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Artificial turf aims to address some difficult conditions such as:

• heavy athletic field use and
• waiting for fields to dry out after rain and snow

But it also has unintended consequences, including:

• much higher field temperatures than grass on hot days
• multiple chemicals of known and potential concern including PFAS, the "forever chemicals" that migrate into soil and water and harm human as well as environmental health
• microplastic pollution
• end of life recycling issues

Learn more:

•  Athletic Playing Fields: Selecting Safer Alternatives, Toxics Use Reduction Institute, UMass Lowell

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Arlington's nesting female bald eagle has died.

 Take action.

Bald eagle rescued from Massachusetts cemetery after ingesting rat poison dies, Cape Wildlife Center says - read more at WCVB news 

 Arlington has also seen the death of 4 great horned owls in less than a year, all showing evidence of second generation anti-coagulant rodenticide (SGAR) poisoning.

There are other rat control methods. It is time to use them.

Read more from Mass Audubon:

Bald Eagles are Dying. Rat Poison is to Blame.  

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Wed., March 1, 7-8:30 pm on Zoom

The slides and a recording will be posted to the CEFC page on the town website: https://www.arlingtonma.gov/town-governance/boards-and-committees/clean-energy-future-committee

The Town of Arlington Clean Energy Future Committee (CEFC) invites community members to a public forum on the opt-in Specialized Stretch Energy Code, which is the subject of Warrant Article 10 at this spring’s Annual Town Meeting. 

All are invited. There will be an opportunity for questions, and Ian Finlayson, a principal drafter of the Specialized Code, will be available to help answer them.

Read the official town notice here.   

[updated 3.1.2023.]

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Feb. 27: Bald Eagle Poisoning. Arlington's resident breeding female bald eagle--part of the first pair to nest here in Arlington in approximately a half-century since DDT was banned--was rescued with signs of rodenticide poisoning. She is in critical condition and being treated at New England Wildlife Center. 

Almost nobody likes a rat ... except the species that eat them, including owls, hawks, bald eagles, foxes, coyotes and occasional pet cats and dogs.

photos:  Adria Arch (sign); Save Arlington Wildlife (bait box)

In the quest to control rats, we humans have come up with rodenticides, powerful poisons that kill in various ways and, often, kill unintended species, causing a slow, lingering death. The unintentional killing of our wild predators eliminates not only the animals that die but also the future generations they could have reared. 

As many Arlington residents know, we have recently lost four great-horned owls in Menotomy Rocks Park to Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs). Read more here and also here. 

A number of Arlington businesses use SGARs (placed outdoors in black plastic boxes), including Whole Foods Arlington, the business closest to Menotomy Rocks Parks. On February 19, a demonstration was held at Whole Foods Arlington over their use of SGARs to increase public awareness and to ask Whole Foods to use other, less harmful methods of rat control. See article here.  

The Town of Arlington now prohibits use of Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticide on town properties.

On January 4, 2023, Arlington Town Manager, Sandy Pooler, signed a new policy prohibiting the use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGAR). This policy applies to all Town-owned property, including buildings, grounds, parks, open spaces, and the public right of way, and shall be adhered to by all employees of the Town of Arlington, as well as third party vendors and contractors providing services at Town-owned property. Read the full news release here.

Learn more at: Save Arlington Wildlife