The light goose conservation hunting season currently is underway in a number of states. From the 1970s through the 1990s, the populations of light geese, comprised of greater and lesser snow geese and Ross's geese irrupted. They increased to such an extent that their fragile breeding and nesting habitat in the Arctic sustained serious damage as a result of the birds' overgrazing and excessive grubbing for food. While light goose numbers remain higher than desired, the increased harvest as a result of relaxed hunting regulations is expected to help reduce the number of light geese to a level in various flyways that will alleviate the impact on the species' Arctic range. Biologists are hopeful that the reduction can be achieved within the next several years, according to the Wildlife Management Institute.

Due to the short growing season in the Arctic, many years will be required for the damaged tundra to recover once light geese numbers are reduced. Also, geese are not the only wildlife species adversely affected by the deteriorated and depleted tundra habitat. For example, semipalmated sandpiper and red-necked phalarope have experienced documented declines in areas where nesting habitat has been severely degraded by light geese. Besides the harm to their own breeding and nesting habitat, light geese at current number and concentrations have substantial impact on agricultural crops along the bird's migration routes. Another problem fostered by overabundant geese is the increased opportunity for disease. Both snow and Ross's geese are potential vectors of avian cholera, which could pose significant danger to other species on migration and wintering areas.

Because light geese are migratory game birds, the primary responsibility for their management in the United States rests with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in partnership with the various state fish and wildlife agencies. Prior to 1999, the Service attempted to address the problem by allowing more liberal harvest during the regular hunting season. However, because light geese are relatively difficult to hunt, harvest rates remained low and the populations continued to increase. In February 1999, the Service further adjusted harvest regulations and issued a conservation order for the Central and Mississippi flyways. These actions were withdrawn four months later, due to litigation, but were reinstated in November of that year by passage of the Arctic Tundra Habitat Emergency Conservation Act.

The liberalized regulations authorized the use of electronic calls and unplugged shotguns to harvest light geese during the normal migratory waterfowl hunting season frameworks. The conservation order allowed for the take of light geese outside of traditional hunting seasons, with no daily bag limit and shooting hours that extended to one-half hour after sunset. The management goal was to reduce the population in the two flyways from 3.09 million (2007 winter index) to 1.6 million. The actions raised the light geese harvest in those flyways from about 600,000 per year to 1.2 to 1.5 million annually.

In addition to problems light geese were causing, greater snow geese were damaging natural habitats and causing agricultural depredations on migration and wintering areas in eastern Canada and along the Atlantic coast of the United States. In response, the Service liberalized regulations and issued a conservation order to the 17 states in the Atlantic Flyway for the 2008-09 hunting season. The goal is to bring the greater snow goose population down from 1.109 million (2007 winter index) to about 500,000. (pmr)