KINDERHOOK TOWNSHIP, MI (WTVB) – The Coldwater Lake Association (CLA) has proposed a humane and sustainable plan to the Kinderhook and Ovid Township Boards to manage the rising Canada goose population on Coldwater Lake.
The increasing goose population, which has grown despite residents’ efforts to deter them, necessitates population control to protect the lake environment from safety risks and damage caused by excessive droppings.
Public health and environmental concerns, such as contamination from large amounts of fecal waste and accelerated eutrophication due to high phosphorus levels, underscore the need for intervention.
The CLA cites the 2024 Water Quality Summary Report, indicating Coldwater Lake has moved from an oligotrophic to a mesotrophic state, with negative trends in dissolved oxygen, phosphorus, and chlorophyll levels since 2017.
The CLA’s proposed strategy focuses on humane egg collection and destruction to stabilize and reduce the goose population over time by limiting the number of goslings, a method endorsed by the Humane Society International as more humane than culling.
The association plans to obtain necessary permits from USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services through the Michigan DNR, following the precedent of the Marble Chain of Lakes Association, which has collected over 700 eggs since 2024. T
he Township Boards have requested feedback from shoreline residents before voting, prompting the CLA to create a petition for community support. You can sign the petition here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXTCQxksgAy1qH9ociTwSaf8EoPQ7HyWwlsf1N7J0H0wR0-Q/viewform
Take the filthy things off the protection list.