Central Park

The Daily Plant : Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Geese Police On The Patrol

Photo courtesy of the Central Park Conservancy

This April, the Central Park Conservancy and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation will pilot a one-month program using an environmentally-safe method to attempt to reduce the number of geese in Central Park. The first step of the process includes herding- but never touching or attacking- the geese with highly-trained border collies. Skilled trainers will lead two border collies in driving the geese away from the Park’s lawns and water bodies throughout the month of April. Urban Park Rangers and Central Park Conservancy staffers will supervise training and goose management.

Large flocks of resident Canada geese leave excessive goose droppings, resulting in large areas of landscape that are unavailable for public use and recreation. In Central Park, geese continually overgraze the grass around the Harlem Meer and its surrounding landscapes, increasing erosion. The high nitrogen content in goose droppings can alter water chemistry and produce algae that rob the water of oxygen, killing fish and other wildlife.

Bred to herd sheep, collies have a natural instinct to round up flocks of geese. By patrolling various areas of the Park, the geese will be encouraged to abandon the lawns and water. In conjunction with the border collies, public education is crucial. Feeding geese only encourages them to linger in public areas. Herding dogs and education are two methods of Canada goose management that are approved by the Humane Society and the USDA Office of Wildlife Services.

To deem its effectiveness in Central Park, Geese Police Inc. will pilot a month-long, 24-hour-a-day program. At the end of the month, the Central Park Conservancy and the Parks Department will determine its effectiveness in moving the geese and interacting with the public before extending the project.

Geese Police Inc. employs handlers specially trained to work with and properly control the dogs. Handlers are educated on the behavior of the Canada geese and their migratory, nesting and breeding habits. For more information, please visit www.geesepoliceinc.com. Urban Park Rangers and Central Park Conservancy staffers will be available throughout the process to answer questions and oversee the interaction of Geese Police Inc. with the public.

WELCOME!

Please join me in welcoming Rebecca Smith to her new position as Deputy Chief of Staff in my office.

Rebecca began working at Parks in 2004 as an assistant to Deputy Commissioner Robert Garafola and was quickly promoted to the position of Management Coordinator. Rebecca took on a large role assisting in the management and tracking of the Parks Opportunity Program.

Rebecca sought new challenges in the Marketing and Special Events division, where she managed large special events from both marketing and operational perspectives, including the Great Halloween Party in Central Park and the AVP Brooklyn Open at Coney Island. Rebecca stood out as an excellent project manager who was able to deal with difficult situations quickly and effectively.

Rebecca owes many unique experiences to her time at Parks. Among them are running in the 2005 NYC marathon, camping overnight in Marine Park, Brooklyn, meeting Olympic gold medalists Misty May and Kerri Walsh, and learning to drive a fifteen-foot box truck.

Sincerely,
Adrian Benepe

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something
when his job depends on not understanding it.”

Upton Sinclair
(1878 – 1968)

Know Before You Go

Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink)

Harlem Meer Center