With tourists streaming off the Tram and subway, heading for FDR Four Freedoms Park, the Wildlife Freedom Foundation created an unintentional goose sanctuary, protecting them from the onslaught.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
An Accidental Goose Sanctuary in Southpoint Park
Among other losses for Roosevelt Islanders now is the joy of watching Canadian Goose parents parading their offspring in Southpoint. That once started in April and continued with forays into spaces outside the park until the goslings were ready.
The fear was always there of visitors abusing the geese nesting along the shores in Southpoint, but Wildlife Freedom Foundation (WFF) founder Rosanna Ceruzzi kept a careful eye out. Warnings were posted about keeping your distance from nests and not meddling in the gosling’s nurturing.
That went well for years, but gradually, the stress – and occasional abuse – from people fetched into the park took a toll. Canadian geese normally hatch five eggs each season, but the families got smaller. Egregious construction destroyed most of their natural habitat, forcing the birds to nest out in the open – or not at all.
This year, it’s critical, and WFF answered the call. Its Southpoint sanctuary, already home to injured geese, possums and cats abruptly became a goose sanctuary. As spring warmed into summer, Ceruzzi could be seen assisting the moms building nests in one of the few safe spaces left.
While we appreciate WFF’s caring embrace of the challenged geese, we see that it’s not enough. Safe spaces are few, but many are needed. The virtual goose sanctuary is all that’s available now.
The Southpoint Deception
When RIOC and partner Langan barreled through community opposition in a poorly designed plan for reconstructing Southpoint, Langan’s “expert” claimed that all the displaced wildlife would soon return to the remade habitat. Was it a lie or simple incompetence? Or both?
The shorelines where geese nested quietly out of view, producing gosling crews that delighted visitors are now mostly home to rocks.
Finally…
Wracked with turmoil and all but disconnected from the community, tone deaf RIOC is an unlikely rescue resource. Once again, WFF is pressed into service because… well, who else?
Please be mindful of the remaining wildlife in Southpoint Park, especially now with goslings as they mature with summer. And if you can, help out the Wildlife Freedom Foundation. Give some cash or even volunteer, if you can. Geese and all the other wildlife will benefit.
Rivercross and the Quiet Green Light
Rivercross privatization was enabled in 2010. This matters now because the same governance structures that allowed Rivercross to privatize without formal conflict controls are still in place. The same public authority oversees land leases, settlements, and redevelopment decisions that affect every resident on Roosevelt Island today.
