Fairfield Launches Birth Control Pilot Program For Common Problem

FAIRFIELD, CT — In a move designed to be more environmentally friendly, Fairfield has launched a novel way to deal with rodents.

The town has contracted with Wisdom Good Works, a Flagstaff, Arizona-based nonprofit company, to provide an all-natural, non-toxic food that renders "both male and female mice and rats infertile without poisons that could harm the environment."

Over time, the rodent population will drop because fewer will be born.

During a meeting in March, the Board of Selectmen unanimously approved the pilot program, which is the first such effort in Connecticut.

According to James Ryan, building maintenance manager for the Department of Public Works, the town is targeting two locations in the pilot program, the Transfer Station at 530 Richard White Way, and at the compactor behind the Fairfield Theatre Company on Carter Henry Drive.

Ryan added that the pilot program is not costing the town any more money than it currently spends on rodent control at the two sites.

The pilot program will last for a year, so in 2026, the town hopes that the results will allow for use of this technique at additional sites throughout Fairfield.

"It's a non-lethal way to address rodent control," said Fairfield Purchasing Director Adam Tulin.

According to Fairfield Conservation Commissioner Ted Luchsinger, the town currently uses a stage-two anticoagulant poison for rat and mouse control.

"Which is an awful way to die," Luchsinger said, adding that essentially the rodents bleed out through wounds because their blood does not clot after ingesting the poison.

Birds of prey, such as hawks, which capture rodents can end up becoming poisoned, too, from the anticoagulant.

The non-toxic pellets provided by Wisdom Good Works are safe for other animals if ingested.

"It's much safer, and I think it's the direction that this type of control is going to go in the future," Luchsinger said.

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The Connecticut General Assembly is considering a law to ban the use of stage-two anticoagulant poisons, also known as rodenticides, in the state.

Dabney Bowen, president of Call of the Wild CT, said that with the pilot program, Fairfield is at the forefront of using safer techniques to address rodent control.

"We could also help stem the spread of lyme disease," Bowen said, adding that some mice that are native to the region are vectors for the disease.