Manhattan Beach Seeks to Deter Geese At Polliwog Park
Sep 05, 2025 10:06PM ● By Jeanne Fratello
(A worker cleans up after geese at Polliwog Park. Photo via city of Manhattan Beach.)
Would you be surprised to know that a single wild Canada goose leaves behind approximately three pounds of excrement per day? If you've visited the lake at Polliwog Park recently, you might not be so shocked to learn this.
In fact, the city of Manhattan Beach has been struggling with the "goose poop" issue at Polliwog Park as not only a nuisance and deterrent for park goers, but also as a potential disease-spreader.
This week, the Manhattan Beach City Council agreed to look into multiple humane measures for deterring the geese, including fencing, natural goose repellant products, lasers, signage reminding people not to leave out food trash or feed the geese, and potential citations for those who disregard the signs.
The city currently pressure washes the area but pressure-washing alone cannot keep up with the level of excrement that the geese leave behind, said Sean Roberts, field operations manager for the city of Manhattan Beach.
"Three pounds of fecal matter per day, times 80 birds a day, times a week, times a month - You do the math," Roberts told councilmembers. "We do pressure-wash this area twice a week, but you can pressure-wash at 9:00 a.m. and come back at 3:00 p.m. and it looks like we didn't do a thing...So it is a constant challenge that we are battling."
(Geese stand at the edge of the lake at Polliwog Park. Photo via city of Manhattan Beach.)Methods of Deterring Geese To Be Explored
The 18-acre Polliwog Park is home to a variety of waterbirds, but the Canada geese appear to cause the biggest problems in terms of messes left behind, according to a report that wildlife consultant Robert Hamilton prepared for the council. As many as 95 geese have been recorded at Polliwog Park. The geese also have long lifespans; they may live upwards of 24 years.
It is illegal to harm Canada geese or their eggs without explicit permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. However, geese may be harassed or scared away from an area without a permit so long as the birds, their eggs, and their nests are not harmed.
The council directed staff to pursue a variety of measures and to return with cost estimates. Those measures included:
- Creating a comprehensive education campaign letting park-goers know that they should not feed the geese or leave food behind. This would involve clear signage as well as a city ordinance prohibiting the feeding of wildlife, as well as possibly a citation to add "teeth" to the warning.
- Installing fencing that discourages geese from lingering at the water's edge. This would involve the placement of low bollards, 36 to 48 inches high, with wire strung between them, along the length of the concrete walkway. According to Hamilton, given that geese prefer open terrain with ready access to water, the barrier should encourage geese and other waterfowl to exit and enter the water at only the north and south ends of the lake, and to feed only in turf near the northern end of the lake, away from the amphitheater and other areas of the park most heavily used by the public.
- Hazing geese with a special green laser, a method endorsed by the Humane Society.
- Using human-safe chemical geese repellants on playing fields.
Addling the goose eggs was another deterrent that was discussed, but the council agreed not to pursue that option at this time, as that method might take many years to show true declines in the goose population.
