A "Sound" Canadian Goose Management Plan Coming Soon To Prospect Park?

Brooklyn

Prospect Park's administrator—under whose nose the city and federal government culled Prospect Park's beloved goose population, in the dark of early morning, without public notice, in early July—is trying to make amends, according to the New York Observer.

This afternoon, the Prospect Park Alliance, a nonprofit that operates Prospect Park on behalf of the Parks Department and of which administrator Tupper Thomas is president, sent out a press release announcing the first meeting of the Prospect Park Wildlife Management Advisory Committee. Its members include a couple of vocal opponents of the July culling, including New York City Audubon, as well as institutional players like the Parks Department and Councilman Brad Lander.

The Committee seeks, in the announcement's words, to "recommend a Canada goose management plan for Prospect Park that is scientifically sound, humane, practical, and transparent to the community.  It is the Park’s hope that this plan would help maintain the goose population at acceptable levels to facilitate cleaner shorelines and water, and to support a diverse array of waterfowlwithin Prospect Park’s 585 acres."

Press Release:

Brooklyn, NY – The newly convened Wildlife Management Advisory Committee for Prospect Park held its first meeting this week. Members of the Committee (see below for list of organizations) represent important stakeholders in the community, as well as professionals involved with animal welfare, education, science and urban park management.   Prospect Park will benefit from the extensive knowledge and experience these organizations and individuals have in urban wildlife management.

The first goal for the Committee is to recommend a Canada goose management plan for Prospect Park that is scientifically sound, humane, practical, and transparent to the community.  It is the Park’s hope that this plan would help maintain the goose population at acceptable levels to facilitate cleaner shorelines and water, and to support a diverse array of waterfowl within Prospect Park’s 585 acres.

Prospect Park was one of the sites where Canada Geese were culled earlier this year by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of an agreement between the USDA, the City of New York and the Port Authority of NY & NJ.  The agreement gives the USDA permission to employ Canada Geese mitigation measures at sites selected by the New York City Airports Wildlife Hazard Management Steering Committee.

By creating and implementing a Canada goose management plan, we aim to keep the population of Canada geese in Prospect Park low enough to avoid any future intervention by federal agencies. Moreover, after initially focusing on Canada goose management, Prospect Park’s Wildlife Management Advisory Committee will make recommendations on a variety of wildlife-related issues affecting the Park.  The expectation is that the Committee can help create a wildlife management plan that is a model for Prospect Park and other parks throughout New York City and beyond.

The Wildlife Management Advisory Committee is expected to make its initial recommendations to Prospect Park later this fall.  The Park will schedule a date before the end of the year to present the Committee’s findings to the public and invite community feedback.   

 

Prospect Park Wildlife Management Advisory Committee 

Organizations represented at September, 2010 meeting:

 

·         Audubon New York

·         Brooklyn Bird Club

·         Brooklyn College

·         New York City Council Member Brad Lander

·         Humane Society of the United States

·         New York City Audubon

·         Prospect Park Community Committee

·         Prospect Park and Prospect Park Alliance

·         New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, including the Dept.’s Urban Park Rangers and Natural Resources Group.

Unable to attend initial Committee meeting but being consulted/future attendance expected:

·         Geese Peace

·         New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

For more information on Prospect Park events, programs, membership and volunteering,

call the Park Hotline at (718) 965-8999 or visitwww.prospectpark.org

Read More:

Following Goose Massacre, Prospect Park Tries to Make Amends

New York Observer - September 22, 2010 - By The Editors