Canada Goose Population Management
This page is dedicated to highlighting Foster City's approach to addressing the public health hazard and quality of life issues posed by the local Canada Goose population.
August 2023 update: At the meeting on August 7, 2023, the City Council approved a resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute a first amendment to professional services agreement with Wildlife Innovations Inc. for expanded scope of work for development of an integrated Canada Goose Population Management Plan, including environmental review to allow additional data collection and activities and revise the scope of services to specify only nonlethal techniques for population and habitat management.
City staff believes a benefit to the forthcoming Canada Goose Population Management Plan will be the ability to focus on nonlethal mitigation strategies in a more methodical and efficient way, with an intent to determine which of those methods will be most successful. The Plan will be available for public review in the coming months. The permit for depredation has expired and the City is not currently looking to renew it.
June 2023 update: As the Canada Goose population returns during the summer months, Foster City is committed to regularly power washing parks and walkways to assure the community is offered clean, safe, and sanitary public spaces. Fencing is also being installed along the waterfront at select locations across the City to deter birds from accessing beaches and parks during the molting season. Additionally, the City is in the process of developing a comprehensive Canada Goose Population Management Plan, which will be available for public review in the coming months. Due to a CEQA study related to that plan, hazing and other forms of deterrence are currently suspended.
To help preserve the beauty of our local parks, community members are discouraged from feeding or interacting with the birds. Additionally, please throw away, recycle, or take all trash from City parks to avoid attracting wild animals. Park cleanup kits are also available to rent from the Parks and Recreation Department here. If you have questions or comments related to the geese issue in Foster City, please send an email to geese@fostercity.org.
(Geese gathering in Leo J. Ryan Park)
The Canada Goose is a migratory bird, but due to the favorable conditions offered locally, has taken permanent residence in and around Foster City. The birds' reluctance to migrate has yielded an unsustainable rate of population growth, with the number of geese in Foster City doubling from 181 in 2020 to 323 in 2021, and up to 393 in 2022, with a peak count of 367 June 2023.
(Buckets of collected goose droppings)
This excessive concentration potentially poses significant health risks to Foster City residents. Lagoon water quality testing regularly shows high e.coli levels partly attributed to goose droppings, resulting in mandatory beach closures. In 2022, Heal the Bay identified two Foster City beaches among the top 10 most polluted in California, and three beaches (Erckenbrack Park, Marlin Park and Gull Park) were included in the 2023 list.
(e. coli testing data from Foster City beaches)
A variety of nonlethal measures have been attempted to mitigate the health hazard posed by geese, but the success of those efforts has been limited. All hazing and other nonlethal deterrence measures have been temporarily suspended while environmental review related to the Goose Population Management Plan is underway.
Additionally, when many geese are present during the summer molting season, Foster City parks are power washed regularly to ensure a suitable level of cleanliness.
(Fogging is used as a deterrent)
On September 19, 2022 the City Council directed staff to engage in a request for proposals process to find a consultant to develop a comprehensive Canada Goose Management Plan. On February 6, 2023 the City Council approved executing a contract in an amount not to exceed $48,660 with Wildlife Innovations Inc. for development of an integrated Canada Goose Population Management Plan, including environmental review. At the meeting on August 7, 2023, the City Council approved a resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute a first amendment to professional services agreement with Wildlife Innovations Inc. for expanded scope of work for development of an integrated Canada Goose Population Management Plan, including environmental review to allow additional data collection and activities and revise the scope of services to specify only nonlethal techniques for population and habitat management in the plan for a total amount not to exceed $171,005. The plan will be available for public review in the coming months.
The City’s interest throughout this process is to protect public health while improving and maintaining water quality and offering a better experience for visitors to our beautiful parks and waterways. Community members wishing to do their part should leave wild birds alone and remember to not feed them. Additionally, please throw away, recycle, or take all trash from City parks to avoid attracting wild animals. Park cleanup kits are also available to rent from the Parks and Recreation Department here.
If you have questions or comments related to the geese issue in Foster City, please send an email to geese@fostercity.org.
Videos published in 2022 from members of the City Council addressing Goose Population Management:
