So far,
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Twenty-one entities (towns, parks, or a county) have canceled lethal goose removal. (Of these, nine are from Bergen.) Moving forward, they plan to use non-lethal solutions.
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Fifty-seven entities assert they will never kill geese and will use non-lethal if or when necessary. (Twenty-four are from Bergen.)
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Six entities are in the process of canceling USDA contracts.
Our Pennsylvania-based consultant spends a lot of time in her car! The team addresses biology, riparian buffers, water quality, non-point pollution, mechanical devices, grants, and procedures. APLNJ finds new products (sonic, radar, for example) and representatives only too happy to advise officials.
We’ve met intransigence and resistance in surprisingly few instances (Toms River, Mercer and Ocean County parks staff). Despite the agency’s reputation, the three declare the superiority of none other than USDA’s notorious Wildlife Services. If you live in Ocean or Mercer Counties and want to help modernize either county’s needlessly inhumane approach, please contact Doreen.
Improving shorelines, restoring native grasses, shrubs, and wildflowers beautifies landscapes and deters geese on permanent or long-term bases. Niche products – only a few—can work to deter geese in certain situations. A simple, integrated approach, especially in hot spots, can go a long way toward resolving conflict and removing gold-plated invitations for Canada geese.
Non-lethal deterrents work, and they are humane. Armed with professional experience and know how, and based on biology, we are finally penetrating the wall of misinformation, willful ignorance, and simplistic jargon (“management,” “balance,” and “sound science” —the latter exemplified by USDA workers in Bermuda shorts shoving panicked geese into portable CO2 chambers) so casually and callously employed by game and conservation allies.
Ultimately, we hope to replicate that good news throughout New Jersey and in other states. The Canada goose is an incredible bird. It’s time things changed.
Susan Russell, Wildlife Policy Director
