Save Massachusetts Wildlife

06/08/2026

Rhode Islanders--TAKE ACTION!

RI is so close to a valid rodenticide bill. But the bills need some more help from RI residents to push it over the finish line.

URGENT ACTION for Rhode Islanders to take THIS WEEK!!!

THE GOOD NEWS: both the Rhode Island House and Senate voted in favor of RI's very valid bill to phase out anticoagulant rodenticides.

Now the bill just needs the governor's approval and signature!

BUT THE BAD NEWS: The New England Pest Management Association is BIG MAD this bill looks like it will become state law in RI. As such, they have launched a so-called "VoterVoice" advocacy campaign urging RI Governor McKee to veto the bill.

NEPMA wants the will of the people squashed. Are we going to let big industry/lobbying interests win over our wildlife?

HELL NO!

So here's what you need to do:

CALL THE RI GOVERNOR. Tell him you want the bills that would phase out ARs to BECOME LAW (their current numbers are HB 7222 and SB 2795).

Calling always makes more of an impression than writing.

The phone # is: (401) 222-2080. Leave a message on voicemail or with a staffer. Be concise as to why this issue matters and is personal to you.

AFTER CALLING then follow up with a more detailed message here:

https://governor.ri.gov/contact

Don't hesitate to share photos or other documents.

If this is a make or break issue for you, let the Gov know because I believe it's an election year and he needs to know if your vote hinges on this issue.

If RI passes this bill, it will have ripple effects throughout the region, making it much easier for MA to pass its bill as well. If it fails, it will the path to pass the MA bill much harder.

Come on RI!

For FB tax, another screechie. She's already lost one mate to rat poisons, let's not let her lose another.

05/15/2026

ZERO!! That's right: ZERO.

That is the number of cases of the US endemic strain of hantavirus TO DATE reported in Massachusetts.

NONE. Zip. Z-E-R-O!

Want to know how many cases of PLAGUE have been reported in Massachusetts in the past century (I believe since official record-keeping).

ALSO: NONE. Zip. ZERO. Z-E-R-O.

Do you want to know how many cases in general of the plague average there are in the entire United States per year?

There are between TWO to SEVEN cases in the entire country per year. Single digit numbers. Just like with hantavirus, it's all out West. It's virtually nonexistent in New England.

And guess what?

Those handful (or usually less) of human cases of plague reported annually aren't even often from rats. They are from wild prairie dogs. (sidenote: we don't have prairie dogs in New England, if you were wondering).


And yet, do you want to know how many times I have heard pest control companies and lobby reps bring up these two diseases to push poisons in Massachusetts and fight against restrictions on ARs?

I have lost count. But dozens and dozens of times at least.

When I wrote an op-ed in Boston Globe back in 2020 in favor of banning anticoagulants, the "other side" written by the then-president of New England Pest Mgt Association brought up plague as a reason we shouldn't ban it in MA. That's right: he brought up a disease that has had 0 cases reported here to justify not getting rid of these rodenticides.

Want to know how many cases of RABIES have been reported to be contracted from a rat or mouse in all of North America?

NONE. Zero. Zip.

Yet want to know what the disease people in MA and New England write me most concerned about when it comes to rats--even more than plague? RABIES.

Even though not a single case of transmission from these rodents have ever been reported in the entire continent in all of recorded history. Sidenote: outdoor cats with outdated or non-existent vaccinations are an actual valid rabies risk.

But you know how many people get exposed to rat poisons every year in the US? THOUSANDS!

Modest estimate is around 5,000, but often record keepers think that is under-reported by about a third. You do the math on the risk.

Now here's the kicker: want to know what the NUMBER ONE reason people use rat poisons are?

Hatred and fear of rats (and to a lesser extent, mice).

Want to know the primary reasoning for that fear and loathing?

Concerns over disease.

What diseases usually listed by people polled? Plague and rabies! And increasingly, hantavirus, esp now due to the recent spike in news this past year vis-a-vis the case of Hackman's wife and this cruise ship outbreak (even though again that is a completely different strain and everyone but patient 0 isn't getting it from a rodent but another person).

And you know what else?

Survey after survey shows if someone really hates rats and has trumped up fears of disease, they will use poisons REGARDLESS of if they care wildlife. They will justify it as a necessary evil.

So you're just not going to reach everyone that way. Not everyone is going to be moved by the plight of owls and hawks and foxes enough if their fear overrides their concern.

This is why it's critical to arm people with knowledge and put these disease risks into perspective to quell their fears and often ease the hate that arises out of fear. Facts are our friends.

Because the pest cos sure don't embrace these facts. And to be honest, I worry advocates (even sometimes myself) are quick to push other poisons or lethal tactics, even though this still plays into hysteria over rats and reinforces myths about disease risks that actively undermine our own efforts to rein in anticoagulants.

That doesn't mean we don't address rodent issues or that there are no health concerns whatsoever. But the answers are already here.

They don't sound sexy or as "easy" as a quick fix/silver bulleted bait where the rats "get happily high and then peacefully die" as one municipal rep admonished me for not having to recommend.

It requires of rethinking our behavior. It means revamping our trash management and removing attractants, even those we're attached to (including yes, those bird feeders we're all so fond of but have honestly been a major contributor to the problem) and doing a better job fixing up our infrastructure to be less porous.

More on that in another post.

Photo by Diane Özdamar

05/06/2026

If folks are around tomorrow night 7pm EST, I will be presenting on rodenticides and what you can do to make a difference in your state/community.

LET ME KNOW:

Are you worried about the effects of rodenticides on the environment and public health, but want to know more data and facts?

Do you want to bring about change on rodenticides, and get them prohibited in your community or state?

GOOD NEWS!!

I have a presentation TOMORROW evening (Thursday, May 7th) on Zoom. It's hosted by the Harris Center for Conservation Education in New Hampshire, but it open to out of staters too. Starts @ 7pm EST.

Link to register in comments.

04/24/2026

Mass residents!: Call your House Rep ASAP and strongly urge them to support amendment 322 in the proposed budget bill as this amendment will phase out anticoagulant rodenticides in the state. More details below!!

URGENT STATE ACTION IN MA ON RAT POISONS!! CALL YOUR HOUSE REPS ASAP!!

This week the House is voting on the budget bill. Hawkins has filed an amendment ( #322) to the budget that would BAN anticoagulant rodenticides in the state. This is a FULL STATE BAN.

This is the prize we need to keep our eyes on.

Please CALL your House Rep and implore them to co-sponsor 322.

I say CALL because it makes a much bigger impression than just emailing even if it's a voicemail or leaving a msg with a staffer. Then afterwards, feel free to follow up with an email.

I do not believe Arlington's reps, Sean Garballey and Dave Rogers have signed on to co-sponsor yet. They are big time allies on this issue (Sean especially has been on it since day 1 and helped me sponsor the first ever state bill on the issue back in 2018). So I think they just need to be reminded! Considering Arlington just lost its third bald eagle in 5 years to these poisons, I am sure they have a vested interest in this amendment!

ETA: Sean just signed!!

You can find your Rep's office numbers and emails here:

https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator

04/10/2026

The BUS ADS in Manchester, NH are now live.

03/17/2026

Take ACTION to prevent this harmful bill from increasing lead poisoning in wildlife. SMH. This is what it's come to at the federal gov't.

TAKE ACTION: The House of Representatives is set to vote this week on H.R. 556, a bill that would prevent federal agencies from prohibiting or even regulating the use of toxic lead ammunition and fishing tackle on public lands and in public waters.

There is no safe level of lead exposure. Each year, lead ammunition leads to illness and death for millions of birds and other wild animals. Hunters and their family members—especially children—can also be poisoned by eating meat contaminated by lead. For the sake of public health and wildlife protection, we must ensure that federal agencies retain the ability to regulate lead ammunition.

Please urge your US representative to oppose H.R. 556! https://awionline.org/action-center #/535

📷: A turkey vulture with lead poisoning. Photo by Blue Ridge Wildlife Center.

03/04/2026

Please help us get this latest campaign off the ground!

Ok, so here's the deal. There are a number of bills on rat poisons being considered around New England and NY. Some are great. Some are not so great and will take us backwards.

So we need to ramp up. I have a hold on a billboard that I will hopefully be pulling the trigger on today. And then I have a plan to raise awareness not just in Massachusetts, but in other states in the region as well (because again, what happens in our neighboring states will affect our chances to get an AR ban here in MA for better or for worse).

After I finalize payment on this billboard, I will need more funds to carry out these other things. I need your help. You can donate at the SaveMassWildlife.org website (middle of page) or I will be posting another donate link in the comments.

Seabrook the Snowy Owl died in NH after winding up in rehab from SGARs poisoning 3 TIMES. The third time he didn't make it. He will be our poster child for this next round of campaigning. This billboard is working off a photo series by Johnathan Herrick.

02/19/2026

What happens in NH can impact Massachusetts as well. This is a very disappointing turn of events.

BAD NEWS ON NEW HAMPSHIRE.

I am sad to report the House Environment Committee voted this week to not pass through the SGARs ban bill (deeming it "ITL" or "Inexpedient to Legislate") and instead wants to fast track the consumer ban bill.

They voted the SGARs ban bill down mere days after the hearing.

I am confident this will do nothing to meaningfully reduce SGARs use in the state considering pest control companies make up the lion's share of users/appliers of this product.

But the ripple effect is not restricted to NH.

Adam Carace made it very clear in his testimony that the hope of the New England Pest Mgt Association is that *ALL* New England states will abandon a true prohibition of SGARs/ARs and instead only ban consumer use. And it seems they may be getting their wish. Maine and New York currently have bills that primarily or solely focus on consumer use.

Those bait stations we see all over buildings and businesses? Those aren't put there by lay consumers. They are put there by pest control companies. It will continue unabated with only a consumer ban.

If you are a NH resident, you can still write your state House rep or Senator to let them know how disappointed you are with this vote and with the state for not taking real action on this issue. You can also write letters to the editors of your community newspapers to express your outrage.

But even more importantly, you can consider trying to bring local laws to your home community in NH, or really any state where you live. I don't think the state of NH or other states will take this issue seriously until towns and cities there start stepping up.

A lot of people talk about what California did, as though it was a top-down approach, that these state laws on ARs just manifested. They didn't. Did you know some 30 municipalities passed public property bans and resolutions on SGARs first? And that Raptors Are the Solution had to file a legal suit with the state's Dept of Pesticide Regulation as well?

Please do not wait for your state to take action, because most likely they won't or they will take the wrong action as CT and now NH has.

Take the fight to your home community, and then, if and when you do take to the state, consider consulting with attorneys about the law.

If you are a NH resident and interested in more actions in your town or city, please be in touch.

For FB tax, here is a photograph by NH wildlife photographer Lynne Stiller of a mated pair of Bald Eagles nesting in Manchester---the largest city in NH. Because despite what NH Rep King says, Bald Eagles do, in fact, make their homes in cities and are vulnerable to rat poisons.

Do we want this couple to meet the same fate as our beloved MK, C25 and the Waltham mother eagle? I sure don't.

02/12/2026

ALL EYES ON NEW HAMPSHIRE.

02/06/2026

NH bill is coming up next week. Get your comments in!

URGENT ACTION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE FOR NEXT WEEK!!

The two NH bills addressing rat poisons are coming up for their hearing on Feb 11th. I've been asked by Rodenticide Free NH to testify but due to health issues, I cannot be there in person. But the NH General Court has granted me an ADA accommodation and will graciously allow me to appoint a proxy who can testify in my place while I speak to communicate responses to questions via phone in real time.

And how about others who wish to weigh in?

You need to start contacting the House Committee on Environment and Agriculture ASAP.

Let them know you SUPPORT HB 1018 (prohibiting the use of SGARs in most sectors of the state).

MAKE IT PERSONAL. Have you or someone you know suffered a pet loss? Do you know of wildlife in NH harmed or vulnerable? If you can be there in person--the hearing for this bill starts @ 11am--THAT IS GREAT! If not, please submit testimony online.

Another bill regarding rodenticides, HB 1676, is also being heard that day. This bill would still allow pest cos to use widespread poisons and only ban consumer use, replicating what happened in CT. Many folks are hailing this as a great bipartisan compromise. It's not. At all. It detracts from real action since pest cos use these poisons in the greatest quantities. Their argument that they can apply this in some way to reduce poisonings of wildlife is bunk because the RODENT IS THE POISON SOURCE and the byproduct of the poisons WORKING AS INTENDED.

I believe the hearing for the first bill starts @ 11am at the NH State House.

The priority is getting NH residents to testify and submit comments, but others can, esp if you have ties to the state. Do you vacation there and pump tourism dollars into their state economy? Then your voice matters!!

To submit testimony please visit:

https://gc.nh.gov/house/committees/remotetestimony/submitted_testimony.aspx

https://gc.nh.gov/house/committees/remotetestimony/submitted_testimony.aspx

Scroll to "House Environment and Agriculture" in the first column, then to the bill numbers in the second column.