Photos from "Hands Around the Lake"

It looked to be a pretty good crowd, maybe 200, to support the geese and oppose the Mayor's gassing of them. Dog owners and bird lovers and lots of children. State Senator Eric Adams was there, as was Councilwoman Letitia James. Also on the premises, Goose NA03, one of the two tagged geese that have recently arrived from Canada. Clearly concerned with the possible genocide against him/her, NA03 seemed very interested in the proceedings. Lots of dogs and their owners from FIDO. It was wonderful to see so many groups there. It's a shame Anne and Ed weren't there. They would have loved to see so many different groups, who sometimes disagree with each other, all out in the cold (but sunny) weather to support wildlife in NYC.

There was also Verite, a vegan caterer with yummy snacks. A woman against horse abuse, who wants the horse carriages replaced with vintage hybrid cars. Don't know if I agree, since I love the horses and love seeing them in the city. I know that they are not treated well. Told the young lady this. She didn't get angry or didactic, just gave me a flier, suggested I check out the website, and said that maybe I'd change my mind. So civilized!!! Love it!! And the swans came around. Papa was a little cranky, chasing off his children. People were very curious about the swans, and I had a fine time doing a little teaching about the swans, how to tell the cygnets from the adults, how protective the Papas are, etc.

Rally for the Geese today

I'm off to City Hall for a 12:00 noon rally to support the humane treatment of geese. More blog on today's park excursion when I get back.

It was a great rally! Probably around 200 people - I kept trying to cont them, but they kept on moving. Plus, there was a permanently changing set of onlookers from the street, about 20 at all times. they couldn't hear us - Bloomberg denied the permit to use a mike (How to Silence Criticism 101). But the posters, t-shirts, and banners were very clear and visible - see photos - including a fantastic life-size stuffed goose with gasmask. Several politicians are taking up the cause. In addition to Eric Adams, who was at the mourning vigil, Letitia James and another gentleman whose name, I'm sorry to say, escapes me.

A group called In Defense of Animals sponsored the thing, and many other people from other groups were there and active. This geese extermination has become a national issue. It seems that geese are overpopulating many areas. This being America, the first reaction is "Kill them." Hey, we are the founders of the John Wayne School of Diplomacy (Send in the Marines!!) They plan to kill 170,000 in NY State alone, and many more along the Eastern seaboard.

Hopefully, there is now an awareness that people in general do not like mass murder of innocent animals, and, more importantly, there are other methods to control the numbers. At least, that was the feeling at the rally - that this is the start of a more humane way to deal with the problem of too many animals. There was that nice video on youtube about Seattle's humane way of dealing with their geese, and the moratorium on extermination that they currently have.

You'd think, in New York City, the greatest city in the world (objectively speaking, from a New Yorker), we can do better than sneaking in at 4 AM, collecting them, gassing them, then lying about it.

Speaking of a better way: Here's a small step that has happened in the park. The Prospect Alliance is putting up "Do Not Feed the Wildlife" signs. I saw 6 today, at the popular feeding areas, and near a fishing area.

On a personal note: I was biking today, and ran into Martin from Prospect Alliance, who told me about it. I have taken to biking as an extended rehab for my leg, now that the official rehab is over. I was an incredible cyclist when young, but not so much today. Biking, saw Martin in his Jeep, waved, called out, came to a stop near the car, fell over. No damage, just incredibly embarrassing and humiliating. Did 8 miles, worked on my turning and stopping skills, had a great time having JJ chase me on my bike around the Nethermead.