Geese removed from Anacostia Park in the District of Columbia are going to an afterschool meal program/NPS

Editor's note: The following is an unedited release from the National Park Service.

The National Park Service and District of Columbia’s Department of Energy and Environment have donated the breast meat from 365 resident Canada geese to DC Central Kitchen. The meat will be used in the healthy meals DC Central Kitchen prepares daily for multiple nonprofit partners, including homeless shelters, rehabilitation clinics and afterschool programs. The geese were captured and euthanized from Anacostia Park earlier this summer as part of the park’s wetland management efforts.

In early July, the Park Service began efforts to help restore Anacostia Park's wetlands, some of the last remaining tidal wetlands in the nation's capital. Tidal wetland regeneration is critical to the overall rehabilitation of the Anacostia River ecosystem. The National Park Service hopes to rehabilitate healthy wetland systems that clean the water and provide food and shelter for native wildlife. A cleaner and healthier Anacostia Park and Anacostia River will also provide enhanced recreational opportunities for park visitors and area residents.

Under the Anacostia Park Wetland and Resident Goose Management Plan, the park may use several techniques to restore the tidal wetlands. These techniques include reducing an overabundant resident goose population that feeds on wetland plants, managing invasive species and improving shoreline vegetative buffers to prevent erosion. It is likely that Anacostia Park's wetlands have a viable seedbank, which could allow the wetlands to regenerate once the pressure from the goose population is reduced.

The District’s Department of Energy and Environment supported the National Park Service with this year’s capture and euthanasia efforts. To learn more about the District’s efforts to restore and protect the Anacostia River for future generations visit http://doee.dc.gov/service/anacostia-river-initiatives.