Brame says wildlife managers must 

 make sure an adequate adult popula- 

 tion of snow geese is maintained for 

 breeding. 



While the snow goose has its trou- 

 bles in the Arctic, its cousin, the 

 Canada goose, is having some 

 problems in North Carolina. Once the 

 wintering capital for Canada geese 

 along the eastern shore, Lake Mat- 

 tamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge 

 drew 150,000 geese. Now, Steve 

 Frick says the refuge draws only be- 

 tween 20,000 and 25,000 Canadas. 

 What has happened to the Canada 

 geese? They're "short-stopping," 

 which means the Canadas are stop- 

 ping short of North Carolina for the 

 grain fields of New York, Pennsyl- 

 vania, the Delmarva Peninsula and 

 coastal Virginia. Many northern farm- 

 ers switched from truck farming to 

 raising grain, while southern farmers 

 began harvesting their grain crops 

 earlier and leaving less in the fields for 

 the geese to snack on. "Why should 

 these birds come to North Carolina to 

 get steak, so to speak, when they can 

 get steak in New York with less 

 travel," Frick says. 



Luczcz says North Carolina is tak- 

 ing the plight of the Canada goose in 

 this state to the Atlantic Flyway 

 Council. The state is asking northern 

 states not to open their season on 

 Canadas so early. It wants to give 

 birds that still have the instinct to win- 

 ter here a chance to return before they 

 are shot, Luczcz says. "The secret to 

 maintaining a wintering flock of 

 Canada geese is protecting the popula- 

 tion already here," he says. 



The Wildlife Commission has short- 

 ened the season and decreased the bag 

 limit for Canada geese to take some of 

 the hunting pressures off the birds in 

 this state. "Right now we're buying 

 time until an overall decision is made 

 by the Council for the whole flyway," 

 Luczcz says. "It will be a big com- 

 promise. Everybody has got to give up 

 something." 



To see some of North Carolina's 

 waterfowl, plan a visit to the Lake 

 Mattamuskeet or Pea Island National 

 Wildlife Refuges. Lake Mattamuskeet, 

 the state's largest natural lake, is 

 located in Hyde County a few miles off 

 U.S. 264. The whole refuge is open to 

 birdwatchers. The refuge also has two 

 photography blinds that are available 

 by reservation only. 



The Pea Island refuge is located in 



Dare County along the Outer Banks. 

 Highway 12 runs through the refuge, 

 so a leisurely drive along the banks 

 may find you spotting flocks of snow 

 geese and whistling swans. For large 

 groups, the refuge will organize a tour 

 or you can enjoy the birds on your 

 own. 



Waterfowl can also be spotted at the 

 Pungo (south of Plymouth in 

 Washington County) and Swan Quar- 

 ter (in Hyde County bordering the 

 Pamlico Sound) National Wildlife 

 Refuges. The Wildlife Resources Com- 

 mission provides 21 impoundments 

 where the public can hunt, photograph 



or observe waterfowl. For the location 

 of and more information on these im- 

 poundments, contact the N.C. Wildlife 

 Resources Commission, Division of 

 Game, 512 N. Salisbury Street, 

 Raleigh, N.C. 27611. 



The Marine Resources Center on 

 Roanoke Island plans a waterfowl ex- 

 pedition each fall. Contact the center 

 at (919) 473-3493 for dates and times. 

 To see winter birds other than water- 

 fowl, the Marine Resources Centers at 

 Bogue Banks and Fort Fisher plan 

 bird outings as does the Hampton 

 Mariners Museum at Beaufort. 



—Kathy Hart 



