SAVE PROSPECT PARK'S GEESE!!!!

smw380

Join us on Saturday March 26 for a peaceful gathering in Prospect Park to support and celebrate our urban wildlife.

“HANDS AROUND THE LAKE”

Saturday, March 26th 2011

Prospect Park- Lakeside- enter at Vanderbilt St and Prospect Park SW

12:30pm gather/1:00pm start

(Gather just to the left on lakeside/take short walk on road to grassy area near the Well House)

The Brooklyn community- (adults and children), NYS Senator Eric Adams and Council Member Letitia James as well as wildlife advocates from across the city will be joining hands around the perimeter of Prospect Park Lake- in a show of solidarity for the humane treatment of Canada Geese and all urban wildlife in New York City parks and greenspaces.

Participants will gather to demand that Mayor Bloomberg end the city’s contract with the USDA to exterminate Canada Geese and implement only humane, non-lethal alternatives to gassing. Focus will also be on learning to peacefully co-exist with urban wildlife, as the wildlife that we have in our city parks and greenspaces is indeed valued by the community.

If you'd like a flyer or have any questions, please let me know.

Sarah

salix

The Canada goose population in Prospect Park is a relatively recent phenomenon, only noticeable numbers in the last 10-15 years at most. Tenty-five years ago there were few geese & those numbers declined when the swans moved in - swans are very territorial. The real problem has been the developement of two goose populations, those that migrate & those that don't. The non-migratory geese make up most of those in PP where they exist in a concentration unknown in rural areas. They were not a part of the park originally & of course Propect Lake is man-made, not natural. So any argument that they were here before human brings is specious at best.

Because the migratory & non-migratory subsets cannot easily be distinguished, both groups are considered one species under the international migratory wild fowl agreements. Thus only the federal government has jurisdiction over them.

whynot_31

The US federal government or the Canadian Federal government?

davidg8089

.. but they're just birds, and if the numbers of them make it hazardous, doesn't it make sense to ..decrease the numbers?

booklaw

Only if you believe human lives are more important than animal lives.

There are people here who do not believe that is true.

whynot_31

Everyone is able to believe what they want.

However, it seems to government has the authority to put their beliefs into action, and kill those geese.

...when they believe a human poses a risk to others, they often kill the human too. Don't like it?

Most of us have even lower standards than the government: We will use our money to have an animal killed solely to eat it for dinner, despite having lots of alternatives.

Hey, at least we are polite. If we wanted to, we could point out how silly the "hands around the lake" event is, by eating a chicken sandwich as we attended it.

But, instead, most of us will do something else on March 26th.

davidg8089

booklaw said:

Only if you believe human lives are more important than animal lives.

There are people here who do not believe that is true.

Fine! It takes all opinions to make a world. I freely admit that I find human lives much more valuable than animal lives. I wonder why they didn't just spend a bit more money, and harvest the geese and get them to local food banks!

booklaw

As it happens, I agee with you.