounds and have a wingspan of about 6 feet. They usually nest near water or on islands, and females produce up to six eggs per year. About three of those will become adult birds, according to the conservation department.

Federal migratory waterfowl laws protect the birds, but state agencies can issue permits to destroy nests, eggs and the geese themselves if they become a nuisance.

Loveless said it’s possible the city will need another roundup in the future if other birds replace the ones that are removed.

"What we’ve seen in the past is it does provide some degree of relief in terms of numbers," he said. "The attempt here is just to hold" the population "in check."

About 50 percent of the meat will be sent to the Central Missouri Food Bank Pantry, Parks and Recreation Director Mike Hood said in a memo to the council. Younger geese will be relocated to another area, the report said.