Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Rodent Research And Technology topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Somerville launches rodent fertility study; SMART box deployment shifted to commercial areas
Summary
City staff said 14 properties signed up for a rodent fertility study at Lincoln Park, with bait stations to be set in early May, and reported a strategic shift in SMART box use away from residential areas to focus on commercial hotspots.
A city staff member said Somerville has enrolled 14 properties in a rodent fertility study centered on Lincoln Park and will place bait stations and train volunteers in early May.
“I just have a few updates about the rodent fertility study. We had about 14 properties signed up ... We are starting to set the bait stations on May 6,” the coordinator said, and added that staff will hold an in-person volunteer training that day with a follow-up on May 8.
Staff also reported a change in the city’s SMART box deployment strategy. After four years of piloting the automated boxes, staff said their 2024 residential deployment yielded limited returns — “377 captures for 60 boxes” in 2024 — and that the city will now focus SMART boxes on commercial areas where capture rates have been higher. In early 2025 deployment at commercial hotspots such as Union and Davis, staff reported about 205 captures already for the winter months.
The committee was invited to observe volunteer training and staff said they will report back on results as the study and the adjusted SMART deployment progress through spring and summer.
