Bergen County Parks Department. New Jersey. USDA. Geese gassed to Death. Stop the Killing.

I am crossposting an alert from the Animal Protection League of New Jersey (APLNJ) regarding the gassing of Canadian geese in Bergen County, NJ parks. This is particularly disturbing for me since Canadian geese are non-aggressive animals and they are the most visible wildlife in parks like Van Saun Park in Paramus.

Geese are very family-oriented and it isn't a stretch at all when I say that they have better family values than many humans on this planet. They take care of their young and they stick with their mates. Some humans can definitely take lessons from geese on how to become a loving and protective family member. I am not one who believe that the geese are a nuisance in the park. Rather, they are sentient and therefore their lives have value. To gas whole families of geese is inhumane. Gassing can take as long as fifteen minutes. Read the message below and learn about the duplicitous work of the Bergen County Parks Department. The areas particularly affected are Saddle River County Park, specifically in the Otto Pehle area, the Rochelle Park area, the Ridgewood Duck Pond, and the Glen Rock Duck Pond.

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Dear Friends of Wildlife,

Yes - Canada geese are wildlife too and deserve the right to live their lives. Canada geese are monogamous, form strong family ties and mourn deeply the loss of family members. So please help the plight of Bergen County geese.

Please Email/Call This Week & Rally for Geese Sat. 7/3/10

Background: The Bergen County, NJ parks contracted the USDA to begin gassing geese late last week pre-dawn, under the cover of darkness, so nobody would know (@ 6/25/10). If not for an eyewitness who happened upon the scene @ 6:30 am when it was finishing, we never would have known. The geese are currently molting and therefore, they are flightless, with no chance of escape! Imagine their terror as they were shoved into trucks with Carbon Dioxide. What makes this particularly sad is that the Bergen County, NJ parks department has worked with GeesePeace over the last 3 years! GeesePeace is a group of volunteers who perform humane goose population control methods. Ridgewood GeesePeace, the local group, has a weblog about their efforts in Ridgewood, as well as the county parks http://nopoop07450.blogspot.com/ (They’ve oiled hundreds of eggs in Bergen County, & can work with towns who need site aversion programs, etc.) If GeesePeace is a presence in Bergen Co. already, then why pursue lethal techniques? Go to www.geesepeace.org for more facts for your emails and calls. There are alternatives!

Actions to Take: 1. Write and call the Bergen County Parks Dept. Director Raymond Dressler rdressler@co.bergen.nj.us & Executive Dennis McNerney http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/bcresources/MailUs.aspx - you complete a form (Info. below & so is my sample email. ) 2. Help me raise awareness! Rally for Geese – Sat. July 3rd 12:00 – 1:15pm (picnic lunch crowd) : Saddle River County Park, the main entrance of the park – for GPS: 760 Saddle River Road, Saddle Brook, NJ 07663 (across from Louis Street). The decision-makers never want people to know the truth, so to prevent further death & public deception, please join me for a brief rally so we can let locals know & get a picture in the paper. If you have questions: info@caafgroup.com 201-927-3617

PLEASE Cc the Bergen County Freeholders : James Carroll jcarroll@co.bergen.nj.us Elizabeth Calabrese ecalabrese@co.bergen.nj.us David Ganz dganz@co.bergen.nj.us Bernadette McPherson bmcpherson@co.bergen.nj.us John Driscoll, Jr. jdriscoll@co.bergen.nj.us Robert Hermansen RHermansen@co.bergen.nj.us

Raymond W. Dressler, Director Bergen Co.Parks rdressler@co.bergen.nj.us 201-336-7250

Please complete the form to the Bergen County Exec., Dennis McNerney http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/bcresources/MailUs.aspx - under topic, put “Geese Gassing in Saddle River Park” Bergen County Executive phone (201) 336-7300 address: ONE Bergen County Plaza Floor 5 Rm. 580 Hackensack, NJ 07601

Sample email:

I strongly oppose of the gassing of geese that took place last week in the Saddle River County Park, specifically in the Otto Pehle area, the Rochelle Park area, the Ridgewood Duck Pond, and the Glen Rock Duck Pond. The geese were molting, so they were flightless when they were trapped and gassed with Carbon Dioxide! The geese could have been coaxed to leave the area before they molted.

Particularly betraying is the fact that Bergen County Parks work with GeesePeace. GeesePeace is a non-lethal management group of volunteers and they are a link on your Park's Dept. website! I was proud that Bergen County worked with non-lethal geese control. I know Park's Director Ray Dressler had reached out to Bergen County mayors in an effort to broaden the non-lethal program, and this Spring, the Parks Department sponsored GeesePeace training around the county. They had been a good partner. Geesepeace could have recommended a site aversion program in late May or early June. Instead, Bergen County chose to spend tax dollars by contracting the USDA to gas these animals.

I sincerely hope that you will direct the Parks Dept. to stop this program immediately and never continue it again.

Sincerely,

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Thank you on behalf of ALL wildlife.

Merrilee
APLNJ

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UPDATE : July 7, 2010 Bergen County Board of Freeholders voted to ban the gassing of geese in the county! http://www.northjersey.com/news/98003399_Freeholders_vote_to_stop_goose_gassing.html