Residents press Beverly council to ban ‘black box’ rodenticide, advance Camp Paradise education center and increase LPR transparency

Three residents used the public comment period on April 6 to press the council on wildlife, environment and surveillance issues.

Robin Hurdack Foley urged Beverly to abandon second‑generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs), saying the products kill slowly and can harm raptors, foxes and pets. “Banning these black boxes is currently supported by Representative Hannah Bowen and Senator Joan Lovely at the state level. Let’s make Beverly a leader in humane rodent control at the municipal level,” Foley said.

Bob McIntosh urged the council to move forward with a public‑private partnership with Kestrel Educational Adventures to create a permanent environmental education center at Camp Paradise, a 12‑acre forested wetland. McIntosh said trained, routine stewardship and outdoor education would protect the site and expand hands‑on learning opportunities for Beverly children and community groups.

Aisha Siddiqui requested the council consider adopting a land acknowledgement and called for greater transparency around the Beverly Police Department’s use of automated license‑plate readers. She noted a joint meeting of the Legal Affairs and Public Services Committees was scheduled for April 21 to review LPR use and contracts (including Flock cameras) and quoted the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision in Commonwealth v. McCarthy (2020) on privacy concerns when LPR data are aggregated.

Councilors confirmed the joint committee meeting date (April 21 at 6:00 p.m.) for an LPR presentation and Q&A; the council did not take immediate policy action on the rodenticide request or the Kestrel proposal during the April 6 meeting.