RLI participates in a Canada Geese management program, as permitted by the Michigan DNR.  Geese are protected birds, so it is illegal to hunt, kill, sell, or disturb nests and eggs without a permit. 

At the direction of the RLI Membership, RLI has collected petition signatures, applied for a Canada geese round up permit, and has been granted a permit by the Michigan DNR.  88% of waterfront property owners have signed in favor of goose control. 

2011 goose removal took place on Saturday, June 25th.  All 11 geese present on the lake were successfully removed!

Why do we remove Canada geese from Runyan Lake?

Unfortunately, geese can be very messy and are considered by many as nuisance birds.  An adult goose can eat up to 4 pounds of grass daily, the result of which is about 2 pounds of fecal matter deposited daily.  Goose feces usually contains the parasites cryptosporidium, giardia, coliform, and campylobacter.  Cryptosporidium poses the most serious health hazard since it causes cryptosporidiosis.  Goose fecal matter has been linked to the spread of diseases and bacterial infections according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Geese are not particular about where they make their "deposits" and they therefore generally contaminate the same areas they are grazing.  This leaves waterfront properties covered in goose fecal matter which is not only disgusting for the property owner, but this same matter ends up in Runyan Lake as part of run off when it rains.  This can result in high E. coli levels in our lake.   The geese also like the island, making use of, or enjoyment of the island by Members challenging, and making fireworks set up not only messy, but dangerous as well due to the slipping hazard.  The annual hot dog roast and other island events are also adversely affected.

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