The County of Union has a “cooperative service agreement” with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service(APHIS). Wildlife specialists from APHIS’ Wildlife Services division work year-round to control the geese population in Union County Parks, To learn more about the program, click here.
Please Don’t Feed the Geese – It’s not good for the geese and you could be fined
Although many people enjoy feeding waterfowl in parks and on private property, this often contributes to goose problems. Feeding may cause large numbers of geese to congregate in unnatural concentrations. Well-fed domestic waterfowl often act as decoys, attracting wild birds to a site. Feeding usually occurs in the most accessible areas, making a mess of heavily used lawns, walkways, roads, and parking areas.
Supplemental feeding also teaches geese to be unafraid of people, making control measures less effective. Feeding may be unhealthy for the birds too, especially if bread or popcorn becomes a large part of their diet. Once feeding is discontinued, geese will disperse and revert to higher quality natural foods. Geese that depend on human handouts are also less likely to migrate when severe winter weather arrives, and are more vulnerable to disease.
Feeding of all wild and domestic waterfowl on both public and private property in urban situations should be prohibited as an important step in controlling Canada goose problems. A public education program should accompany the initiation of an anti-feeding ordinance to stimulate public interest, participation, and support. An anti-feeding ordinance must be enforced to be effective and may require a penalty sufficient to deter the activity. An alternative punishment to fines is to require “community service” (e.g., cleaning up droppings) for violations. An example of a no-feeding ordinance is included with this information for adoption by housing associations, municipalities, and county governments.
Estimating the Value of Resident Canada Goose Damage Management