From its beginning, the IWLA Endowment has supported Goose Workshop, formerly the Giant Goose Conservation Education Workshop, a volunteer-maintained conservation and recreation area in Illinois. Current Endowment support is $5,700 per year, which constitutes the total budget for the educational aspects of the program. 

Until about 50 years ago, giant Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima) were thought to be extinct. However, during a 1962 goose banding operation outside Rochester, Minnesota, multiple giant Canada geese were identified and efforts started to preserve and protect the species. The giant goose differs from the common Canada goose (Branta canadensis canadensis) due to its size, as the name would imply. Canada geese generally average 8–12 pounds while the giant version comes in at 12–18 pounds and can be recognized by a significantly longer neck and body. The largest recorded giant Canada goose was an awesome 24 pounds.

In 1966, multiple Illinois Chapters  – rented an abandoned strip mine from Peabody Coal to provide a sanctuary and feeding area for giant Canada geese. Since that time, they established the nonprofit Giant Goose Conservation Education Workshop and purchased 263 acres of land along the Mississippi flyway that contains an extensive complex of lakes and ponds. The area now includes roads, nature trails, a lodge and learning center, and picnic shelters. The area is used for camping, fishing, boating, hiking, fossil hunting, and bird watching. Youth education is a major focus – busloads of school children and Scouts use and enjoy the facilities, as do senior citizens and groups from nursing homes. The site is wheelchair accessible, including a specially designed fishing dock. 

The giant Canada goose is now a well-established and healthy species, with a population estimated at 1.6 million. The range of migratory giant Canada geese extends from the Chesapeake Bay to the Mississippi flyway, with some showing up as far west as Arizona. Many have taken up permanent resident status, relegating the migratory stresses to their more adventurous brothers and sisters. In some of the urban and suburban areas of Illinois and Wisconsin, the giant goose has achieved “pest” status.

The Giant Goose program has been one of the most successful Endowment-supported projects. The funds have been well spent and had a substantive effect on the community and wildlife conservation. The project is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Izaak Walton League. But this story would not be complete without recognizing the program’s key players, including Education Directors. Their dedication has created a viable and effective education and recreation program of which the entire League can be proud.