New York City Parks

Not long ago, our region's landscape was significantly different, hundreds and thousands of species of animals called New York City home. It is said that when European settlers first arrived in New England, the skies were so filled with migrating birds in the spring and the fall that "they sometimes darkened the sky like a solar eclipse." Today, less than 14% of New York City's nearly 7,000 square miles are green spaces, with little reminder of what the area used to look like for wild animals. 

Wildlife can still be found in New York City today, if you know where to look for it. As you can see from the map above, not many green spaces are still available to wildlife. But Canada geese provide the ideal opportunity for a close look at NYC’s wildlife anytime – just visit a local park. In fact, although geese are wild creatures, they are also part of our communities. In neighborhoods across the city we hear continue learn just how valuable and taken for granted these birds are. The photos below are meant to show that geese are part of the fabric of our city, and are taken from some of the same parks where geese were rounded up for execution in prior years.

Here is a list of NYC owned parks where geese have been rounded up from since 2009, many of which are in densely residential areas: