No Explanation On What Killed Roosevelt Island Squirrels - RIOC Says Testing Found No Toxins At Riverwalk Lawn Area Between 455 - 465 Main Street, So What Happened?

Image of FDNY Testing Unknown Substance Last Sunday Night

Reported last Sunday on the three dead squirrels and unknown substance found at the Roosevelt Island Riverwalk Buildings lawn between 455 and 465 Main Street.

Image Of FDNY Investigating Roosevelt Island Dead Squirrels Last Sunday Night

On Monday, I asked Hudson Related's David Kramer:

Last night several dead squirrels were found on the lawn facing Manhattan between Riverwalk Buildings 455 and 465 Main Street. There was also an unknown grain substance found on the lawn.

FDNY Hazardous Material Squad, NYPD and OEM responded. FDNY conducted tests on the substance and we are waiting for the final results.

Here is more info from last night's post on subject.

Does Hudson Related  maintain the grounds and if so, have any new pesticides, fertilizers or other product been used on the lawn?

Mr. Kramer looked into the matter and replied:

our property management has no knowledge of what the substance is, how it came to be on our lawn, and we haven’t changed anything in terms of maintaining the grounds...

On Monday I also asked the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Leslie Torres and Vice President of Operations Fernando Martinez:

Any comment from RIOC on last night's FDNY and NYPD Hazardous Material Investigation of substance found on lawn between 455 and 465 Main Street.

Several squirrels were found dead on the lawn last night and the FDNY/NYPD were investigating a white grain substance found on the lawn.

Was RIOC using any pesticide in that area recently?

Yesterday, RIOC issued the following advisory:

After a 911 call was made by a resident on Saturday, July 22, 2012 regarding potential toxins near West Drive, FDNY, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) sent responders to the island. All 3 government agencies tested the site for toxins. None were found. The responding city agencies, consequently, deemed the area safe and reopened the west roadway. The FDNY was the lead agency at the scene, and should be contacted directly for any further questions.

Sincerely,

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group

Roosevelt Island resident Raye Schwartz responds to RIOC's advisory:

This response is nonsense and misleading. Several very dead squirrels suddenly appeared on that lawn and that's why the 911 call was placed, not just to find out if there were toxins!

The call was placed to find out why several dead squirrels were suddenly discovered Sunday afternoon on the lawn behind 465 Main Street, and the search for toxins, particularly rodenticides, was part of that question. That no toxins were found in that location doesn't mean that they were not purposely fed to the animals elsewhere and carried back to the animals' habitats. Telling residents to contact FDNY is 1) passing the buck, and 2) misleading without a contact number for the agency you are telling us to contact with further questions! That's your job, and if you don't want to do it, give us back the tax money we pay for your salaries!

Obviously several squirrels at a time did not suddenly die of natural causes. Once again RIOC is shirking responsibility by failing to educate residents and visitors about why they should not feed stray animals or pigeons, and placing signs all over the island is part of that process. Public Safety officers won't do anything to stop the careless pigeon feeding or dropping trash, claiming it's not their job because they work for the state...or is it that they are just eagerly awaiting their new taser toys!

Perhaps one or more people who were annoyed by these animal pests took matters into their own hands. All the strum und drum of firetrucks and police won't hide the fact that such irresponsibility on the part of RIOC led to the death of a dog last year when it swallowed rat poison. That poison would not have been needed if a prevention program was in place.

Will it take the inadvertent death of a child accidentally ingesting animal poisons placed by uncertified maintenance staff or fed up residents, rather than by licensed animal control specialists, to wake you up to the fact that such chemicals are not "safe for children and pets"? What will it take to get RIOC to implement a program of prevention so that no hazardous chemicals are needed to control the pigeon and rodent population on this island?

The 911 call was placed because of dead squirrels, not because there were toxins, and there is no answer about why these squirrels died. Did any of you bother to ask about whether FDNY had any idea about what happened to those creatures?

Shame, shame on RIOC for such an inane (non)advisory!

More info from last Sunday's post.