Mamaroneck Geese May Get Pardoned

The Mamaroneck geese on death row may finally have won a pardon.

After 13 members of the community spoke during the public hearing on the village’s proposed contract with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to slaughter Canada Geese, Trustee Ilissa Miller made a motion to cancel the controversial agreement.

“The existing contract is not one that I would support…killing our geese and using the plan that they proposed to us, I don’t stand behind,” she said, to applause from the audience.

Several weeks earlier, Trustee Leon Potok had obtained an alternative proposal from Dr. Steven Garber of Worldwide Ecology, a CT-based environmental services consulting firm, that suggested—among other methods—hazing to scare away geese.  Both Garber and the USDA were scheduled to make presentations to the board at a March 11 work session; the USDA postponed their meeting until April 1.

Mayor Norm Rosenblum—a supporter of the USDA agreement—argued that the contract was “binding and valid” and could not be broken, as the motion recommended.

After a brief executive session with the village’s attorney, Charles Goldberger, a decision was made to cancel the motion and request that the USDA consider methodologies other than killing in their contract, in the April 1 work session.

During the public hearing, many members of the community spoke against the much-maligned contract to kill geese in Mamaroneck.

Kim Gold, a Scarsdale resident, said that the USDA contract was a short-term solution that would not prevent another swarm of geese from settling near the waterfront once the first batch was removed.

“They are counting on more geese to come in so Mamaroneck can be a repeat customer,” she said, adding, “I urge you to implement practical, humane solutions and abandon this ill-thought out plan to kill the geese.”

Kylie Blackman, a founder of the nonprofit group Westchester4Geese who has stated publicly that any slaughter should be televised, has urged the village to consider humane solutions to the proposed killing, such as Geesebusters.

“You don’t want to bring the USDA in—it’s a vile, disgusting, horrifying act…it’s not going to look good for Mamaroneck.”

Gina von Eiff, a vocal critic of the USDA plan, urged the village to cancel the contract and to, “bring the community into this whole equation.”

“The only things these geese are guilty of is getting our sneakers dirty…they are not polluting the water, our sewers are polluting the water,” she said.

But one Mamaroneck resident spoke in support of the plan.

“I think it’s going to be a great idea,” said Brett Moeller, continuing, “I do play softball down in the park and balls come into the outfield, they get on my hands [goose waste], it’s absolutely disgusting,” he said.