Date: 8/17/25 5:05 pm From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] A Long Read From Laura Kiesel - But Well Worth It !! ACTION REQUESTED, PLEASE !!
Thanks to Gary Menin, Sr. for this post.
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Barbara Volkle Northborough, MA <barb620...> *
From: gcmeninsr <gcmeninsr...> Date: Sun, 17 Aug 2025 10:10:21 -0400 Subject: A Long Read From Laura Kiesel - But Well Worth It !! ACTION REQUESTED PLEASE !!
Don't forget to comment on the Massachusetts State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). The deadline is Monday, August 18th. Save Arlington Wildlife is asking folks to request the state suspend the registration and use of anticoagulant rodenticides as per the request of the legal petition to Massachusetts as well as to remove the oversight of all pesticide registration from the MA Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) and instead place it with the MA Dept of Environmental Protection. Comments can be submitted @:
You can note the Species of Greatest Conservation Need and highlight the threats Anticoagulant Rodenticides pose to these species. Below is a list of species the state has highlighted for conservation concerns that we know are impacted by rodenticides. Starting with animals on the SWAP list which are also on the MESA I noted the following species:
- Bald eagle: As folks know, we lost two bald eagles right in our borders to rodenticides--MK and C25. Bald eagles are listed as a "Species of Conservation Concern" in MESA, a demotion in status I would argue is premature considering within a year several eagles died of SGARs. So I do ask they reinstate them to threatened status.
- Barn owls: Are barely hanging on in the state, with a tiny population on the islands. In late December 2024, an entire family of 5 barn owls died. SGARs were found to be a contributing if not primary factor in their deaths. Barn owls have been found to be more sensitive/vulnerable to anticoagulant rodenticides than other owl species. Yet, they are not listed as endangered. Please ask that they receive a proper listing befitting of their status.
- Snowy owls are not MESA listed though they are listed here as a species of conservation concern. They are IUCN Red-listed as threatened. Studies have found Snowy owls are profoundly vulnerable to rodenticides, with one study participant telling me of all the dead Snowy owl specimens around the world they looked at with Project SNOWstorm--the Snowies in MA had the highest rates of poisoning.
- American Kestrels are declining in the US. Part of this is due to loss of habitat. They are cavity nesters and need mature trees to nest. But also: rodenticides have been highlighted as a possible culprit. In Europe: the Common Kestrel, which is nearly identical to the American Kestrel and occupies the same kind of ecological niche--was found to be declining due to rodenticides.
Other birds of prey listed by SWAP that are also potentially vulnerable to rodenticides: the Long-Eared Owl, the Short-Eared Owl, the Northern Harrier, and the Peregrine Falcon.
If you look at other animals on the SGCN (Species of Greatest Conservation Need) you will find these of interest:
- Gray fox: lists secondary rodenticide poisoning as a threat. Just last night, we received liver panel results for a Gray Fox that was found dead in Arlington last month and his anticoagulant rates were OFF THE CHARTS. We had a large amount of internal bleeding.
- Bobcat: doesn't mention rodenticide even though anticoagulant rodenticides have been decimating bobcat populations in California (through widespread fatal mange the exposure makes them vulnerable to) and in Kiawah Island of South Carolina (due to AR toxicosis, massive internal bleeding). We have had several cases of bobcat kittens in MA die of rodenticide poisoning and submitted this data to the state.
While SAW mainly focuses on rodenticides, we also mention concerns about: insecticides and herbicides like neonics and glyphosate that are harming pollinators like bees and butterflies and compromising the survival of songbirds; plastic pollution in our waterways, particularly that of fishing line that causes so many wildlife casualties (to turtles, seabirds and marine mammals) and a plea to restrict or prohibit recreational fishing in sensitive waterways and put in tougher licensing requirements (including age restrictions) and enforcement. We also ask the state to do more to protect against the takedown of mature trees during construction or development projects, considering that trees take years or decades to mature into appropriate wildlife habitat for many sensitive species and so one cannot simply "plant new trees" to offset the damage. We also ask for more enforcement against taking down trees during songbird migration and peak nesting seasons. While SAW didn't mention it, we do have a growing interest in the adverse impacts of light pollution on species and would like to see more action on that as well, so it may be worth others mentioning it.
