Jacqueline Calhoun | Oppose HB1676

Before our family moved to New England just over a year ago, I was a wildlife rehabilitator in San Jose, California. At the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley, we rescued, rehabbed and released animals back into the wild. Those who were too sick or injured to survive in the wild, we cared for in our center. I witnessed too many foxes, owls and peregrine falcons who had been poisoned by eating rodents who were killed by pesticides. They were brought to WCSV already dying. Did you know the #1 Worst Way to Die is by Poisoning? It's a slow, painful, agonizing death. California banned a commonly used rodenticide in early 2024. The legislators didn't waste time talking about "restriction" but knew that would be pointless in the face of widespread use by pest control companies. We oppose HB 1676 because it would hand the industry a monopoly and expand its market by shifting rodenticide use from homeowners to pest control operators. What these pest control companies call “responsible use” has led us exactly here — indiscriminate outdoor baiting, killing wildlife and poisoning our food chain! You have the opportunity to make a real change for the better. Please keep our beautiful wildlife here in New Hampshire safe from this deadly SGAR and OPPOSE HB 1676. We thank you for safeguarding wildlife and the public.