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Advocate!
Where are the Massachusetts bills now?
According to Mass Audubon: Over 3 days of debate, the House of Representatives considered over 1700 amendments to a nearly 300-page budget bill that funds the Massachusetts state government for the next fiscal year. One of those amendments – number 322 – was the text of Rep. Hawkins’ rodenticide bill, which, if passed into law, would phase out the use of deadly and dangerous rodenticide poisons that are harming our wildlife and pets.
Unfortunately, while the amendment was considered as part of the budget’s Consolidated Amendment F, the text of Amendment 322 was not adopted. This wasn’t a surprising result, as the Legislature prefers not to make policy in the budget. But it was a great opportunity for you to engage with your State Representatives and have conversations about the issue, and 76 Reps (a comparatively high number) cosponsored the amendment!
We’re going to take that momentum and keep pushing our State Reps to get a statewide ban on anticoagulant rodenticides included in the House version of the Mass Ready Act, which we anticipate will come up for debate sometime in June or July.
Unfortunately, while the amendment was considered as part of the budget’s Consolidated Amendment F, the text of Amendment 322 was not adopted. This wasn’t a surprising result, as the Legislature prefers not to make policy in the budget. But it was a great opportunity for you to engage with your State Representatives and have conversations about the issue, and 76 Reps (a comparatively high number) cosponsored the amendment!
We’re going to take that momentum and keep pushing our State Reps to get a statewide ban on anticoagulant rodenticides included in the House version of the Mass Ready Act, which we anticipate will come up for debate sometime in June or July.
How can I help?
Call or write your state legislators:
Email or call Newbury's state congressional representatives (Rep. Kristin Kassner and Sen. Bruce Tarr). Simply let them know that you support banning second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides.
Does emailing and calling work?
Yes! Congressional representatives are elected to promote the will of their constituents. In order to do that, they need to hear from you. Emailing is useful, but if you are short on time, calling is faster. You may be asked to leave a message. Tell them who you are, where you live and keep your message simple. They tally the number of calls in support of an issue and this helps drive their work.
Does emailing and calling work?
Yes! Congressional representatives are elected to promote the will of their constituents. In order to do that, they need to hear from you. Emailing is useful, but if you are short on time, calling is faster. You may be asked to leave a message. Tell them who you are, where you live and keep your message simple. They tally the number of calls in support of an issue and this helps drive their work.
Meet with Your State Legislators:
Meeting with your state legislators is the most effective way to communicate with them, and it is easy to accomplish. Your Massachusetts Senators and Representatives (or their staff) keep open office hours in your town or you can make an appointment that is convenient for you.
- Rep. Kristin Kassner ([email protected]): Newbury Council on Aging, the second Monday of each month at 10 am. To schedule a different time/day email: [email protected]
- Sen. Bruce Tarr ([email protected]): Newbury Council on Aging, the third Thursday of each month at 12:15 pm. To schedule a different day or time email: [email protected]
- If you don't live in Newbury you can Find your state legislator here.
When you write a letter/email include the following:
- Introduce yourself. Are you a longtime resident? Are you a bird watcher? Do you walk the back roads? Are you a nature lover? Do you have pets that go outside?
- The issue you are writing about: The use of SGARs (or rodenticides) and the detrimental effect on our wildlife and pets.
- What you want them to do: support a statewide ban on anticoagulant rodenticides.
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Join the Save Newbury Wildlife group!
Send an email to [email protected] to be included on our email list.
You can follow our progress here and/or follow us on facebook.
You can follow our progress here and/or follow us on facebook.
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Write a letter/email to your national legislators
On the national level, please write to our US Representative Seth Moulton (Newbury is in district 6), as well as our US Senators, Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey (Massachusetts) and let them know that you support bans on rat poisons.
Ask them:
If you do not live in Massachusetts: find your senator here.
Ask them:
- to become a champion of this issue.
- to work with other interested legislators to draft or sponsor propose legislation that would ban or heavily restrict the use and availability of AR poisons, both online and for use by pest control professionals.
- to pressure the EPA to pass stricter regulations on anticoagulant poisons–or better yet–to ban them altogether and remove their registration as an available rodenticide.
- to fight against efforts by conservative legislators to pass federal laws both independent of and in the 2025 Farm Bill that would stop states and local municipalities from being able to restrict or regulate pesticides, including anticoagulant rodenticides.
If you do not live in Massachusetts: find your senator here.
Join the EwA SGARs Brigade
Documenting & Assessing the Impact of SGARs on Non-Target Species
Help document the location of potential and confirmed SGARs bait devices, and sick or dead animals likely victims of SGARs in the Greater Boston Area (Massachusetts, U.S.). By doing so, you'll contribute essential data to raise awareness about the intersection of rodents, SGARs use, and wildlife victims and give open-access, evidence-based tools for communities to understand the spread and impact of SGARs and act accordingly. Learn more.
Documenting & Assessing the Impact of SGARs on Non-Target Species
Help document the location of potential and confirmed SGARs bait devices, and sick or dead animals likely victims of SGARs in the Greater Boston Area (Massachusetts, U.S.). By doing so, you'll contribute essential data to raise awareness about the intersection of rodents, SGARs use, and wildlife victims and give open-access, evidence-based tools for communities to understand the spread and impact of SGARs and act accordingly. Learn more.