AP

California commission OKs poisoning plan for wildlife refuge

Dec 17, 2021, 4:44 AM | Updated: 6:47 pm

FILE - A mouse is shown at the Farallones National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 13, 2011, near San Franc...

FILE - A mouse is shown at the Farallones National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 13, 2011, near San Francisco. The California Coastal Commission approved a plan Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021, to poison invasive mice on the refuge that is home to nesting seabirds. The move still will require approval from the regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

(AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)


              FILE - Southeast Farallon Island at the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge is shown against a blue sky on Oct. 13, 2011, near San Francisco. The California Coastal Commission approved a plan Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021, to poison invasive mice on the refuge that is home to nesting seabirds. The move still will require approval from the regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
            
              FILE - A mouse is shown at the Farallones National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 13, 2011, near San Francisco. The California Coastal Commission approved a plan Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021, to poison invasive mice on the refuge that is home to nesting seabirds. The move still will require approval from the regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The California Coastal Commission has approved a plan to poison invasive mice threatening rare seabirds on the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

The agency that regulates California’s coastline voted 5-3 Thursday night to approve a plan to drop about 3000 pounds (1,360 kilograms) of poisoned bait from helicopters onto the rocky islands off the San Francisco coast that are home to hundreds of thousands of breeding birds.

The move still will require approval from the regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and even then it probably would be at least two years before the program gets underway, officials said.

The Farallon Islands refuge is home to an estimated 300,000 breeding seabirds, including the rare ashy storm-petrel. But officials say the population is threatened by mice that first arrived on the islands aboard ships more than a century ago.

In recent years, the mouse population has exploded, attracting burrowing owls that also prey on the ashy storm-petrel, officials said.

“This project is necessary and is the right thing to do to stop the ecosystem carnage done by mice: A human-caused problem,” Gerry McChesney, manager of the wildlife refuge, said at the meeting.

The proposal has won both support and condemnation from various conservation groups. Critics contend that other wildlife could be poisoned by the rodenticide.

Famed animal researcher and conservationist Jane Goodall spoke against the proposal at the hearing.

“This poison will inflict pain and suffering on a great many sentient animals,” she said.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

1 day ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

1 day ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

1 day ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

4 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

6 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

6 days ago

California commission OKs poisoning plan for wildlife refuge