A Madison homeowners association's plan to gas hundreds of Canada geese has unleashed neighborhood fury, with residents demanding the lake community find alternatives to lethal culling.
The Edgewater HOA voted to euthanize approximately 226 geese at Lady Ann Lake using carbon monoxide chambers, a method the association employed in 2020 before the bird population rebounded. The decision has not sat well with neighbors who gathered to protest and launched an online petition to block the plan.
David Field, a homeowner, created a Change.org petition opposing the culling. "Our family, like many others, moved here to enjoy not just the tranquil environment but to live alongside nature," the petition reads. "Tragically, the Edgewater HOA ruled to start capturing and slaughtering these innocent birds, a practice we find abhorrent and unnecessary."
HOA President Brian Goodwin told WAFF 48 that the geese have degraded lake quality, posed public health risks, and created safety concerns across trails and common areas. The association claims it tried non-lethal measures for over six years, including fencing to limit grazing, feces cleanup, predator deterrents, and goose-repellent sprays before deciding culling was necessary.
Jack Hollum, one of two board members who voted against the plan, described the gassing process in stark terms. "They shoot nets over the flocks of geese, capture as many as they can, they put them in a trailer, and gas them to death," he said. "And geese can hold their breath for 45 minutes or so, so in doing that, it's an agonizing death for them."
Neighbors dispute the severity of the problem. Resident Natalie Tidwell said she has witnessed no aggression from the birds and questioned whether the situation warrants lethal action. "I can't say that it's a problem that warrants lethal measures, that's for sure," she told the station.
The geese are protected under federal law but can be legally culled with a USDA permit. A private subcontractor hired by the HOA will handle the operation. The HOA statement emphasized that geese no longer migrate to the lake year-round and breed without natural predators, swelling their numbers beyond what the ecosystem can sustain.
Animal welfare advocates view culling as a dead end. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals argues the approach provides only temporary relief before geese repopulate the area, as happened after the 2020 gassing.
Author James Rodriguez: "You can schedule a contractor to kill hundreds of birds, secure a federal permit, and call it wildlife management, but that doesn't make it anything more than a temporary band aid with feathers."
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