Rat Poison Loose Grains Found At Roosevelt Island Southtown Riverwalk Lawn Last Weekend - Be Careful, Children And Dogs Play In Area

In 2013, several dead squirrels 
 

were found at Roosevelt Island outdoor public spaces attributed to the unauthorized use of rat poison.

Last Sunday, Roosevelt Island resident and Wildlife Freedom Foundation (WFF) President Rossana Ceruzzi reported:

I found rat poison in loose grains

on the Hudson Related Riverwalk 405-15  property yesterday - South East of subway on the green strip property facing Manhattan.

Place where not only dogs but children play

I called RIOC Public Safety Department and the Managers at 405 and 425. Following my call, the 405 manager sent the employee you see in the picture to help sweeping off the loose grains.

Symptoms may not be seen up to 5 days after exposure to rodenticide

In the vicious mind of the perpetrator is the attempt to kill the squirrels as the rodenticide has been sprinkled in small quantities and only around trees where squirrel live. Please note that rodenticides are formulated as baits and have ingredients like peanut butter that attract animals

As of today, Ms Ceruzzi reports no poison symptoms found.

In July 2012, dead squirrels were found on the Riverwalk 455 Main Street Lawn. The FDNY investigated
 

for hazardous materials but no toxins were found.

Workers Wearing Protective Gear On Roof Of Goldwater Hospital Removing Asbestos Material As Part Of Cornell NYC Tech Construction - Visible From Roosevelt Island Tram And Queensboro Bridge But No Health Or Safety Risk To Community Says Cornell

 Image of Goldwater C Building During Cornell NYC Tech Demolition

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) reported Friday, May 16:

Cornell Tech has advised that beginning next Monday, May 19th, workers will be on the roof of Building C of the former Goldwater Hospital complex undertaking demolition and abatement work as part of the construction of the Cornell Tech campus. The work is expected to be completed within 4-6 weeks. Wearing protective gear, the workers will be removing non-friable asbestos roofing materials and will be visible from the Tram and the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. The work is being done in accordance with the approved Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) procedure, using industry-standard products intended to prevent dust from being created during the roof removal in a manner that does not pose a health and safety risk to the community.

Report From RIOC President Leslie Torres - Roosevelt Island FDR Hope Memorial Funding, DEP Water Tunnel Meeting, Main Street Construction, Motorgate LED Staircase Lighting, Hazardous Materials Investigation, Asian Long Haired Beetle Tree Investigation & More

FDR Hope Fundraiser from Michael Bergmann on Vimeo.

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Lesie Torres sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents.

Greetings Roosevelt Islanders! I hope you are staying cool in the July heat and that all of the children in our community are having fun and staying safe as they enjoy their summer vacations.

Olympics Opening Ceremony Viewing

RIOC is pleased to announce that we are hosting a public viewing of the Summer Olympics opening ceremony on Friday, July 27 on an inflatable screen on the Riverwalk Commons lawn. We will start showing the pre-ceremony coverage at sunset – about 8:30 pm – with the ceremony beginning at 9:00 pm. You are welcome to bring blankets, lawn chairs and food. Enjoy!

Councilwoman Lappin Helps Roosevelt Island

Councilwoman Jessica Lappin came to Roosevelt Island on July 13 to announce that she has successfully secured over $4 million for Island projects and organizations in the new city budget passed by the New York City Council. The funding includes $2 million for the Roosevelt Island Library to move into a new space at 504 Main Street, $1.85 million for the completion of the FDR Four Freedoms Memorial, which is scheduled to open in October 2012, and $150,000 for the FDR Hope Memorial. We are grateful for all of Councilwoman Lappin’s work supporting Roosevelt Island.

Community Meeting about Water Tunnel

On Tuesday, August 7 from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Manhattan Park Community Center, RIOC and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will host a community meeting about the work being done at the third water tunnel shaft site located to the south of the Octagon. DEP representatives will update the community about the project and its future. For more information, call 212-832-4540.

Main Street Reconstruction

We have begun Phase II of our Main Street Reconstruction Project. During Phase I, completed in 2009, we replaced Z-Bricks with asphalt pavement on the roadway from 40 River Road to the Fire House Station. Phase II will continue the same work from 40 River Road to the bottom of the Helix ramp. The asphalt surface is better at handling heavy vehicle traffic and the elements, and it won’t require the frequent and costly repairs involved in maintaining the Z-Bricks.

Motorgate Lighting

Work is also underway to procure and install new LED lighting fixtures on each floor and the stairwells at Motorgate, replacing the current incandescent fixtures. When the project is completed, the garage will be better illuminated, making it safer for users. The LED lights are also environmentally friendly and more cost efficient than the outdated incandescent lights.

West Road Closed Last Sunday

On July 22 a resident called 911 after discovering three dead squirrels in and around a tree near West Drive. FDNY sent a local fire truck, followed by responders from the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), as per standard City procedure. The agencies temporarily closed West Drive while they conducted tests for toxins. All tests came back negative. The responding city agencies, consequently, deemed the area safe and reopened the roadway.

Outdoor Movie Series Continues

The new date for RIOC’s free outdoor screening of Tangled, which was cancelled last week due to rain, is Sunday, July 29. The Summer Outdoor Movie Series continues as scheduled on August 4 with the Disney animated classic The Lion King. Each movie starts at 8:45 pm at Southpoint Park, but people are encouraged to arrive early for food, music and movie trivia.

Bicycle and Car Safety Day

RIOC’s Public Safety Department distributed 384 bicycle helmets to community members during our Annual Bicycle and Car Safety Day on July 19 at the Good Shepherd Plaza. Participants also learned safety tips for automobiles and car seats during the event, which was co-sponsored by PSD and Safe Kids NYC.

Tree Inspection

The United States Department of Agriculture and The Davey Tree Expert Company recently completed its inspection of trees on Roosevelt Island for the presence of Asian Longhorned Beetles, which can potentially infest various tree species we have here. The inspection was part of the overall eradication effort in New York City.

More information on FDR Hope Memorial is available here and previous post.

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.

FDNY and NYPD Roosevelt Island Hazardous Material Investigation This Evening - Dead Squirrels and White Powder Found On Southtown Riverwalk Buildings Lawn

Image of FDNY Hazardous Material Squad Responding to Roosevelt Island Incident This Evening

Earlier this evening a Roosevelt Island resident (UPDATE - who is also a licensed NYS Wildlife animal rehabilitator) spotted a dead squirrel and white powder grain on the lawn between Southtown Riverwalk Buildings at 455 and 465 Main Street

as well as another dead squirrel head down on a tree.

(UPDATE 7/24 - There were 3 dead squirrels in total)

She called 911 and Roosevelt Island Public Safety followed by FDNY and NYPD responded

including the FDNY Hazardous Materials Unit.

Also, the NYC Office Of Emergency Management arrived later in the evening.

There was concern that the white powder grain might be rat poison or some other hazardous substance. Last January, one Roosevelt Island dog was killed and another injured after ingesting rat poison.

The FDNY roped off the area with caution tape,

examined the dead squirrels and lawn area,

took a sample from the lawn and squirrel

and began testing to determine what was the substance on the lawn.

Preliminary results of the tests, which still need to be confirmed, indicated the substance found on the lawn was arabinic acid.

The area was then cordoned off awaiting the appropriate personnel to remove the squirrels.

Will have more on this incident as information becomes available.