Article 15 passed, almost unanimously Monday night 5/19/25. Including the amendment to add FGARs.

The town has already switched! The schools now need to stop using diphacinone. We'll work with them on better Ipm, if they'll work with us.

Thank everyone who voted, spread the word, and helped bring this to fruition, taking the time to care about the effects of anticoagulant rodenticides.

Hopefully we'll start to see a few more raptors flying around, maybe a fox or two, all with good healthy meals in their bellies, powering them to new heights.

Next up:

-A workshop for residents and businesses about good practices and options for your own rodent control.

-We’re forming a small task force to check condition of bait boxes and keep up on school ipm hard copy reports regarding pest company visits/applications/pest sightings. Perhaps every other month walk, dogs welcome. Email if interested.

-The next step politically is a Private Ban called a Home Rule Petition. 8 other towns have passed this, a few others are close. This will require a team of people in Maynard.

-Thursday July 24 is State House lobby day for the state rodenticide bills (H965/S644). See MA Audubon: Protect Animals from Rodenticide Lobby Day. Email if interested in joining a group going from Maynard.

It’s likely there are still much f/sgar around town privately, at homes where people don’t know their pest companies are using anticoagulants. Businesses for sure. So keep spreading the word, practicing ipm, and stay tuned….

#statistic:

559,000 pounds of SGARs were used in MA in 2022 (MDAR) At least 482,000 pounds of SGARs were used in MA in 2023 (Change.org)

We reduced this number Monday night!

The DPW town side has already switched away from anticoagulants!

The schools stopped sgars and are now obligated to stop using fgars.

Mass Audubon video (4 minutes) on the dangers and effects of SGAR rat poison on local wildlife and pets:

Learn more about Mass Audubon’s Rescue Raptors initiative: https://www.massaudubon.org/take-action/advocate/rescue-raptors

Check out SaveConcordWildlife.org for a more colorful website about what Concord is doing to ban anticoagulants. They are voting in their spring town meeting as well. Their RESOURCES tab leads to valuable information.

Check out SaveArlingtonWildlife.org, especially their FAQ's for a well-rounded consideration of anticoagulants.

Amendment!

We will be amending our warrant article to include FGARs.

Child poisonings due to # SGARs have reduced 46-79% over the past decade along with the banning of these products in brick & mortar stores.

Child poisonings due to # FGARs have risen 60-80% over that same time period.

Source: EPA's 2020 Ecological Risk Assessment on Anticoagulant Rodenticides

California has banned them and our MA H965 and S644 include an FGAR ban.

We don't need anticoagulants to manage rodents.

No anticoagulants!

FGARs have secondary effect on wildlife, in the same way as SGARs. They were replaced in the 1970's with SGARs because rodents were developing immunity to FGARs. Though FGARs take a few feedings to kill, unlike SGARs that only require one feeding, FGARs also kill wildlife.

Ditrac tracking powder:

diphacinone (fgar), a first generation anticoagulant powder that per it's data sheet: “DITRAC may also be dusted into rat burrows along the periphery of buildings.” “DITRAC Tracking Powder contains the toxicant, mixed with special carriers that adhere to the rodent’s fur and paws. Tracking powder is insoluble in water which prolongs the effects of the powder.” ——this begs the question: Is this powder being applied safely to avoid kids or pets getting it on their feet and bodies?

Maynard Schools rat poison box

Terad 3 blox are cholecalciferol = d3 = dcon:

it may have some secondary effect on wildlife when used large scale, not many studies have been done. It certainly has primary effect on wildlife and kids, and is highly dangerous to pets. MA Audubon recommends only using it as a last resort and for a very limited time.

Maynard Schools rat poison box

The solution:

A far safer approach would be to implement an effective IPM plan, use minimum rodenticides if any, by focusing on no trash access. At the schools the plastic dumpster covers that are warped and open to rodents, need replacement. A pest control company that offers various forms of trapping, contraception, and other non toxic methods should be used. Behind the h.s. there has been a trash bag for weeks, where a barrel was removed, in addition to the regular uncovered barrels at the field, and open trash bins around the h.s., with bait boxes next to some of them. Rodents go for trash before baits! We need sealed trash bins.

Maynard Schools unsecured trash dumpster

Interesting fact:

One of the large condo complexes in Maynard, due to the concern of their residents, is using traps instead of sgars in their complex. Their pest company discourages use of poisons, as do many others, such as those listed on savemaynardwildlife.org.

Finally:

here is one of many interesting facts about FGARs, first generation anticoagulant rodenticides from a wildlife expert/journalist from Save Arlington Wildlife:

“While child poisonings due to SGARs have gone down drastically over the past decade (by 46-79%) along with the banning of these products in brick and mortar stores—child poisonings due to FGARs have significantly risen over that same time period—between 60-80%. Source: EPA's 2020 Ecological Risk Assessment on Anticoagulant Rodenticides, which cites poison control statistics”

There will be info sessions before town meeting, 6-7 pm Tues 5/13 and 10-11am Saturday 5/17. Q & A about f/sgars, the situation in Maynard, the proposed by-law.

We're getting alot of comments about the letter the schools sent out. We indirectly caused this to happen via a state inspection. It's a move in the right direction, and we're glad the schools are learning about sgars and rodents.

We accepted an MDAR offer to have the schools inspected, regarding their violations of state laws around sgars and kids, when it became clear they were not accepting our offer of information and support. On 3/17 they informed us they plan to stick with sgars.

We're happy to see that the letter was finally sent to guardians 4/4. Though it doesn't say that the sgars are in the black boxes, so guardians/parents might not know that still.

They added two poisons so now may use some mix of fgars and cholecalciferol on top of the sgars. Fgars are anticoagulants, they take a bit longer to work, many rodents have developed immunity to them, and they have secondary effects.

Cholecalciferol may or may not have secondary effects, it has not been fully tested as such yet.

All three; sgar, fgar, cholecalciferol have devastating primary effects on non target species. Both can be cured if caught early. But the point is not to have them out there to begin with, but to do proper ipm and use other methods, such as trapping, contraception, gassing, etc.

You can read the recently updated school ipm reports on the mdar school ipm site, go to m, click on Maynard.

And remember to vote at town meeting Monday May 19th 2025 7pm, Fowler on the citizen's petition to ban sgars on town owned property!

!GOTV!

(The townhall has 12 bait boxes, (the schools' 113). The town side has shown willingness to read the data we've provided them about alternatives, and has secure trash to begin with. The entire town won't be free of it's rat problem until all businesses and homes comply with ipm practices and stop using sgars. Our public ban vote 5/19 is the start of reaching the entire town. There are many more legal issues involved in a private ban, so most towns vote, as we are, on their own property first. If passed, this helps gain momentum for a private ban.)

1. Just got word from Melissa Pelletier, Town Clerk, that they verified 27 signatures and sent via Town Administrator Greg Johnson to Select Board for addition to the Annual Town Meeting warrant.

2. Got word this morning from Greg Wilson, EA TA's office, that he compiled the comments and paperwork for submission.

3. Yesterday, Jim Alexander, Assistant Town Clerk, gave the form to fill out, and processed the submission of the petition.

This is democracy in action, Town Hall has been responsive, efficient.

We also moved up on the MA Audubon's Rescue Raptors Team Tracker from yellow to green which means from 'town SGAR restriction drafted' to 'town SGAR restriction submitted'. Next up will be blue, 'town SGAR use reduced' IF we get a yay vote at TM.

27+ towns have passed bans, 11 more, including Maynard, have submitted or drafted bans, and 80+ towns in the state (of 351) have formed groups working on this, (including the 38). This is up from 67 total a few weeks ago.

We are part of the emancipation of Raptors from death row, so they can get back to healthy rodent consumption, gracing our skies with their wings, and helping us feel closer to wild nature that is all around us in Maynard.

Submitted the petition to Jim Alexander our Assistant Town Clerk today. We got 303 signatures! Next up: Town Meeting Monday, May 19, 7pm to vote!

(MA Audubon)

Integrated pest management (IPM) is an effective approach to control rodents. Read more at Mass Audubon's Poison-free pest control website.

Barred Owl, MA Audubon

Peregrine Falcon w/ prey at Woburn cliff, MA (State-listed species protected by MESA)

Neighborhood housecat, Woburn, MA