The flock of 150 non-migratory domestic geese have called Swan Lake in Richmond's Byrd Park (a property of 13 acres with a central island) their home for at least 50 years.  Children and people of all ages, races, and ethnicities have enjoyed these geese for generations. A private group in the neighborhood (see below) created a task force, with a plan called RID that recommended the complete removal of this historic flock, without doing any other measures.  

There was narrow representation within the Byrd Park neighborhood that established a Goose Management Task Force (GMTF), and developed a plan for Richmond’s largest City park,

without broad representation of public or private sectors,
without public input or knowledge,
with very few actions or other measures taken in over a year of existence,
without any management of the wild Canada geese population.

People from all over Richmond and surrounding counties enjoy Byrd Park, yet only representatives of the immediate neighborhood created and participated in the GMTF
No input or survey of the park’s visitors in the report,
No publication or distribution of the report for public comment
No involvement of VA Department of Wildlife Resources to consult regarding Canada geese management
No involvement of Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC), which has experience with all kinds of animals and have provided veterinary care for the geese in the park in the past.

There is a group of concerned residents of the City who were and still are willing to be part of the solution including:

Education of the park visitors about proper feeding, Assisting with the adoption of a portion of the flock through Virginia Rescue Organizations, Providing proper food for visitors, Managing the parking to eliminate street feeding, Fundraising to assist with some of the projects

In point of fact, removal of the domestic flock is NOT going to eliminate goose excrement on the sidewalks (the primary goal of the GMTF); nature abhors a vacuum, and that vacuum will be filled with more Canada geese. The park will not be the same without the domestic geese for everyone to enjoy!