Brentwood staff to try low-cost goose deterrents while researching 'goosinator' and other options

Eric, the parks & recreation representative, presented a detailed update on the department’s park work and goose-management plans. He told the committee USDA APHIS wildlife-services personnel could no longer assist and that staff will follow recommendations from state agencies and private vendors to manage geese humanely.

Eric said staff have been monitoring nesting activity and currently count about five to six geese in Brentwood Park; no active nests were found. For areas that had nests earlier (Gateway Fountain) predation removed eggs and the surviving goose has left the nest.

On deterrence options, Eric described low-cost measures such as decoys (fox/coyote replicas), green lasers, and harassment techniques used by federal partners; he cautioned that decoys often produce mixed results and may quickly be habituated to. He also said staff have researched a commercial device called the “goosinator,” noted demonstrations from nearby communities and will gather more details while planning a short trial. “It is a couple thousand dollars… well within our operational budget if this is what we decide to do,” Eric said.

Committee members encouraged trying inexpensive decoys immediately; Eric said he could have decoys deployed in Brentwood Park by the end of next week and will visit nearby communities that use the goosinator during an accreditation trip. The committee did not take a formal vote; staff will proceed with small-scale deterrents and continue research for longer-term tools.