Overwhelming and furious opposition to the disturbingly clandestine, underhanded USDA gassing of nearly a hundred geese under cover of darkness in June was demonstrated by animal rights activists from various NJ groups, as well as members of the general community local to Bergen County NJ on July 3rd, 2010. In what turned out to be a massive demonstration in at Saddle River County Park in Saddle Brook NJ. Organizers from Caring Activists Against Fur(CAAF), Keep Life in the Park (KLIP) and Friends of Animals United NJ (FAUN), who had expected a turnout under 15, were happily shocked when the total head count of protesters mounted to a rare and herculean 78! Members of several NJ media/news teams appeared and covered the event, most prominently NNJ's The Record. Local freeholders and the Saddle Brook mayor himself unilaterally agreed that it was a gross and grievous mistake of which they were not aware, and assured those gathered that it would not happen again. We will be watching!
BACKGROUND AND HOW TO GET INVOLVED:
The Bergen County, NJ parks contracted the USDA to begin gassing geese late last week pre-dawn, under the cover of darkness, so nobody would know (@ 6/25/10). If not for an eyewitness who happened upon the scene @ 6:30 am when it was finishing, we never would have known.
The geese are currently molting and therefore, they are flightless, with no chance of escape! Imagine their terror as they are shoved en masse into trucks and then extirpated with Carbon Dioxide. What makes this particularly sad is that the Bergen County, NJ parks department has worked harmoniously with GeesePeace over the last 3 years! GeesePeace is a group of volunteers who perform humane goose population control methods.
Ridgewood GeesePeace, the local group, has a weblog about their efforts in Ridgewood, as well as the county parks
(They've oiled hundreds of eggs in Bergen County, & can work with towns who need site aversion programs, etc.) If GeesePeace is a presence in Bergen Co. already, then why pursue lethal techniques? Go to
www.geesepeace.org
for more facts for your emails and calls. There are alternatives!
Actions to Take:
Write and call the Bergen County Parks Dept.
Director Raymond Dressler
rdressler@co.bergen.nj.us
&
Executive Dennis McNerney
- you complete a form (Info. below & so is a sample email. )
The decision-makers never want people to know the truth, so to prevent further death & public deception.
PLEASE Cc the Bergen County Freeholders
:
James Carroll jcarroll@co.bergen.nj.us
Elizabeth Calabrese
ecalabrese@co.bergen.nj.us
David Ganz
dganz@co.bergen.nj.us
Bernadette McPherson
bmcpherson@co.bergen.nj.us
John Driscoll, Jr.
jdriscoll@co.bergen.nj.us
Robert Hermansen
RHermansen@co.bergen.nj.us
Raymond W. Dressler, Director Bergen Co. Parks
rdressler@co.bergen.nj.us
201-336-7250
Please complete the form and submit to the Bergen County Exec.,
Dennis McNerney
Under topic, put "Geese Gassing in Saddle River Park"
.
Bergen County Executive phone:
(201) 336-7300
address:
ONE Bergen County Plaza Floor
5 Rm. 580 Hackensack, NJ 07601
My sample email to County Exec. McNerney:
I strongly oppose the gassing of geese that took place last week in the Saddle River County Park, specifically in the Otto Pehle area, the Rochelle Park area, the Ridgewood Duck Pond, and the
Glen Rock Duck Pond. The geese were molting, so they were flightless when they were trapped and gassed with Carbon Dioxide! The geese could have been coaxed to leave the area before they
molted.
Particularly treacherous is the fact that Bergen County Parks work with GeesePeace. GeesePeace is a
non-lethal management group of volunteers and they are a link on your Park's Dept. website! I was proud that Bergen County worked with non-lethal geese control. I know Park's Director Ray Dressler
had reached out to Bergen County mayors in an effort to broaden the non-lethal program, and this Spring, the Parks Department sponsored GeesePeace training around the county. They had been a good partner.
Geesepeace could have recommended a site aversion program in late May or early June. Instead, Bergen County chose to spend tax dollars by contracting the USDA to gas these animals.
I am truly disappointed to be a Bergen County resident right now and I sincerely hope that you will direct the Parks Dept. to stop this program immediately and never continue it again. ~ Concerned Citizen X
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New Jersey community orders massive goose slaughterby idapdx3,809 views
yeah stop killing geese I've never seen 1 in my life
TakingU2Skool 6 months ago
would really call it massive, also wonder how many are really Saddle Brook residents..... seems most were out of state, or even New Yorkers.....
hhk4321 1 year ago