Manhattan Beach to study and pilot goose‑control measures at Polliwog Park after residents complain about sanitation

City public‑works staff and a contracted biologist presented a sanitation and goose‑management plan for Polliwog Park focused on reducing health and maintenance problems caused by large numbers of resident Canada geese.

Field operations manager Sean Roberts and biologist Robert Hamilton told council geese can consume pounds of grass daily and produce significant fecal loads that pose bacterial and aesthetic problems. Their recommended toolbox includes public education and a city ordinance prohibiting feeding, installing low‑barrier fencing or plantings to reduce easy shoreline access, hazing by trained personnel using green lasers deployed multiple times per week, applying bird‑repellent treatments to nearby sports turf, and contracting a multi‑year egg‑addling program to limit reproduction.

Councilmembers emphasized starting with education and signage, paired with enforceable ‘no feeding’ rules, and asked staff for cost estimates and environmental or safety impacts of repellents or hazing. Several members also suggested using natural planting/landscaping rather than chain‑link fences to preserve park aesthetics. Staff advised that many measures require recurring effort and monitoring; some jurisdictions succeed only with continuous staffing and budgets.

Council directed staff to pursue the preferred package (signage/education, ordinance language, targeted fencing/shrubbery trials, repellent tests, and limited hazing trials) and to return with implementation and budget estimates. Council agreed to hold population‑control measures (egg addling) in reserve until less invasive options are tried. The motion to pursue costs and implementation passed 5‑0.