LOUISVILLE -- The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is cancelling this year’s Wilson Hill Wildlife Management Area (WMA) goose drive due to low water levels.

DEC recently “manipulated the water levels,” so the water there is actually lower than usual, according to Andrea Patrick, a DEC citizen preparation specialist.

“The Wilson Hill Goose Drive is a great opportunity for the public to interact with our staff and it is extremely popular with participants,” said Judy Drabicki, DEC regional director said in a prepared statement. “The goose drive provides the public the opportunity to assist with wildlife management and learn about Canada geese. Region 6 Bureau of Wildlife staff anticipates goose drives in future years and will reach out for volunteers at that time.”

In past years, DEC wildlife staff and volunteers herded geese along the length of the WMA into holding pens, where biologists determine the age and sex of the geese, then band and release them back into the marsh. However, water levels are being manipulated for habitat management purposes and the traditional banding site and refuge pool off of state Route 131 will not be available this year to catch geese.

Water level management in Wilson Hill and other Region 6 WMAs mimics natural dry cycles, which benefit wetland vegetation and the wildlife species that depend on that vegetation for food and protective cover, DEC said.