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Seen & Heard: Successful Petition for a Gumball Machine
••• Horrible news about the hawks in Collect Pond Park: “The female hawk died last night,” emailed A. yesterday. “Hawk watchers, Parks Department there now, park ranger was there last night. They will bring a cherry picker at some point to get the body for possible necropsy—though rat poison is fairly obviously to blame. The security guards and other employees at Family Court building have been watching the pair hunt, mate, nest build for weeks—everyone is devastated. Apparently they just put fresh poison out in Columbus Park.” A. was worried the photo is too morbid but I think it’s important for us to see the consequences of our behavior.
••• And another reader sent in this from New York City Audubon: “Accidental posioning is the second most common cause of death among urban hawks and falcons. The culprit is most often the rodenticide brodifacoum. Although the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation does not use this rodenticide in city parks, it is among the most frequently used rodenticides by homeowners and building managers. In 2011, the male from the red-tailed hawk nest in Riverside Park was killed by rat poison during the nesting season. Toxicology showed significant amounts of brodificoum in its body. […] In order to protect raptors across New York City, NYC Audubon strongly encourages all property owners and managers to use alternate methods of rat control.”
••• A four-year-old Tribecan started a petition asking Best Market to install a gumball machine (Food Emporium had one). “Say no more!” said Best Market on mom Josey Miller’s Instagram post. “We will bring back the gumball machine—will let you know when it arrives!”
••• You’ll have to wait a bit longer for dinner at Two Hands; it’s now set to start Thursday, April 7.
••• Gay food magazine Mouthfeel is hosting its Coffee Grinder party at Baked tonight. “This one should blow the others out of the water, whatever that means to you!” says Mouthfeel founder Mac Malikowski.
••• A sign on the door of the new Chipotle at 404 Broadway says it’ll open April 9.
12 Comments
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Isn’t the rat poison put out in containers with little holes so birds can not access it?
I see these boxes all over- usually they are black.
I think the problem is that the birds eat the rats that have been poisoned.
That is so heartbreaking about the mama hawk. Thank you for letting us know
Many parks have switched over to rat traps as oppose to using poison. It was the Health Dept. that put out the poison all over Columbus Park and its surrounding areas. When you use poison, the rats go into these boxes eat the poison and later becomes ill. It is a slow cruel death. This is also easy prey from a red tailed hawk hunitng for a meal. I’ve been watching this pair for months. They started their nest on a billboard by the manhattan bridge but it was destroyed so they went further west to Columbus park/ Collection Pond park. This pair placed branches on several air conditioners along Baxter, Centre and Hogan’s Pl. A bulk of the nesting materials is actually on the Health Dept Building. How ironic is that? i urge the Tribeca community to write to your councilman, etc. to stop the usage of poison. Dogs and pigeons get sick as well….
PS: I meant “Snap traps”
in regards to the dead hawk, you can contact Margaret Chin. Please be mindful and helpful suggesting better sanitation, better trash cans, no littering, no pigeon feeding, adding more Pep officers, etc.
To file a complaint please contact : Margaret Chin (council member) District Office Address
Chatham Green 165 Park Row, suite #11 New York, NY 10038
District Office Phone
212-587-3159
District Office Fax
212-587-3138
Legislative Office Address
250 Broadway
Suite 1882
New York, NY 10007
Legislative Office Phone
212-788-7259
Legislative Office Fax
212-442-1563
Email: chin@ council.nyc.gov
Margaret Chin : Chin@council.nyc.gov
This embarrassment is the responsibility of the Department of Health. This park is one of several “potential rat hot spots” right near their Worth Street offices.
From
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/23/ratology :
“Robert Corrigan holds a doctorate in urban rodentology from Purdue University, and students and colleagues call him the Rat Czar. As a boy growing up in East Flatbush, Corrigan fancied himself a terrestrial Jacques Cousteau; rats were his fish. Now he and his wife split their time between Indiana and New York City.
“The other day, Corrigan, who has a company called RMC Consulting, was in town in his role as principal lecturer at the Rodent Control Academy, a three-day course in rat management, taught at the Department of Health, on Worth Street.
[…]
“‘When it’s dark at night, you’ll hear them in our parks. By the trees, in the bushes,’ he said. He explained the next day’s field experiment—the last bit before the final exam. ‘You all will be doing your observations during the day. You might not see rats. But what you will see are the environmental conditions and clues that indicate rats are there.’
“In the morning, the students set out, in groups, to five potential rat hot spots: Columbus Park, Collect Pond Park, the J Train stop at Foley Square, Cortlandt Alley, and the municipal buildings on Lafayette Street. ‘New York alleys are loaded with details—if you are a keen observer,’ Corrigan advised.”
Please look at what was lost to our community this week – click through all 3 pages of the link to see the full story of what a gift this this pair of highly effective rat hunting birds was to our community and how wasteful and unnecessary the death of the female was :
http://www.jeanshum.com/sheep-meadow-south-hawks-china/chinatown-red-tailed-hawks/
So far only three complaints have been made to Margaret Chin’s office about the poisoned hawk — and none of them from New York City residents. Myself included – I’ve been grieving but not calling — feeling sad about it doesn’t help the hawks. I’m going to contact her office today. And call 311.
As has been pointed out – as long as there are more complaints about rats than there are about poisoned hawks – the Health Department will keep putting out more poison. Nightmarishly, they put even more poison out on Friday – the day after the female died. The male is still hunting in the area — what are his chances?
It’s great to find someone so on the ball
The Male Red Tailed Hawk found a new mate. The Family Court Officers observed both hawks on the Dept. of Health building. Will they too follow the faith of the recently dead hawk? Once again, the Dept. of health placed down more rat poison on 4/9/16. DEC autopsy result showed rodenticide in the dead female hawk… Please write to your council person, Dept of Parks and Recreation and the Dept. of Health to end the use of poison. Many parks in the city have switched to “Snap Traps”. Its safer for wildlife and the environment.
Damn, that was quick. He must be a real hottie.
That is terrific news! We spotted him last weekend alone – and kind of lost – in City Hall park, but had not seen him since then. Great to hear he’s back in the game and still around!