8 9
7 DATE:April 21, 2025
TO:Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Stefan Chatwin, City Manager
Marlene Subhashini, Assistant City Manager
FROM:Derek Schweigart, Parks and Recreation Director
Frank Fanara, Parks Manager
DEPARTMENT:Parks and Recreation
SUBJECT:UPDATE ON THE INTEGRATED ADAPTIVE CANADA GOOSE
MANAGEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENTION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council, by Minute Order, receive and accept the update on the Integrated Adaptive Canada Goose Management Plan Implementation and provide direction to staff regarding responses to the Request for Proposals (RFP) for Implementation of the Plan.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
For many years, the City has struggled to effectively manage the growing Canada goose (CAGO) population, despite employing a variety of non-lethal mitigation strategies. Foster City’s environment continues to attract and sustain a large goose population, resulting in several negative impacts including excessive fecal matter in parks, turf degradation, declining lagoon water quality, increased public complaints, and higher maintenance costs.
On February 6, 2023, the Council approved an agreement with Wildlife Innovations, Inc. (City Resolution No. 2023-16) to prepare a comprehensive CAGO management plan, including all necessary California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documentation.
The plan encompassed a combination of habitat management, non-lethal deterrents, and potential removal strategies, supported by public education, stakeholder
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7 engagement, cost-benefit analysis, and adaptive monitoring to ensure long-term effectiveness and scalability across the region.
In February 2025, the City Council directed staff to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to identify a firm to assist in implementing the CAGO Plan. The City received two responses to the RFP with one other firm indicating they would not submit a proposal.
Upon review, only Wildlife Innovations met all project scope requirements; however, their proposed fee exceeded the anticipated cost for the pilot project implementation. As a result, staff are providing this update along with potential alternative options for the City Council to consider.
BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS
On February 6, 2023, the City Council approved an agreement with Wildlife Innovations (City Resolution No. 2023-16) to prepare the plan, including all necessary CEQA documentation. The CAGO Plan includes a review of existing CAGO population data and associated impacts, analysis of goose biology and relevant regulations, and evaluation of management strategies used in other jurisdictions. It also incorporates site-specific surveys, identification of conflicts in parks, open spaces, and short- and long-term objectives for population control. The plan encompasses a combination of habitat management, non-lethal deterrents, and potential removal strategies, supported by public education, stakeholder engagement, cost-benefit analysis, and adaptive monitoring to ensure long-term effectiveness and scalability across the region. The federal depredation permit expired unused on July 31, 2023.
On December 2, 2024, the City Council held a public hearing to hear and receive comments regarding the CAGO Plan and the Initial Study (IS) and Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND). The City Council adopted the IS/MND with findings and Standard Conditions of Approval and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) pursuant to CEQA for the CAGO Plan via City Resolution No. 2024-127. The City Council approved the CAGO Plan which provides a comprehensive framework for addressing the impacts of Canada geese. The plan outlines strategies to mitigate damage to turf, improve water quality, and reduce maintenance costs. It emphasizes humane and effective solutions, including habitat modification, population control measures, and public education.
At the regular City Council meeting on February 3, 2025, City Council, via Minute order No. 1878, received and accepted the Canada Goose Population Management Plan update and directed staff to issue a RFP to identify a company to assist in implementing the Plan. The recommendations in the CAGO Plan served as the foundation for the RFP to secure professional services to implement these strategies. The RFP scope included the implementation of a 3-year pilot program in three parks with the highest goose activity deploying a range of deterrent methods to evaluate their effectiveness.
Findings will help refine strategies for broader implementation in additional parks, ensuring efficient and sustainable long-term management. Staff developed the RFP 8 9
7 which was first advertised on February 20, 2025.
A total of two (2) proposals were received by the deadline on March 20, 2025 (Attachment 1 - Bid Results). Upon review, City staff determined that only the proposal from Wildlife Innovations addressed all components presented in the RFP. However, the proposed fee exceeded the anticipated cost for the pilot project implementation. The proposed scope of work and fee does not include the City’s current mitigation strategies deployed, which are power washing of high impact areas in City parks and egg addling which is a shared cost between Foster City and three neighboring cities. In addition, habitat modification which was identified as an important long term effective strategy was also not included and would need to be addressed as part of the Parks Master Plan and recommended park landscaping improvements. Due to the high bid received for the limited pilot project, staff are seeking the City Council’s direction on possible next steps, and have developed options for the City Council’s consideration:
1. Accept the Wildlife Innovations proposal for three (3) park pilot program and enter into a one-year agreement with two optional one-year extensions. The estimate for the first year is $386,520, or $1.158 million over three (3) years. This option has a high cost for limited impact but will effectively allow the consultant and staff to evaluate those hazing and other deterrents that are the most effective.
2. Modify the original scope by either reducing services and/or implementing a hybrid model, where tasks are performed by both the contractor and Parks Maintenance staff. There are some minor tasks that could be performed by maintenance staff with limited savings potential but reducing or modifying scope may reduce the effectiveness of the geese mitigation effort.
3. Reject all bids and reissue the RFP expanding the scope to include additional high impact parks identified in the Plan (the plan identified a total of 7 high impact parks), with the goal of increasing the effectiveness of the pilot project and potentially achieving cost savings through economies of scale. Additionally, the City may receive additional proposals from firms with the reissuance of the RFP.
4. Reject all bids and prioritize habitat modification in the 7 high impact parks which have the highest human-goose conflicts followed by other parks. Habitat modification recommendations would be guided by the Parks Master Plan, which is currently under development (estimated completion December 2025) and incorporates elements of the CAGO Plan into future park designs, landscaping and renovations designed to block clear line of sight to water bodies for the geese as well as eliminate food source. This option effectively postpones geese hazing and deterrent methods, in favor of long-term habitat modification in the parks. Hazing and other deterrents could come back to Council for future consideration as part of a robust implementation of the Plan and based on the effectiveness of the habitat modifications.
Staff are seeking the City Council’s direction on these options and depending on the direction received, will bring the item back to the City Council for further consideration. If the City Council directs the staff to accept Wildlife Innovations proposal, staff will finalize 8 9
7 project scope and fee and bring back an agreement for the City Council’s approval with implementation to begin around the July 2025 timeframe.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA)
Not applicable. There is no impact in reviewing and accepting project update. At the December 2, 2024 the City Council via Resolution No. 2024-127 adopted the Initial Study (IS) and Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND), with all findings and standard conditions of approval and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP), pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the Plan. Implementation of the Plan, including various management techniques, was contemplated as part of the IS/MND.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact with accepting this report.
CITY COUNCIL VISION, MISSION, AND VALUE/PRIORITY AREA
Facilities and Infrastructure
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Bid Results