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North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

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ElizaRags35
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North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

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NORTH HEMPSTEAD - The Town of North Hempstead has approved a controversial measure to euthanize the local Canada geese population after several failed attempts to rid the area of the invasive creatures.
The town has tried using dogs and noise guns to spook the geese away, and has also oiled goose eggs so they don't hatch, but to no avail. Residents complain that the geese are a nuisance because they take over areas and leave the ground littered with their droppings.
The USDA still must review the plan and rule that the town has done enough to attempt to combat the problem. If the agency agrees, the town would pay the USDA for the service, and the geese would be processed. Typically, the USDA says it uses carbon dioxide to euthanize geese.
Their meat would then be donated to food pantries.
Local animal activists are heartbroken over the plan. Some argue that the effort will likely be futile because more Canada geese will only return to the area anyway.


Newsday Article:

The Town of North Hempstead has tried everything from dogs to noisemakers to scare off its resident invasive Canada goose population.
Now it's turning to a more permanent fix: euthanasia.
Wildlife specialists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will survey the town's parks and determine whether North Hempstead has done enough to try to rid itself of geese before resorting to euthanasia. If so, the USDA says its preferred method of euthanasia is carbon dioxide. The geese would then be processed and the meat donated to food pantries.

The process is spelled out in a contract with the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services approved unanimously by the town board last month. The town will pay the federal agency $8,602.71 for the service, plus an extra $6 per goose to cover the expense of meat processing.
Roughly 600 Canada geese have settled in the town's parks -- eating the grass and fouling waterways and fields with their droppings -- said Kevin Kelly, the town's deputy commissioner of parks and recreation.
An adult goose can produce more than a pound of feces per day, and the copious leavings have generated a host of complaints from park and ballfield users, Kelly said.
"We don't want kids playing on a field where every square foot there's droppings," Kelly said.
Elinor Molbegott, legal counsel on animal issues for the Humane Society of New York, criticized the plan, saying it is not needed and will not solve the town's goose problem.
"Taking the extraordinary measure of just killing innocent geese because people find them to be a disturbance seems to be unnecessary and cruel," Molbegott said. "As long as the habitat remains suitable and desirable for these animals, they're going to come back."
Canada geese, which are not native to this area, are territorial and often take up residence in parks with short grass and water. They have no natural predators on Long Island.
Molbegott noted that Mamaroneck in Westchester County decided last month to cancel its plans to kill geese after a public outcry.
North Hempstead has tried eradication measures against the geese, such as noise guns, dogs to chase the geese, and oiling goose eggs so they don't hatch. It has put up signs in the parks asking visitors not to feed the geese.
"Noise guns and dogs -- it treats the symptoms, but not the problem," Kelly said. "The only way you can really remove geese from your parks and fields, especially now when they're coming in epidemic proportions, is to literally remove them."
Martin Lowney, New York State director of the USDA's Wildlife Services program, said staff from his department plan to visit the town's parks beginning this month to document the goose populations and determine that the town has done everything it can to dissuade the geese from the areas.
If Lowney determines that the geese need to be removed, staff members will return during molting, which begins in mid-June, when the geese lose their flight feathers. Staffers will herd the geese into an enclosed area, transfer them to turkey crates, and bring them to a meat-processing plant, he said.
"They would be turned into food and packaged and donated to charities," Lowney said.
Lowney said the agency has been conducting an eradication program since 2009 within a seven-mile radius of Kennedy and LaGuardia airports. The operation included Hempstead Lake State Park in West Hempstead and Hendrickson Park in Valley Stream in 2010.
He said the programs have been successful in keeping the populations down.
The goose roundups attracted controversy, but Lowney said concern was lessened when it was clear the geese would be used as food.
Long Island municipalities have long struggled with goose overpopulations, but resorting to euthanasia is not a common solution. The Village of Brightwaters killed its resident geese in 2005, and three years earlier, 700 geese were culled at Belmont Lake State Park in West Babylon.
"Over the course of three years, hundreds of people came up to me, especially parents, complaining about the droppings," Kelly said. "The impetus is the concern of parents and people who use the fields for us to find a solution."
In Roslyn's Gerry Park, Wolfgang and Karen Hiller, of Glen Head, sat on a bench, overlooking the pond where nearby, about half a dozen Canada geese grazed.
For the Hillers, who describe themselves as nature-lovers, goose droppings are part of the territory and euthanasia is a step too far.
"It's just something you live with," Wolfgang Hiller said. "Some people, everything's got to be perfect for them."
------------------------------

Thoughts?

Message edited 5/13/2013 1:05:35 PM.

Posted 5/13/13 1:01 PM
 
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ModDot
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Trissy

North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

I agree with this person:
"It's just something you live with," Wolfgang Hiller said. "Some people, everything's got to be perfect for them."

People have to realize that we SHARE the planet with animals, not allow them to exist.

Message edited 5/13/2013 1:14:28 PM.

Posted 5/13/13 1:10 PM
 

halfbaked
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Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

They live there? I thought the geese were migrating and just stay on LI for a few weeks.

Posted 5/13/13 1:12 PM
 

ElizaRags35
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Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

Posted by ModDot

I agree with this woman:
"It's just something you live with," Wolfgang Hiller said. "Some people, everything's got to be perfect for them."

People have to realize that we SHARE the planet with animals, not allow them to exist.



Chat Icon Chat Icon

Posted 5/13/13 1:13 PM
 

PearlJamChick
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Petticoated Swashbuckler

Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

Posted by ModDot

I agree with this person:
"It's just something you live with," Wolfgang Hiller said. "Some people, everything's got to be perfect for them."

People have to realize that we SHARE the planet with animals, not allow them to exist.



Exactly.

I wish I could euthanize those who pushed this through.

Posted 5/13/13 1:39 PM
 

lilqtny
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North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

When the earth is destroyed and all that's left are our factories and businesses, we will learn quickly that we can't eat our money.

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Message edited 5/13/2013 1:43:30 PM.

Posted 5/13/13 1:42 PM
 

lilqtny
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Tracy

North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

When the Earth is destroyed, we can't eat money

Posted 5/13/13 1:43 PM
 

Pomegranate5
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Pomegranate5

Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

I understand that there are sometimes legitimate reasons to control the population of a certain animal.....but if the only reason they want to kill these geese is because they are annoying, that is just absolutely horrific.

Posted 5/13/13 1:56 PM
 

Juliet
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Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

So this may sound naive but can we spay and neuter geese? I know we do it with cats, dogs, horses, humansChat Icon can we "fix" geese?

Posted 5/13/13 4:30 PM
 

Pray4Baby2010
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MB

Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

Posted by Juliet

So this may sound naive but can we spay and neuter geese? I know we do it with cats, dogs, horses, humansChat Icon can we "fix" geese?



i was wondering the same thing actually

Posted 5/13/13 4:32 PM
 

BunnyWife
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Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

Canada Geese have become a real pest in a lot of places. They no longer migrate because they have everything they need here all year long. They can be VERY aggressive not to mention their waste can cause all sorts of issues. They are very dangerous to airplanes and there have been steps taken to decrease their numbers around major airports.


I don't know what the solution is but population control is important.

Posted 5/13/13 4:48 PM
 

nrthshgrl
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Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

I'm perfectly ok with this plan. They are spreading into every open available space. Parks, lawns, everywhere.

I see no reason why it's ok to hunt deer, duck, etc to cull population but it's not ok for geese. It reminds me when the DOT was getting rid of the grass & trees on the meridians. They wanted the rats killed but the rabbits trapped & relocated. I guess because they're cuter?

A nuisance is a nuisance.

Posted 5/13/13 4:53 PM
 

Lina
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Lindsay

Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

They really need to get their facts correct. Canada geese are not "invasive", they are native to North America. And a good portion of them are resident geese now and never migrate. I'm not saying I have the answer but spay/neuter... Who would be footing the bill for that? I think most do not realize how over populated they really are. Most of us are meat eaters and many years back, we harvested geese for human consumption which is no longer the case for the most part. Why not harvest these animals and give them to feed the hungry. Do we know how many people are starving in this world. I think giving the meat to food pantries is a great thing!

Message edited 5/14/2013 10:41:12 AM.

Posted 5/13/13 5:20 PM
 

Xelindrya
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Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

is it sad I miss the geese? Chat Icon

I came across a photo of AJ reaching out to one. Chat Icon

Still I think mass death is never the answer no matter what (unless its roaches and fire ants - actually all ants). We invaded their space. We feed the geese (a general statement) and make it easier for them to stay. We kill off preditors we get too many of a thing and so we kill the geese then some other population will rise up and we'll get upset, etc etc.

Just sad.

But it would be nice to not have to side step goose crap. Then again.. get some parole folks to clean it up.

Message edited 5/13/2013 5:54:24 PM.

Posted 5/13/13 5:21 PM
 

Lina
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Lindsay

Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

Posted by nrthshgrl

I'm perfectly ok with this plan. They are spreading into every open available space. Parks, lawns, everywhere.

I see no reason why it's ok to hunt deer, duck, etc to cull population but it's not ok for geese. It reminds me when the DOT was getting rid of the grass & trees on the meridians. They wanted the rats killed but the rabbits trapped & relocated. I guess because they're cuter?

A nuisance is a nuisance.



It is legal to hunt them... problem is, the amount of hunters is steadily declining.

Posted 5/13/13 5:24 PM
 

peanutbutter2
Carpe diem!

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Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

Wildlife in natural spaces is far from an "invasion." I do not agree with this plan at all.

Posted 5/13/13 5:25 PM
 

meloyellow
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Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

I'm ok with hunting to eat. not ok with euthanizing a population just because you find them to be a nuisance. We share the earth and this disdain we have for creatures we believe to be beneath us will come back to bite us in the ass for sure...in fact it already is. You cannot mess with the balance of the ecosystem. changing one thing changes many others. If you decrease one population you decrease other plants, insects and things that thrive because of that population.

Posted 5/14/13 7:55 PM
 

lilqtny
-Crossfit & pitbull addict

Member since 7/06

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Tracy

North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

I'm disgusted by this plan and I know people are fighting it already. I hope those that oppose it win this battle. It's horrible.

Posted 5/14/13 8:03 PM
 

MrsM-6-7-08
<3

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Nicole

Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

What I don't understand is that this has been going on for a while now, just last year they killed over 700 of them.

Here is how many they have killed the past few years

2009 1,276 geese removed and killed
2010 1,676 geese removed and killed
2011 575 geese removed and killed
2012 751 killed so far this year

Federal Agents Kill 750 Geese

Posted 5/15/13 9:14 AM
 

Diane
Hope is Contagious....catch it

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D

Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

This plan is DISGUSTING!!!!!!
Humans are the cruelest people every. Im sorryChat Icon

Posted 5/15/13 9:58 AM
 

ElizaRags35
My 2 Girls

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Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

Residents and wildlife advocates spoke out at an unofficial hearing following North Hempstead's town board meeting, calling on town leaders to reconsider a contract to euthanize its invasive resident geese population.
To loud cheering, Edita Birnkrant, the New York director of Friends of Animals, pleaded with board members, saying: "You don't want North Hempstead to be known as a town that slaughters its wildlife."
Theresa Pratt, 48, of Manhasset held up a sign with pictures of young goslings. It read: "Geese feel, fear pain and panic just like humans."
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Other residents booed loudly and said "Get out" as Phil Weiden, 27, of Greenvale suggested the idea of moving some of the geese to zoos.
Afterward, Councilman Angelo Ferrara told the boisterous crowd: "If you don't stop, I think we will end the hearing."
Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman addressed the board beforehand, acknowledging "a great deal of concern" about the plan to kill the birds. "The question for us over the years is how do we balance the wildlife, the birds that are part of our community and the hundreds of pounds of feces that they drop?"
Later, Kaiman said, "If there's a way to resolve this with some other methods, we're open to it, but we need to clean our parks."
Several animal-rights groups were represented, including the international Friends of Animals and the Malverne-based Long Island Orchestrating for Nature.
John Di Leonardo, 25, president of LION, said the group brought about 10 members.
"We're very disturbed that they would resort to legal slaughter. As soon as this next flock flies over, they're just going to see this as suitable ground," he said, adding, "It's just permanent until the next flock flies over."
He suggested dealing with the problem with technology such as machinery that sweeps away droppings and turns them into compost, and OvoControl G, an oral contraceptive made especially for Canada geese.
Last month, the town board unanimously approved the contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services. Before euthanizing the geese, USDA wildlife specialists will survey town parks and decide whether the town has exhausted every other means of getting rid of the geese.
The USDA says its preferred method of euthanasia is using carbon dioxide.
Currently, no Long Island towns euthanize geese, but others, including North Hempstead, have other tactics: oiling eggs to prevent them from hatching; harassment, by chasing geese with border collies or workers in kayaks; fines and signs discouraging people from feeding the birds.
One group, Goose Watch NYC, which opposes citywide cullings, has taken to social media to drum up opposition to the plan. By Tuesday, an online petition had drawn more than 500 signatures.
Viviana Russell, a town councilwoman, said Monday that "We're always open to listening to other suggestions."
She said she was "comfortable" with the plan to eradicate the geese, which calls for them to be processed and donated to food pantries. "It's not like we're just killing off the animals; they're going to be used for food," she said.

Posted 5/15/13 11:01 AM
 

MrsA1012
love my little girl !

Member since 9/10

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North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

This disgusts me. Those poor geese :(

Posted 5/15/13 11:37 AM
 

MandJZ
Time for Baby #2!

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M

Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

Oh sure. Go after the Canadians who live here Chat Icon

In seriousness, as an animal lover AND a Canadian who kinda loves her geese, I think this is awful. I personally don't believe in hunting, and I don't think it's our place to kill off other species just for the heck of it.

Posted 5/15/13 11:39 AM
 

meloyellow
LIF Adult

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Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

hundreds of pounds of poop doesn't sound like a problem...it sounds like compost.

Posted 5/15/13 11:40 AM
 

Diane
Hope is Contagious....catch it

Member since 5/05

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D

Re: North Hempstead OK's plan to euthanize geese

Posted by BunnyWife

Canada Geese have become a real pest in a lot of places. They no longer migrate because they have everything they need here all year long. They can be VERY aggressive not to mention their waste can cause all sorts of issues. They are very dangerous to airplanes and there have been steps taken to decrease their numbers around major airports.


I don't know what the solution is but population control is important.



They are NOT migrating because of our mild winters.

Posted 5/16/13 9:27 AM
 
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