Volunteers are needed to help reduce the number of resident Canada geese living in Bella Vista Village.

The Goose Reproduction Intervention Program (GRIP) is a volunteer-based effort with the goal to stop reproduction in the resident Canada goose population, so that geese are not introduced into this already over-abundant population.

However, the effort is too large, so the Property Owners Association is seeking numerous volunteers.

Once geese are introduced to the community, they are imprinted on the area and look at Bella Vista as their home. Canada geese are federally protected migratory water fowl, even though non-migratory, resident populations have proliferated all over the United States. Many of these populations of resident geese, like in Bella Vista, have become over-populated and are causing property damage and human health hazards. The best legal method for the association to use is a process called "egg oiling." This method is approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and requires the association to register and report its efforts on the USFWS Web site.

Egg oiling consists of volunteers finding Canada goose nests and irritating the sitting goose, until she leaves the nest. At that time, a volunteer will dip each goose egg in cooking oil and allow the goose to return to the nest to sit on the eggs. The cooking oil causes the eggs to not develop; therefore, no young geese will be produced from those nests. 

Some people may wonder why the association's volunteers don't just destroy the nests or the eggs. The reason is that the goose might go build a new nest in a more secluded area and lay another clutch of eggs. By oiling her existing eggs and leaving them in tact in the nest, she sits on them and eventually abandons the nest once it's too late to try to re-nest. With no young to worry about, Canada geese are much more likely to be persuaded to leave the area before they molt. If they have young birds, they will stay until the young birds can fly.

Volunteers in this program will be asked to work with a group at an assigned area, such as a lake or golf course. Basically the group of volunteers or team for that area will be asked to survey the area at least once a week from late March through April. Each survey will consist of traversing the area, finding and mapping goose nests, oiling all of the eggs in the nest and then monitoring that nest each week thereafter until each nest is abandoned. Data will be collected on each trip, including the final fate of the nest. Some teams might spend a minimum of two hours a week on this project, while others might spend as much as 10 to 12 hours per week.

The association will furnish the supplies and training, and a volunteer coordinator will handle all volunteer coordinating and data acquisition and summary from each team. A volunteer orientation is planned for March 24, with a second orientation scheduled on March 25 for those who cannot attend the first training.

The association will furnish the supplies and training, and a volunteer coordinator will handle all volunteer coordinating and data acquisition and summary from each team. Volunteer orientations are planned for 10 a.m. March 23 and 2 p.m. March 26. Both meetings will be at Bella Vista's Riordan Hall.