October 19, 2020 – North Dakota is called the “Duck Factory” of the United States, and Kenmare, North Dakota, is known as the “Snow Goose Capital of North Dakota.”
Certain areas of our state have become famous for their annual numbers of waterfowl that pass through the area. One of these areas lies around Kenmare, located along the Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge and situated between the Upper Souris Refuge and the Lostwood Refuge.
During fall migration, these refuges host more than 400,000 snow geese. Canada geese number from 25,000-30,000 annually in the area. These huge birds will stay into November or until water freezes over.
So what do the residents of the area do with all these geese that are passing through? Well, in the case of Kenmare, they host the annual GooseFest.