Use of rodenticide bait stations by commensal rodents at the urban-wildland interface: Insights for management to reduce nontarget exposure.

BACKGROUND: Pest management professionals use anticoagulant rodenticides, usually placed in tamper-resistant bait stations, to control commensal rodents, but significant concerns remain about exposure of nontarget species, especially at the urban-wildland interface. We deployed digital cameras to monitor use of bait stations placed in 90 residential yards across Orange County, California, USA. Two bait stations, supplied with nontoxic bait, were monitored in each yard for approximately 30 consecutive days during two camera-trapping sessions between December 2017 and March 2019. One station was placed on the ground, while the other was elevated 1-1.5 m to determine if elevating stations could reduce nontarget exposure. RESULTS: Black rats (Rattus rattus L.) were present at 80% of sites, with mean activity ranging from 0 to 9.6 h each night. There were no significant differences between elevated and ground stations in the time to discovery, time to bait station entry, or nightly activity of rats. Rats discovered bait stations more quickly, and mean nightly activity was greater, in yards where rats were detected more frequently. Although native rodents visited and entered bait stations occasionally, they were relatively rare among our sites (13.3%), and were detected five times less often at elevated stations compared to those on the ground. Yards visited by these rodents were significantly nearer to areas of green open space and natural vegetation, and tended to have no significant barriers to entry, e.g. solid fences or walls. CONCLUSIONS: By elevating bait stations and avoiding placing rodenticides in yards that are likely to be visited by wildlife, pest management professionals may be able to reduce the risk of nontarget exposure, including secondary poisoning of predators and scavengers, while still providing effective control of commensal pests. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Multi-objective management in the Village of Woodridge, Dupage County, Illinois, for the Seven Bridges multi-use development

By removing an additional 75 acres of the site from the pre-project 100-year floodplain, the Seven Bridges site in Woodridge, Illinois has shown that multiple objectives can be integrated into the site design of large-scale development projects. The project has accomplished this by turning complex water resources constraints into an asset. The former floodplain land has been reconfigured in an environmentally sensitive way to control water through avoindance of off-site impacts, provide developable land, and establish renowned recreational areas. This award-winning project clearly demonstrates that when properly engineered, a stormwater management system can be designed to meet all the permit requirements, protect key site development from flood damage, be aesthetically pleasing and remain economically feasible