Skip to main content
About the

Guardians of Our
Salish Estuaries

Guardians of our Salish Estuaries (GooSE) is a leader in estuary restoration.
By combining field research, community partnerships, and active ecosystem management, we work to safeguard these crucial habitats for the fish, waterfowl, and local wildlife that depend on them. In partnership with the K’omoks First Nation, we developed a new technique, eco-cultural fencing, to keep invasive Canada Geese out of estuary vegetation.

Our Purpose & Core Focus

Estuaries are among the most dynamic yet sensitive ecosystems on the coast. GooSE follows these core principles to drive meaningful impacts across Vancouver Island and beyond.
  • Goose icon
    (a) To increase the productivity of estuarine marshes within the Salish Sea by mitigating effects of non-migratory Canada Geese and conserving or restoring estuarine habitats to the benefit of salmonids, other fishes, migratory birds and other native wildlife
  • Goose icon
    (b) To reduce or nullify the effects of Canada Geese on rare plant communities, farms, parks, water supplies, playing fields, and other community facilities within the Salish Sea by conducting Canada Goose mitigation activities
  • Goose icon
    (c) To partner with First Nation communities in mitigation and restoration works to build long lasting relationships, to benefit from the combination of modern science with Traditional Ecological Knowledge to obtain the best possible outcomes, and to support the gathering of traditional foods and improve food security for First Nations.
  • Goose icon
    (d) To work with all interested parties, including from Interior British Columbia, or elsewhere in Canada and the World, to mitigate effects from Canada Geese and to restore damaged ecosystems.
  • Goose icon
    (e) To help agency partners effectively manage non-migratory Canada Goose populations by development and implementation of non-migratory Canada Goose management plans, to benefit ecosystem conservation and restoration of fish and wildlife habitats

Our History & Impact

Guardians of our Salish Estuaries started as a grassroots movement in the late 1990s and has grown to be a respected environmental organization today.
How it began
In the late 1990s, members of the Guardians led efforts to reduce regional Canada Goose populations by sterilizing eggs and promoting additional hunting seasons and increased bag limits. From 2008 to 2015, the Guardians and other volunteers banded and collared nearly 500 geese at the Englishman River, Little Qualicum River, Craig Creek and Campbell River estuaries, then studied their movements.
Creating the

Canada Goose
Management Strategy

We surveyed both marked and unmarked Canada Geese in the region, to learn more about their seasonal abundance, local and global movements, and use of the estuaries and other habitats. In 2015, the Guardians published our 2015 Canada Goose Management Strategy which has been widely used by many governments and agencies to guide management of Canada Geese on Vancouver Island.

Working within
our local communities

We surveyed both marked and unmarked Canada Geese in the region, to learn more about their seasonal abundance, local and global movements, and use of the estuaries and other habitats. In 2015, the Guardians published our 2015 Canada Goose Management Strategy which has been widely used by many governments and agencies to guide management of Canada Geese on Vancouver Island.

Expanding our
influence

We then changed our name to Guardians of our Salish Estuaries Society in 2022 as we expanded our operations to Powell River, Vancouver and the Capital Regional District. We continue to support our partners by providing scientific information, and by promoting multi-jurisdictional collaboration on managing populations of Canada Geese and restoration of estuaries.

Interested in connecting with GooSE?

If you are interested in what we do and would like to help or learn more, please contact our organization.