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Residents ask Union County to cancel USDA lethal goose-control contract and pursue nonlethal options
Summary
Speakers at a Union County meeting urged the county to end its contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture that allows gassing of Canada geese on county properties, citing thousands of birds killed and proposing habitat modification and other nonlethal measures.
Speakers representing wildlife‑advocacy groups told the Board of County Commissioners that Union County should stop allowing USDA-contracted, lethal goose control on county properties and on shared-service properties.
Doreen Fraga identified herself as speaking for the Bridal Protection League of New Jersey and told the board that from 2010 through 2024, 1,498 Canada geese were gassed on Union County properties and 1,157 were gassed on shared-service properties, for a total of 2,655 birds. "This is animal cruelty at the highest level," Fraga said, and asked county officials including Victoria Durbin and Dan Bernier to cancel the USDA contract and the shared-service agreement and instead implement nonlethal solutions such as habitat modification.
Pamela Sturt of Hillsdale added that rounding up geese often separates families and that the method used can cause prolonged suffering. She urged the county to consider habitat changes and other nonlethal approaches that, she said, can be one-time or low‑recurring costs compared with repeated lethal operations.
What was requested: Speakers asked the county to (1) cancel the lethal portion of the USDA contract and the shared‑service contract that covers municipal partners, and (2) meet with advocates to plan pilot nonlethal solutions, including habitat modification.
County response: The clerk accepted written materials from the speaker for distribution to the board. No county official provided an immediate decision or response at the meeting.
