Please provide your COMMENT
Stop Rollback on Rodenticide Protections

What is Happening?

On September 24, 2025, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) held a hearing on new rules for anticoagulant rodenticides, the powerful rat poisons we fought to limit through recent state laws.

However, instead of strengthening protections, DPR is proposing a major rollback. Their plan would allow these poisons to be used for more than 100 days each year, reopening the door to widespread contamination. This goes against California’s commitment to protect wildlife, pets, and even children from these harmful chemicals.

Why Does This Matters?

Anticoagulant rodenticides are indiscriminate, bioaccumulative poisons. They don’t only kill rats, they poison owls, hawks, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, and domestic pets, causing internal bleeding and long-term illness or death. In California, these poisons have been documented in coyotes, foxes, owls and hawks and many other raptors and carnivores that naturally control rodent populations.

California has already passed three critical wildlife protection laws between 2020–2023: 

  • AB 1788 – First statewide restrictions on second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides,

  • AB 2552 (Poison-Free Wildlife Act) – Strengthened protections and mandated safer practices, and

  • AB 1322 – Closed loopholes and updated labeling & enforcement.

DPR’s proposal undermines these laws by reopening pathways for routine, widespread poison use, without emergency justification.

What You Can Do? Send a Comment by November 8

Here is the form for the comment: https://cdpr.commentinput.com/?id=JsSRaG6NA

Tell DPR (in the comment section of the above form) that

  • No anticoagulant rodenticides should be allowed, except during a declared public health or environmental emergency (current law),

  • No rollback of AB 1788, AB 2552, or AB 1322 is acceptable, and

  • California must invest in ecological rodent control to protect raptors and predators, not more poison.

Talking Points to Include

  • Anticoagulants are toxic and non-selective, killing the very wildlife that naturally controls rodents.

  • DPR is legally obligated to protect wildlife, not poison it.

  • Allowing >100 days of poison use ensures continued contamination of predators, pets, and ecosystems.

  • Californians have already demanded poison-free solutions, so DPR must honor the law.

Thank you for raising your voice for owls, hawks, foxes, and all wildlife. Public pressure stopped these poisons before, and can do it again.

Please SIGN Up!
Tesla Park – Concept Alternative Workshop. Sep 20 (In Person) and Sep 30 (Virtual)

As you know, State Parks has finally noticed the public workshops to present their “Concept Alternatives” for the Tesla General Plan for September 20 (in-person) and September 30, 2025 (virtual). 

We need everyone’s help to attend these critically important workshops, and state that all of Tesla’s 3,100 acres must be established as the Hismet Warep State Reserve to protect the irreplaceable natural resources, and the entire Tribal Cultural Landscape that overlays it.

Thank you to those who have already signed-up to attend one or both workshops.

If not yet registered, please sign-up for a workshop and let us know which one (you can sign-up for both too).

In-person Concept Alternatives Workshop

Saturday, September 20, 2025 from 10:00am- noon.

Art Freiler K-8 School (2421 W Lowell Ave, Tracy, CA 95377)

RSVP at: https://tinyurl.com/AlamedaTeslaConcepts1

 

Virtual Concept Alternatives Workshop

Tuesday, September 30, 2025 from 6:00pm-7:00pm

Via Zoom (link will be sent to registrants 2 days before the event)

RSVP at: https://tinyurl.com/AlamedaTeslaConcepts2

Please sign up for a Workshop and Inform us

https://alamedateslaplan.com/participate/

Workday at the Waldo Holt Preserve Saturday, November 9, 2024, 8-Noon

Dr. Karan Odom is planning a work day at the Waldo Holt Preserve. We plan to do some work on the nestboxes at Waldo Holt next Saturday (Nov 9) – 8 AM to Noon. The goal is to start cleaning out the nestboxes, take down the old nestboxes from the trees, and temporarily take down any boxes that are in flood zones – to prevent damage this winter.

Meet at the property which is located at the very north end of San Joaquin County on Lower Sacramento Rd just north of Liberty Rd in Galt (38.2366559, -121.2933208).

There is typically no public access but the gate will be open at 8:00 am.

Bring sun protection, hat, gloves, boots, water, and snacks (and binoculars). Brings friends to help!

Alameda-Tesla Classification and General Plan Project Visioning Survey

Dear Friends of Tesla Park:

State Parks has released an online “visioning survey” survey for the Tesla Classification process. 

We request your help to complete the visioning survey and ask your membership and contact circle to complete the survey by the end of October as the first important step in this process.

We know we will need a strong response to this survey and throughout this classification process to have Tesla classified as a Reserve. We have provided suggested survey responses that will help support classification of Tesla as a Reserve.

A State Reserve Classification Protects Resources and Allows Access.

Our goal is to have Tesla classified as a State Reserve under PRC 5019.65. Reserve classification will provide a higher level of protection for Tesla’s sensitive plants, wildlife, habitats, scenic qualities, geological features and cultural resources that have statewide significance.

Public access is allowed for day use within reserves with the focus on preservation, enjoyment and education. Development of facilities, resource manipulation and more active or intrusive activities are not generally allowed.

A Tesla Reserve can include hiking, wildlife viewing, birdwatching, nature appreciation, self-guided interpretive trails, guided tours, trail signs and educational exhibits and picnicking. Reserves can support education and research for k-12 schools, college students and scientists. A Tesla Reserve can also serve the Native American community for traditional and ceremonial purposes. It would be the only State Park Reserve in the region.

Given the terrain, landscape and intact ecosystem in Tesla, mountain biking and e-bikes, multi-use trails, drones, rock collection, geocaching, hunting, and camping, which State Parks has presented as options in the survey, would disrupt and degrade the sensitive resources that cover the entire Tesla site.

These activities are available in other parks in the region. And, importantly, State Parks has other adjacent property that is already impacted, including Carnegie SVRA, where these more impactful active recreation activities can be located, thereby protecting Tesla as a Reserve.

You can learn more about our vision for Tesla at http://www.teslapark.org

To begin the classification process, State Parks is asking members of the public to complete an online survey about how the Alameda-Tesla property, or Tesla Park, should be managed. The survey is divided into three parts and contains a total of 11 questions. It doesn’t take long to complete.

As you fill out the survey, the survey responses that are most likely to lead State Parks to conclude that you want the land designated as a State Reserve are:

Prioritize:

  • protecting wildlife, plants, natural resources and ecological.
  • processes,
  • providing trails for hiking,
  • protecting Native American and historical cultural landscapes,
  • encouraging education and research;

AND do not allow:

  • mountain and e-biking, multi-use trails, camping, drones, geocaching, rock collecting and hunting

Thank you very much for your help to complete the visioning survey for the Tesla Classification as a Reserve.

Take the survey (by Dec 31st) and spread the word!

If you have any questions, please email them to info@AlamedaTeslaPlan.co

Chris Conard’s Presentation Video

To view Chris Conard’s presentation to Sacremento Audubon on ‘Papua New Guinea’, please click the link below.

Clik to view the ‘Papua New Guinea Presentation‘