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DATE: February 17, 2026
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: INTEGRATED ADAPTIVE CANADA GOOSE MANAGEMENT
PLAN PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION GENERAL UPDATE
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council, by Minute Order, receive and accept the general update report for the Integrated Adaptive Canada Goose Management Plan project implementation.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Following City Council approval of the Integrated Adaptive Canada Goose Management Plan (“CAGO Plan” or “Plan”) on December 2, 2024, staff began planning for implementation of the Plan’s recommended management strategies. As part of this effort, the City subsequently issued a Request for Proposals to secure professional services to support implementation of the Plan.
On August 4, 2025, City Council approved the award of a professional services contract with Wildlife Innovations to implement the Plan. Following contract approval, Wildlife Innovations in coordination with City staff began Plan implementation consistent with the Plan’s phased and adaptive framework.
Initial implementation efforts focused on securing required permits, preparing equipment, conducting baseline monitoring, and coordinating field operations. Seven
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priority parks—Catamaran, Edgewater, Erckenbrack, Leo J. Ryan, Marlin, and Sea Cloud—were selected for early monitoring to establish baseline conditions related to Canada goose presence, distribution, and activity.
BACKGROUND
Resident Canada geese have posed ongoing challenges within Foster City parks, open spaces, and along the lagoon system for years. The City’s lagoon, shoreline, and maintained turf areas provide favorable conditions for resident, non-migratory geese.
Over time, increased goose activity resulted in turf damage, accumulation of fecal matter in public parks, lagoon water quality concerns, and conflicts with recreational park use, particularly in parks and beach areas with high public use.
In response to these conditions, the City implemented a range of non-lethal management measures over multiple years, including egg addling, visual deterrents, and increased maintenance efforts. While these actions provided temporary and localized relief, they did not result in sustained reductions in goose presence or long- term mitigation of impacts.
Recognizing the need for a more coordinated and sustainable approach to see tangible results, City Council took formal action on February 6, 2023, authorizing the development of the CAGO Plan and associated environmental review. The purpose of the Plan was to establish a comprehensive, non-lethal framework for managing resident Canada geese impacts through monitoring, deterrence, habitat modification, and adaptive management strategies.
On December 2, 2024, following a public hearing, City Council adopted the CAGO Plan along with the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) in compliance with CEQA. The adopted Plan recommended a phased implementation approach, beginning with a focused pilot program in priority parks experiencing the most significant goose-related impacts.
On August 4, 2025, City Council approved the award of a professional services contract with Wildlife Innovations, Inc. to implement the CAGO Plan through a three-year pilot program. The pilot program was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of integrated, non-lethal CAGO management strategies in priority parks and to inform future adjustments and long-term CAGO management decisions.
ANALYSIS
Since execution of the professional services contract with Wildlife Innovations, implementation has progressed in a phased manner consistent with City Council direction. Early implementation focused on establishing the operational and technical foundation necessary to support a long-term, site-specific management program.
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During the initial implementation phase, staff and the consultant conducted site-specific evaluations across the seven priority parks (Catamaran, Edgewater, Erckenbrack, Leo J. Ryan, Marlin, and Sea Cloud) to understand access, logistics, and park use conditions. Baseline monitoring and surveillance activities were established to document Canada goose presence and behavior prior to expanded hazing and habitat modification measures. These early efforts confirmed that resident geese are present across all priority parks, with varying levels of use, reinforcing the Plan’s targeted and park-specific management approach.
In parallel, the consultant completed program startup activities necessary to support implementation, including equipment acquisition, development of data collection and tracking systems, staffing and training, and securing all required permits and regulatory approvals for activities such as goose banding and GPS tracking. With these elements in place, the program transitioned from planning and preparation into active field implementation, including initiation of ground-based hazing activities at priority parks.
As implementation advances, management activities will continue to align with seasonal Canada goose behavior and life-cycle patterns. Upcoming phases of work will focus on increased monitoring and surveillance as nesting season approaches, including locating and monitoring nesting activity within City limits. Nesting-season management actions, such as egg addling, which the City continues to implement and which may occur outside City limits, will remain part of the overall implementation of the CAGO Plan. These efforts will be coordinated with continued deterrence, habitat modification trials, and monitoring during the post-nesting return period and molting season.
Together, these phased actions are intended to influence site fidelity, reduce sustained use of City parks by resident geese, and provide staff and the City with the information needed to evaluate effectiveness and refine management strategies over the course of the three-year pilot program.
California Environmental Quality Act
On December 2, 2024, the City Council adopted an IS/MND, including all findings, standard conditions of approval, and the MMRP, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15074, for the Integrated Adaptive Canada Goose Management Plan.
The approval of the professional services agreement with Wildlife Innovations authorizes implementation of the Management Plan. Implementation activities, including the use of various management techniques, were contemplated and analyzed as part of the approved IS/MND. The project is being implemented in a manner consistent with the adopted IS/MND, and no additional environmental review or action is required.
FISCAL IMPACT
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There is no fiscal impact associated with receiving this informational update. All work to date has been completed within previously approved appropriations for the Integrated Adaptive Canada Goose Management Plan.
CITY COUNCIL VISION, MISSION, AND VALUE/PRIORITY AREA
Facilities and Infrastructure
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 – Integrated Adaptive Canada Goose Management Plan Project Implementation 2026 1st Quarter Report