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Brentwood aldermen back USDA capture plan to reduce large goose population at Brentwood Park
Summary
After years of mitigation attempts, city staff and a USDA wildlife team recommended capturing geese during mid-June molting; juveniles will be relocated and adults processed for donation. The Board signaled consensus to allow the USDA operation, and the park will be closed while work occurs.
The Brentwood Board of Aldermen discussed and signaled consensus on a U.S. Department of Agriculture wildlife service plan to capture geese at Brentwood Park during the mid‑June molting period, a time when geese cannot fly. Alderman Plovka requested the discussion and city staff explained the USDA-recommended capture operation and the need to close the park during the activity.
The discussion matters because staff and the USDA told the board the site hosts an expanding population — roughly 22 to 24 geese with about 12 breeding pairs — that has persisted despite earlier deterrents. City staff said those strategies included exclusion devices, fencing, mylar tape, harassment, lasers, pyrotechnics and chemical repellents. USDA personnel recommended capture during molting because adults are flight‑restricted then and capture is more effective than other methods, staff said.
Eric, a staff member, told the board the USDA would perform the capture. “Their staff is the one who capture the geese in the park, and then they handle it through there,” he said. He also summarized the USDA’s plan for processing the animals: “The juvenile geese are tagged, so that way the USDA can track them. And then, yes, they’re relocated to new location. Since they can’t fly yet, they’ll imprint on the new location where the USDA takes them,” he said. “The adult geese, yes, are processed, and they’re taken to a food bank.”
Aldermen asked about earlier efforts at the Gateway Fountain and whether techniques that reduced numbers there have been tried at Brentwood Park. Eric said the city and USDA have tried the “whole toolkit” of nonlethal measures and that the USDA now recommends capture as the next step. Alderman Sims asked if juvenile removal alone would solve the issue; Eric responded that because adults are imprinted to the site, removing juveniles would not stop the population rebound.
Board members asked about the logistics and reasons for closing the park. Eric said the USDA needs space to crate animals and to reduce public and dog interference during capture. The mayor and aldermen indicated consensus to proceed with the USDA operation in mid June and acknowledged staff would close the park for the effort.
The discussion produced no formal roll-call vote recorded in the transcript. The board’s direction was to allow the USDA team to proceed with the capture operation during the mid‑June molting window and to close Brentwood Park while the work occurs. The aldermen requested that staff continue to brief the board and provide public notice to nearby residents before the closure.
The board’s next steps include on‑the‑ground coordination with USDA, public notification about the planned park closure, and follow-up reporting to the Board of Aldermen on results and any subsequent steps.
