California city to spend nearly $400,000 on a high-tech plan to oust Canada geese

A California city will spend $400,000 to get rid of geese Foster City in Northern California is preparing to spend nearly $400,000 to get rid of Canada geese.

Canada geese produce hundreds of pounds of feces daily, disrupting bacteria levels in local lagoons and sometimes frightening children.

The waterfowl have long been a problem for Foster City, a community of about 33,000 people that is home to as many as 400 birds at any given time. After several attempts with cheaper options, the San Francisco Bay Area city is ready to try everything to drive them away: hawk-shaped drones, border collies that mimic predators, and remote-controlled devices that can navigate the water.

“If we can find a way where the geese and people can coexist without conflict, that would be a huge success,” said Parks and Recreation Director Derek Schweigart. “The population has grown so much that it has become unbearable.”

Schweigart said the plan will begin in early September.

Cities and states across the country are dealing with “nuisance” animals in different ways. In Florida, local officials will approve a limited number of permits to allow black bear hunting in certain areas this year. The Michigan Natural Resources Commission voted in August to reinstate year-round coyote hunting.

In 2021, Foster City approved a plan to kill more than 100 geese but withdrew it following public backlash. The city then tried non-lethal methods such as egg addling—a population management technique that involves oiling eggs to stop their development—and erecting fences around parks, but this did not seem to reduce the goose population.

Melanie Weaver, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s waterfowl unit, said that Canada geese, a migratory species, used to leave northeastern California in the winter and migrate to the state’s warmer Central Valley region.

But in recent years, the geese have started staying in the north due to lush public parks, calm ponds, and an easy food supply.

“We as humans have collectively provided them with a great place to hang out and raise their young,” Weaver said. “There isn’t much that can eliminate them, except maybe a coyote or a golden eagle. People feed them. It’s like an invitation for disaster.”

The city has allocated approximately $390,000 for the pilot program. Schweigart said this investment will pay off in the long run, as it will save the city tens of thousands of dollars spent annually on increased maintenance and pressure washing costs due to the geese.

Wildlife Innovations, the company contracted by the city to run the program, will initially focus on seven parks where the geese are most concentrated and public complaints are highest.

Jake Manley, president of Wildlife Innovations, and Daniel Biteman, the company’s wildlife biologist, said they are considering various strategies because geese are intelligent animals that quickly notice changes in their environment.

“Part of it is not throwing everything at them at once,” Manley said. “Don’t put all your cards on the table at once. As they start to get used to it, you introduce new things they haven’t seen before.”

Biteman and Manley are considering using dog teams, such as border collies and other herding dogs, to mimic predators and make the geese flee.

Also on the agenda is the use of devices that operate on both land and water or drones that will fly over the animals to drive them from the area.

If the geese get used to normal drones, red flashing lights can be attached, or they can send out distress signals, said Biteman and Manley. Biteman added that other drones could be fitted with wings to make them look like hawks.

The goal is to make the environment as uncomfortable as possible for the geese while minimizing disturbance to people. “We are constantly making changes until they have no chance,” Manley said of the geese.

Weaver warned that if the geese leave Foster City, they will likely settle somewhere else nearby. “You have to cooperate with your neighbors” to avoid simply chasing the geese from city to city, Weaver said.

Schweigart acknowledged that there will always be some geese in Foster City, at least. “We created this environment. This environment is going to be attractive,” he said. “Our goal is to see a measurable reduction, not just in the number of existing geese, but more importantly, in the decreased amount of feces.”