How WS Does Its Job 



such as the whooping crane, California 

 least tern, Aleutian goose, San Joaquin 

 kit fox, and roseate tern. 



Canada goose populations have increased 

 dramatically in recent years, causing damage 

 to real estate — from golf courses to swim- 

 ming pools. 



Most of WS' efforts are conducted on 

 private land, but work is done on some 

 public lands as well (less than 10 per- 

 cent of federally owned land). 



Cost sharing is an integral component 

 of the WS program. Supervised prima- 

 rily by WS personnel, most field activi- 

 ties are funded in part by Federal, State, 

 or local agencies; industry groups; or 

 individuals requesting wildlife damage- 

 control assistance. When requested, 

 WS provides help through technical 

 assistance and direct control. 



Technical Assistance 



Technical assistance involves provid- 

 ing advice, recommendations, informa- 

 tion, or materials for use in managing 

 wildlife damage problems and helping 

 threatened and endangered species to 

 thrive. WS employees also help identify 

 the responsible wildlife species and 

 determine the extent of the damage. 

 WS may provide recommendations con- 

 cerning habitat modification, cultural 

 practices to reduce the likelihood of 

 wildlife damage, behavior modification 

 of the troublesome wildlife species, or 



ways to reduce specific wildlife popula- 

 tions to control the amount of damage 

 they cause. WS personnel may suggest 

 lethal or nonlethal techniques to resolve 

 wildlife damage problems. Such assis- 

 tance always takes into account envi- 

 ronmental factors and relevant laws and 

 regulations. WS sometimes recom- 

 mends that regulatory agencies issue 

 permits to allow resource owners to deal 

 with wildlife problems. 



Direct Control 



Some problems caused by wildlife 

 species are too complex or difficult for 

 any one individual, group, or agency to 

 solve. For example, dealing with thou- 

 sands of birds roosting in an urban 

 neighborhood is beyond the capabilities 

 of most individuals. Likewise, capturing 

 coyotes, bears, mountain lions, or other 

 large animals that are preying on live- 

 stock usually requires specialized equip- 

 ment and skills. In these instances, WS 

 provides field personnel to help whoever 

 is experiencing the problem. Direct con- 

 trol is usually provided when the resource 

 owner's efforts, such as habitat modifi- 



