Raining On Kill Parade of USDA Wildlife (Extermination) Services

 

Safe for this year: Our goose family in Central Park.

Close to 100 people turned out on streets of NYC last week to protest USDA WS goose slaughters currently occurring in our great city.

"USDA WS get out of town!"

Got that right. Here in NYC, we love our geese and want to preserve them for our grand kids to enjoy, as we have.

Wonderful news for the geese of Central Park:

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They are apparently not a target for roundups and slaughters conducted by USDA WS in New York City this time of year.  

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This news comes straight from a high official at USDA WS in response to a letter sent to the agency questioning and critiquing many of APHIS' actions and claims. Though the intention was obviously not to assure or pacify, it ironically does so.   Said the writer:

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"Just to let Mr. Shear and Mr. Clay know, thus writer has had an obsession with WS work since 2009 due to her concern for Central Park geese. No work has been planned or conducted there, but the correspondent is much like the writer from Vancouver."

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Quite frankly, I don't mind being portrayed as some "obsessive" nut case as long as getting assurances that our geese at CP are safe.  The odd thing was nothing in the rather lengthy, detailed letter sent to USDA WS officials even mentioned Central Park.

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Rather, the letter was critical of APHIS's tendencies to deflect, obfuscate, mislead and deceive the general public and community/public officials into believing things that are untrue.

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For example, the repeated use of euphemisms like "euthanasia" and "removal" to characterize  gassings or slaughters of geese and promises of "relocation" of animals when the actual plan is to kill or set them up as targets in a hunting preserve.

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The other thing off-putting in WS's dismissive response is that it implies I am the only one distressed about goose and other wildlife killings both, in New York City and elsewhere around the country.

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That is hardly true as witnessed by more than 61,000 people recently signing on to a Internet petition highly critical of Wildlife Services's kill programs: https://www.change.org/petitions/wildlife-services-stop-slaughtering-millions-of-wild-animals# as well as close to a hundred participants who turned out last week to specifically protest USDA's goose slaughters in New York City.  (see photos).

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WS may like to believe that it is only one or two "obsessive" wack jobs upset about its wanton wildlife killing programs, but the facts would highly indicate otherwise.

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APHIS officials can continue to languish in their ivory towers telling themselves that all those who dare to question or criticize their lethal actions against wildlife are ignorant and/or obsessive fools who, after protesting will "go home and turn on football."

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But, they should consider it is those same ignorant and obsessive fools paying their salaries through tax dollars.

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As it is not nice to fool with mother nature, it is also unwise to belittle and dismiss those citizens actually putting the bread and butter on your table and paying for your BMW's  -- PCA

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Hard Wildlife Lessons for People of Oakland, Maine

Who might want to harm a peaceful, defenseless creature on the water? Those for whom destruction is an easy paycheck.

As recently reported in this blog, there was a major story breaking out of Oakland, Maine when USDA Wildlife Services lied to officials and community and gassed 18 geese (including goslings) instead of "relocating" them, as promised.

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The perennial poop has hit the fan in Oakland as outraged officials and community members are complaining to the press of being "misled" by USDA and the contract is revealed.

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http://www.pressherald.com/2014/06/27/oakland-officials-we-were-misled-about-goose-flocks-fate/

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There can be little question that WS likely planned to kill these geese all along, but felt they could deceive, mislead and get away with it.

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WS claims they sought "relocation" after rounding up the geese, but that makes no sense for an agency that generally plans well every move and detail right down to how many crates to bring and what slaughtering or gassing facility to send the geese. (On latter note, WS obviously had no trouble finding a gassing facility 100 miles away from roundup location to transport the geese.)

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Oakland, Maine now (and sadly) falls into a group of parks, golf courses and college campuses around the country that have learned the hard way, not to trust the words and promises of APHIS Wildlife Services.

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Despite culling, geese return to Chattanooga State | Times Free Press

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(109) Project Save Davis Coyotes 

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Hopefully in the future, the people of Oakland (as elsewhere) will learn the importance of monitoring their own parks and seeking and implementing, responsible, non-lethal solutions to any conflicts with wildlife.   -- PCA

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Pity Party for USDA "Wildlife Services"

One of 23,000 Canada goose victims last year of USDA "Wildlife Services."

Lord have mercy and pity for our hard working folks at Wildlife (Extermination) Services.

 Happening in New York City tonight (Thursday) from 5:30 to 7 PM.

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A protest against the Port Authority which contracts with city for USDA WS yearly goose roundups and slaughters in New York.  (Location: 225 Park Ave South at 21st Street.)

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http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=f30b9b8b6b96841f3dcf76c40&id=927e182363&e=8bfd946740

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But, perhaps we are being too hard on our poor hard working folks at Animal Plant and Health Inspection Services (APHIS)?

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A recent heart wrenching letter from APHIS Administrator, Kevin Shea to stakeholders decries the "unfair" ways USDA WS has been portrayed in the media. It is truly enough to evoke tears.  Get your hankies out before reading:  

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Letter from the APHIS Administrator: Setting the Record Straight on Wildlife S  

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Mr.Shea spends the first two self-pitying paragraphs complaining how WS has been unfairly "maligned" in recent newspaper articles (particularly, the Washington Post) and how these same papers neglect to publish his letters in their entirety.  -- Wow, life is hard!  

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He spends the next couple of paragraphs describing how "proud" he is to work for WS and how Congress recently voted to fund the agency an extra 20 million dollars. (Doesn't that just warm the cockles? -- To know more of our tax dollars are going to fund more wildlife slaughters!)

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Mr.Shea is particularly distressed that some organizations and media report more than 4 million animals killed by WS last year. Asserts Mr. Shea, "3.5 million" of those animals were birds!

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Apparently, Mr. Shea doesn't truly consider birds to be animals.

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Shea further informs that there are 3.9 million Canada geese in the US and WS "just" killed 23,000 of them. (For the 23,000 geese gassed or slaughtered by WS, the "just" might seem a bit demeaning and dismissive.)

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3.9 million geese in a country of more than 340 million humans doesn't seem such an astronomical number, but apparently to Mr. Shea and his pals at WS, it is. (Wonder what their thoughts are regarding the population of humans?)

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Continuing the impassioned defense of his "unfairly criticized," bread and butter agency, Mr. Shea assures stakeholders that APHIS is "fully transparent about all of WS's work, both lethal and non-lethal."

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That is only partially true.  They are transparent AFTER the slaughters have occurred and WS writes up their reports on them.

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But, for those wanting to know beforehand where and when WS wildlife killings are slated to happen, well, good luck on that one. One may as well ask when the next asteroid is due to hit earth.

Moreover, were WS "transparent" as Mr. Shea claims, members of the public would  not need to do Freedom of Information requests in the first place. But, even when they do, much of the requested information is redacted (such as locations of where geese were gassed or slaughtered).   In New York City, for example, we still don't know where our geese are sent for death or in fact, how they actually die despite Freedom of Information requests. 

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Mr. Shea conveniently omits from his mournful, pity party letter, descriptions of USDA WS deliberately misleading community leaders, media and the public when promising one thing ("relocation of geese") and doing another (gassing the geese instead).

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Oakland's gaggle of shoo-proof geese meets unfortunate end - The Portland Pres  

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Apparently, Shea and chums would like us to believe that a fairly large state could not accommodate 18 geese. Or, that USDA WS is incapable of designing a plan for "relocation" of animals until the day they show up with trucks, boats, corrals and crates and suddenly announce to the community, "We could not find a place."

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Mr. Shea then attempts to divert from controversial topics to write about the "non-lethal" actions of USDA WS and how it represents "80%" of their actual work.

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But, no one was "criticizing" WS for their non-lethal efforts.

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Its the 20% represented by gassings, slaughters, trappings, shootings, and poisonings of millions of animals that is drawing the ire of the public, some media and a pitiful few members of Congress. Its also USDA WS's so called, "accidental"  killings of non-target animals, including pets and endangered species that garners them criticism.

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In finally closing out this self-serving drivel, Mr. Shea tries to imply (or rather threaten) that unless the American public fully supports and continues to fund WS, we are all liable to die in a plane that hits a bird or from "contracting rabies" from a raccoon or skunk.

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Apparently the administrator is unaware that most airliners that hit birds either continue on the journeys unscathed or return to the airport (not so lucky for the birds though) and that there are vaccines for rabies.

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I was personally very moved by this touching and heartbreaking letter, though perhaps not in the ways Mr. Shea would desire.

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Rather, my heart bleeds for the 3.5 million birds killed by WS each year, in addition to more than a million other members of wildlife.

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My heart particularly weeps for the lone goose left behind in Delafield, Wisconsin this week, following a USDA WS roundup (and slaughter) of 53 geese on a huge lake. (Apparently, USDA WS ran out of crates.)  

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Photo documentation below shows the goose following the truck containing his/her family members and according to witness, "honking in distress."  As one poster on Facebook put it:  "The goose probably would have elected to go with family, even to slaughter."

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https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=478369332242364&set=pcb.478370095575621&type=1&theater

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I intend to go to the rally tonight if, for no other reason than to express my "sympathy for the devil" and to demand that Mr. Shea and company get the hell out of New York City.   His pity party letter has left many of us cold here -- despite the otherwise heat and humidity presently in New York City.   -- PCA

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Hook, Line and Gas Chambers -- USDA Wildlife Services Lies and Misdeeds (Portland, Maine)

Portland, Maine now the latest example of a community lied to and misled by USDA Wildlife Extermination Services, but failing to question or protest.

"We made it clear we wanted the no-kill option," said Nielsen.'"

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The above is from an article out today about 18 geese and their goslings rounded up and gassed by USDA WS in a community in Maine despite WS's assurances to officials that the geese would be "relocated" unharmed.

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Oakland's gaggle of shoo-proof geese meets unfortunate end - The Portland Pres

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But, this is not the first time Wildlife Extermination Services has promised one thing and done another.

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In fact, one might say it is par for the course for this rogue agency that seems to adhere to neither rules of God nor man -- honesty and transparency being the least of them.

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As detailed in a series of article links posted yesterday, Wildlife Extermination Services has a long history of deception and misleading, not only the public, but in many cases, community officials, the media and even Congress.

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It is actually somewhat common for USDA WS to enter into contracts with park and community officials and promise them "non-lethal relocation" of the geese only to claim at the last minute that a relocation area "could not be found" and thus the geese had to be "euthanized."  (In this case, one would need to do imagination contortions in order to believe there was not sufficient space in the entire state of Maine for 18 geese. Talk about drinking the Kool-Aid.)

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The "euthanasia" claim is a lie in and unto itself as the geese were not suffering terminal injury or disease and nor is gassing (that can take up to an hour for geese) a "merciful" or "humane" way for the birds to die.  Rather, these so-called euthanasias, as typically conducted by USDA WS, are not performed by a vet, but rather, conducted on the back of truck:

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWC6MXg694w   (Be sure to watch entire 4 minute video. Sorry for poor quality of sound.)

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Nevertheless, it appears that both, the community officials of Portland, Maine, the public  and the media reporter bought the USDA WS lies in this particular case, hook, line and gas chamber.

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That too, is unfortunately, typical.   -- PCA

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Rolling Out the (Blood) Red Carpet in NYC for Wildlife Extermination Services

As the welcome mat is laid out again for Wildlife Extermination Services in NYC, their unsuspecting and seemingly friendless victims await.

The blood red carpet has been laid out by city and federal politicians, governmental agencies and the National Park Services.

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The "rogue" federal agency known as USDA Wildlife Services has once again embarked upon our great city with its trailers, corrals, turkey crates and contract orders for goose slaughter.

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This is the same agency that has been the subject of Congressional investigations as well as a series of expose articles by the Sacramento Bee's Tom Knudson and other respected writers:

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Wildlife investigation - The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, California

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http://birdallyx.wordpress.com/2014/06/17/opaque-and-obstinate/

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Perhaps city leaders don't read newspapers.  Or, perhaps they just don't care as their constituents don't require them to care about wildlife matters of abuse.

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I spent a good deal of this morning calling political representatives' offices (including the new mayor's) to express personal grief over continuing goose massacres in New York City -- though I know such calls are impotent in actually stopping the carnage. 

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It was simply important to register protest as a matter of principle.

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The only thing actually learned from the morning's series of calls was that a goose roundup and slaughter is again scheduled for Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, as it has occurred there  for the past three years.  (This, despite there being few geese to actually capture and kill now.)

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But, the woman from JBWR could (or would) not tell me exactly when.

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As usual, USDA WS works in secret with few actually knowing the dates, times, locations and details of their wildlife culls.

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One simply shows up in their local park one day to discover all their geese are suddenly gone.   If questioning the whys and wherefores, most people are typically told by park officials that the molting (flightless) geese magically took off and flew away.

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Most people believe the stories because it is uncomfortable to realize one is being boldly lied to and assumed to be ignorant by park officials.

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Fortunately, in 2010, two aware people did not buy the lies told to them by Prospect Park officials and instead went to The New York Times.

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The next day, the story broke nationwide of the 362 PP geese and goslings rounded up by USDA and sent for gassing.  It was a story that continued to run for weeks in the Times:

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http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/23/state-plans-to-eliminate-170000-canada-geese/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

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But, these days it seems few are willing to question or protest the goose slaughters now occurring annually in New York City -- much less go to the media about them. This is true even when the slaughters are known to occur in advance.

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This morning, for example, another USDA WS goose roundup reportedly took place at Inwoods Hills Park again. (This according to GooseWatch.)

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Inwood Hills Park has been on WS "hit list" for some years and it was well anticipated that another roundup would occur there this year.  (USDA even suggested as much in its summation document: USDA NYC Roundups 2009-2014 )

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Nevertheless, it seems no community resident was apparently around Inwood Hills Park this morning with camera or cell phone to document the roundup or complain to the press. In the past, many residents of the Inwood Hills Park area expressed anger and grief over the culls in their local park.  But, perhaps like NY State Director of WS, Martin Lowney, confidently asserts, they "get upset for a while and then go home and turn on football."

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For all intensive purposes, the Inwood Hills Park goose roundup and slaughter didn't happen because residents and press failed to document and report.  

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We can wait until USDA WS publishes its "Goose Roundup Report" in a few months to get actual goose numbers killed at Inwood. 

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But by that time, the goose bodies will be long under a bridge or in a land fill. Few will care or even want to know about them.

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It seems in New York City, we have either become immune to the wildlife slaughters occurring in our parks annually or worse, have come to accept and even support them.

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Next stop, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (again).

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USDA Wildlife Extermination Services, your blood red carpet awaits with nary a protest or even observance.  Congratulations on still another victory over the hapless and defenseless wildlife of our New York City parks.

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But, the stain of their blood and unpardonable suffering will never entirely wash from your hands. -- PCA

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Ducks and Geese Hanging Together as USDA WS Slaughter Looms

Sometimes the only friends an orphaned gosling may find are ducks.

Geese and mallards enjoying time together at Jackie Onassis Reservoir in Central Park.

Despite plenty of duck weed on water, Turtle Pond in Central Park devoid of both, geese and mallards due to constant goose harassment.

More water to dump on USDA Wildlife (Extermination) Services's declarations that geese and ducks are some kind of enemies and that ducks are somehow threatened or intimidated by the presence of geese in an area. (See blog posting of June 19th.)

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Reported from Prospect Park today is the recent sighting of a young gosling presently being raised by a domestic (flightless) duck, "Lily" and her mallard drake partner:

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https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=654026354675957&set=a.202473443164586.50778.175344192544178&type=1&theater

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More than a month ago, it had been reported that there was a nesting pair of geese at Prospect Park.

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But, it was not known what became of the geese or their eggs.  

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In the weeks following the sighting of the nesting goose pair, all 30 geese previously observed at Prospect Park have since vanished with only the one "orphan" gosling being sighted now.

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As has already been reported (via USDA WS document), there has been an aggressive goose harassment and egg addling program conducted at Prospect Park in the wake of the USDA WS goose massacre that occurred in 2010 and took the lives of all 362 geese and goslings living in the park at that time.

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Immediately following the goose gassings of July 8, 2010, a number of community people questioned if USDA had also rounded up and gassed the mallards that were peacefully living with the geese at Prospect Park just prior to the massacre?

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Few mallards were observed at Prospect Park following the goose gassings and so it was only natural that such question would be raised.

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But, there was no evidence to suggest that USDA also captured mallards for gassing and they did not report such in their follow-up documents.

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Rather, it is likely that when seeing their goose friends terrorized and captured, those mallards who could still fly, simply took off from Prospect Park, in some cases, never to return.

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It must have been a horrible and traumatic experience for the ducks and all manner of other water birds at Prospect Park at the time.  Small wonder in the weeks that followed, few if any water birds (other than the swans) were observed at Prospect Park.  The park and lake were, quite simply, a water graveyard.

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But, fast forward to 2014 and the current situation of a gosling being raised and protected by a domestic duck who cannot fly and her loyal, devoted mallard drake.

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Its likely the parent geese were terrorized and harassed out of Prospect Park in recent weeks along with the 28 other geese observed there in May.  Parent geese would never willingly abandon their young.

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How was one egg allowed to hatch at Prospect Park?  Did any other goslings hatch?

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These are questions that are obviously not known.

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But, as also reported recently, three goslings hatched at the Reservoir in Central Park despite an otherwise aggressive egg oiling program.  Some geese are a bit more clever in either hiding nests and/or nesting earlier or later than normal. Or, perhaps an insufficient amount of oil was doused on the one egg enough to smother the developing embryo.

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In any event, the surviving gosling (who appears about five weeks old) was apparently smart enough to find other water birds to attach with and lucky for him the ducks have accepted and "adopted" the loner gosling.

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The situation, for the moment, is reasonably safe and secure. 

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But, for this gosling to survive over the long haul, s/he will eventually have to find way to other geese.  A goose, after all, is not a duck.

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But, that possibility is extremely remote especially now during the goose molting season and will be nearly as remote when geese again begin to fly in late July due to the aggressive goose harassment policy at Prospect Park.  As noted many times in this blog, assimilation of loner geese into other flocks takes time and "time" for such is simply not allowed either at Prospect Park or Central Park.

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Once again, it is up to aware and caring park pedestrians to try and find long term solution for this now orphaned gosling as the actions of government and park officials, though creating the situations in the first place, are loath to find proper and humane solution.

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Were this a "normal" situation created by some natural tragedy to the parent geese, I would personally advise the people of Prospect Park to let the situation play out until other geese arrived in the park that this gosling could attempt to bond with. Geese, being the peaceful and accepting birds they are, usually do accept loners if given sufficient time regardless of the origins of the newcomers.

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But, nothing about our city parks is "normal" anymore.

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This morning, I walked around Turtle Pond in Central Park and despite there being a bountiful supply of duck weed on the water (a major food source for ducks and geese), there were no geese at all and only three mallards.

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Normally in the summer, Turtle Pond is a major attractant to water birds.

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But, the non-stop goose harassment around all Central Park watercourses this past year (with the lone exception of Jackie Onassis Reservoir) has resulted in all of its lakes and ponds being virtually water-bird empty.

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And yet, there are plenty of mallards at the Reservoir -- along with the 24 geese presently molting there.

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Of all the lies cooked up by USDA WS to justify its goose slaughters, the claim of geese pushing out other birds is the most ludicrous and insulting to anyone who has spent even scant time actually observing the birds.

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Geese and ducks may sometimes "spar" with each other as they spar with members of their own species. 

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But, underneath it all, ducks and geese are trustworthy, enduring and mutually cooperating friends who actually look out for each other -- and in some cases, even take on the orphaned young (or "baby sitting" duties) of the other species.  (Who can, for example, forget the number of times Cago, the loner Canada goose at Harlem Meer last year, baby sitted for a mama mallard who left her ducklings to chase off other mallards?  If that didn't signify trust, I personally don't know what does.)

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Despite all the lengthy documents USDA WS produces to defend and rationalize their goose slaughters, there are only two simple reasons they actually conduct them:

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1-- They can.

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2-- USDA WS gets paid handsomely to capture and kill the geese (and other wildlife).

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The final insult to park goers and nature lovers is that it is our tax dollars paying for the wildlife massacres.

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And on that final note, this is the latest from (27) GooseWatch NYC:

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http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=f30b9b8b6b96841f3dcf76c40&id=58520ed539&e=1e2bc66fdd

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I don't have a car to personally tail Wildlife Extermination Services tomorrow morning, but will be in my park early in the am just to check on my few precious geese (and two surviving goslings) and will be busy on the phone the rest of morning to city officials and elected politicians.

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God's speed and blessings to those with the guts to expose these people for what they truly are:  Hired, wanton killers -- and liars. (Those who commit atrocities will not hesitate to lie about them.)

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And God's speed and protection to these two precious ducks taking on an orphaned gosling in the wake of endless goose harassment in Prospect and other city parks.

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May it be true that, "The meek shall inherit the earth."

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Lord knows we humans have made a debauchery of it. -- PCA

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USDA Wildlife Services to Slaughter Remaining Geese at Jamaica Bay Wildlife "Refuge"

Molting and helpless against USDA WS goose massacres.

 

The following was just posted on the (27) GooseWatch NYC Facebook page:

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"Just horrific. National Park Service just confirmed over the phone with one of our volunteers that there is a planned USDA roundup and slaughter of the remaining Canada geese currently at Jamaica Bay 'Wildlife Refuge'. This will likely occur within the next week or two, probably early in the morning, they wouldn't be more specific. Hopefully we have enough time to mobilize a response, and barring the unlikely chance we can stop it from happening altogether, ensure that either our volunteers or more ideally reporters from news media are on hand to bear witness. There are only a few dozen geese left there after the slaughter of more than 1,000 over the past two years. So now you know. Don't be asleep in your bed when this happens and don't say you weren't warned. Act now."

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It is more than distressing (though not at all surprising) to realize another goose cull to take place at Jamaica Bay "Wildlife Refuge" despite the low number of geese actually there. 

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We need to be clear on one thing:

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This is not about airline safety.  It is not about overpopulation, poop, salt marshes, geese pushing out other birds or any of the myriad of other rationalizations USDA Wildlife (Extermination) Services cooks up to justify wanton wildlife slaughter.

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It IS about trying to eliminate from all city parks, golf courses and other city properties (including a national wildlife refuge) a species of bird that many thousands of people have come to know and appreciate in our otherwise, urban wetlands and parks.

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It appears about eradication and/or "extirpation."

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This seems to explain why (despite being promised a conference call to discuss goose policies),  I received no response or explanation from the Central Park Conservancy regarding continued harassment on low numbers of geese in Central Park and destruction of all known goose eggs. 

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It seems to explains why, four years following a massacre that wiped out all of Prospect Park's resident geese and goslings in 2010, there are currently NO geese at the park which has since been "managed" with the aid and input of USDA WS. 

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And it would certainly seem to explain why a further cull is planned for geese at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge even though there are comparatively few geese to actually round up and send to slaughter.

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I personally don't know what the answers are at this point or any way of actually saving New York City geese in hopes that our grandchildren might one day get to enjoy them as we have. 

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This is an issue that the media doesn't want to touch (more important for us to know, after all, what the Kardashion's are wearing) and its an issue which most people are not even remotely aware of. 

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For those with media, celebrity or political connections, it might help to contact persons of influence or power and request some kind of formal statement. Or, as in the GooseWatch post, it is certainly important to have people at perspective roundups to act as witnesses to take photos and videos, if possible.

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But, in the end, we are all witnesses (even if not actually knowing) to our government's seemingly never-ending "war" on Canada geese.

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The question is, why, and what was it all for?

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One wonders if there were people asking similar questions when bison, wolves, eagles, beavers and yes, even Canada geese were nearly extirpated in our country in decades past?  -- PCA

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Other USDA WS Rationalization for Killing Prospect Park Geese in 2010

Egret -- one of about a dozen currently at Jackie Onassis  Reservoir in Central Park --despite 21 Canada geese there.

Black Crowned Night Heron at Reservoir in CP.  One of dozens currently there -- along with geese.

Wood Duck currently at Reservoir -- with the geese.

Some of the 21 currently molting geese at Reservoir.

Cormorant stretching wings at Reservoir.  One of dozens currently there with geese.

Mallards taking a rest on running path around Reservoir. Many mallards at Reservoir along with geese and many other water birds.

In citing other reasons for their capture and gassing of 368 Canada geese and goslings from Prospect Park in 2010, USDA Wildlife Services implies that the geese were pushing out ducks and other waterfowl from the watercourses:  

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 USDA NYC Roundups 2009-2014

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(From the document:   "Wildlife Services is working with the Prospect Park Alliance to manage the park for mutual wildlife benefits.   Canada geese....had damaged the wetlands to the point native ducks rarely used the park anymore."  [Emphasis supplied.])

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But, a walk through Central Park virtually any time of the year would show the exact opposite (or, as yours truly usually puts it) -- Where you find Canada geese, you usually find other water birds.

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At no time would that be truer than it is today.

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As photos posted the other day show, Harlem Meer in Central Park is currently devoid of all geese and virtually all other waterfowl.

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Geese have been habitually harassed from the Meer (in addition to other CP watercourses) and it appears to have impacted other water birds, as well.  One is hard pressed to find mallards in any significant number around the Meer these days or quite frankly, any other water bird, except perhaps for the occasionally straying egret or heron.

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By contrast, the Jackie Onassis Reservoir in Central Park -- the one watercourse the geese are not harassed -- is replete with both geese and other water birds. 

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Walk around the Reservoir any morning and one is apt to see dozens of Cormorants, Egrets, Black Crowned Night Herons, Sea Gulls and any number of different types of ducks, most commonly, Mallards.  -- Those in addition to the 21 geese currently at the Reservoir.

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So who exactly, are the geese chasing or pushing out?

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There can be any number of reasons why certain bird species numbers rise and fall according to the time of year, weather conditions, environment, food supplies, human activities and other factors.

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But, to blame and scapegoat Canada geese for declines in some natural duck populations appears to be grasping at straws -- or in the particular case of the USDA document linked above, seeking rationalization for their goose massacre at Prospect Park in 2010.  (It is well known that PP is outside the legal 7-mile radius to airports that were supposed to justify the slaughters.)

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I cannot speak personally for Prospect Park (which currently has zero geese), but it would be interesting to know, since having eradicated seemingly all its resident geese, if Prospect Park has suddenly become some kind of exotic water bird magnet?   

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One thing that IS known is that when I personally visited Prospect Park in June of 2010 (one week prior to the USDA goose gassings), there were many geese, swans AND mallards (contrary to what the document claims).  The park at that time was, in fact, replete with all kinds of waterfowl. 

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The question is, is it so today?

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There are presently two families of mute swans at Prospect Park.  But, the swans have been at the park for many years (including when geese were there) and in recent days the Department of Environmental Conservation has expressed similar hostility towards swans as is already against geese.  In fact, the plan was to extirpate all mute swans in the state of New York -- though that proposal (thankfully) was recently defeated in the state legislature.

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Bottom line:  The birds pushed from our parks are primarily being harassed and chased out by human hands -- not goose wings.

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USDA WS will need to come up with better excuses and rationalizations for their continuing goose carnage.   What is cited particularly above is an untruth -- one of many by USDA Wildlife (Extermination) Services meant to justify what they do for a living. -- PCA

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