Author: Kara Mihm

Dozens of people crowded the sidewalk next to the Whole Foods Market in Arlington on Saturday, Feb. 22, to protest what they say is the company’s continued use of rodenticides at the store and parking lot, despite the discovery of two dead hawks there in the past several weeks.

Protesters, bundled in warm layers, hoisted signs for passing motorists and visiting shoppers to see. Customers engaged with the protesters, expressing curiosity about the movement. Drivers added noise to the chatter among protesters and patrons as they beeped while driving along Mass. Ave.

Laura Kiesel, the founder of Save Arlington Wildlife, said that while other businesses in Arlington also use harmful rodenticides, the contrast between Whole Foods’ proclaimed dedication to environmental causes and its actions is what raises concern. 

‘Hypocrisy’ cited

“The problem with Whole Foods is that their whole mission is about environmental sustainability and humane treatment of animals,” Kiesel said. “So I think it’s the hypocrisy that really gets people.”

A Whole Foods manager declined to discuss the protest or rodenticide use with YourArlington.

The call to action, which took place on National Wildlife Day, started almost two years ago after Arlington lost a family of great horned owls to second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, or SGARs, Kiesel said. The owls’ deaths – discovered at nearby Menotomy Rocks Park – likely occurred after the owls ate rats that had ingested SGARs.

Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides are a class of rat poison that stops the blood from clotting by blocking Vitamin K from curdling blood. When ingested, it causes the animal to bleed from its mouth, feathers and rear.

Finds rat bait

After discovering that Whole Foods hides rat bait in gray, rock-shaped boxes around its property, Kiesel said she asked the company, which is owned by Amazon, for a discussion. Calls to Whole Foods’ national headquarters went unanswered, and local management didn’t have answers, she said, so Save Arlington Wildlife, among other wildlife advocacy groups, turned to protests.

On Jan. 4, a hawk was found dead in the Whole Foods parking lot, reigniting the discussion.

The juvenile Cooper’s hawk was found with a bloody mouth and nostrils, a sign indicating rodenticide poisoning. The necropsy on the bird’s liver revealed SGARs exposure, the same poison used on Whole Foods property.

A second dead hawk was found this month across the street from the Whole Foods, next to a house and church.

“They don’t use poisons,” Kiesel said, referring to the buildings across the street from Whole Foods. “It could be someone else. I’m not saying it’s Whole Foods alone. They’re getting poison from other sources, too.”

Race against clock

Marci Cemenska, the organizer of Saturday’s protest and founder of Save Lexington Wildlife, said it’s a race against the clock when animals ingest SGARs.

“If [the animal] gets to rehab fast enough, they go through around-the-clock care for a day or weeks to heal them,” she said.

Patricia Sears-Joyce, a founder of Operation Woburn Wildlife, said she protested on Feb. 22 because of her experience rescuing animals.

“We rescue and transport owls and hawks so when I see what I see, it’s awful,” she said. “They’re bleeding from the inside out.”

These images don’t haunt the general public, however, so Jim Joyce, a member of the Woburn Conservation Commission, said that most people are unaware of the consequences of rodenticides.

“I don’t think there is anywhere near enough public outreach,” he said. “I don’t think that overall people really understand the way to actually get rid of [rats] the right way.”

Rodenticide research

After a rodent infestation during Covid, Arlington resident Lynne Eisenburg panicked and turned to pest control instead of relying solely on her snap traps. She started researching rodenticides after hearing about their dangers. Even though she had signed a contract with the pest company, she demanded they stop using the product.

“I researched what the guy from the company told me, and he was lying,” she said. “He said ‘Oh, I’m a wildlife lover, too. The poison is so little, it doesn’t even bother the coyotes.’ He lied.”

The protesters stayed outside Whole Foods for almost two hours Saturday. Joyce said he believes that the fight will be hard-fought.

“We’re fighting against one of the largest corporations in the world,” he said. “You’re going to find [rodenticides] in every Whole Foods across the country.”

Communication noted

Kiesel said Whole Foods’ lack of clear communication has given her mixed information.

“I called the national headquarters – the woman kept putting me on pause – she said that it’s decided at the local level,” Kiesel said. “But first they said it’s a national thing, so their story keeps changing.”

Asked how the store is responding to the protest, Arlington’s Whole Foods manager, who would not give his name, said “no comment.”

Some communities have begun to ban the use of SGARs. On Feb. 8, the Lowell City Council voted unanimously to prohibit their use on city-owned property.

Andrew Joslin, a tree climber who rescues wild animals, summed up the wildlife organization’s motive for holding Saturday’s protest.

“This is all about awareness raising. We’re not here to block anyone,” he said. “The idea is to get people to think, ‘What was that about?’”

This story, published Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, is part of a partnership between YourArlington and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

It only takes four minutes to walk the entire length of Mill Street, yet it feels like an entire town exists within its two blocks.

A church, cafe, hardware store, school, doctors’ offices and rows of townhouses line the street that runs perpendicular to the swift-running Mill Brook that once supported the town’s population.

True to its name, Mill Street is a reminder of the industrial innovations that sustained New England communities like Arlington.

Now, the bustling street – just two-tenths of a mile long – demonstrates how the town relies on local businesses and community involvement long after the collapse of its mill industry.

Arlington was established as a village under the name Menotomy in 1635. Capt. George Cooke, a British Army officer, erected the first mill two years later along Mill Brook, and six more quickly followed. 

The town changed its name to Arlington on May 1, 1867, in a celebration marked by a 100-gun salute, bell ringing and patriotic colors. The new name paid homage to the war heroes buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

While Old Schwamb Mill, the oldest continuously used mill in the United States, is located in Arlington, the town has shifted from a booming mill industry to an active suburb.

Sandwiched between Mass. Ave. and Summer Street, Mill Street’s busyness can largely be attributed to the variety of vehicles that pass through each day. Mail trucks partially obstruct traffic, minivans exit the Arlington High School lot and drivers on the major artery roads fail to slow down as they turn the corner to Mill Street, despite the blinking traffic light between the two blocks.  

Traffic signals added

The traffic signals have blinked yellow and red since they were installed last September. The signals at the intersection of Mill Street and Mill Brook Drive went live on Wednesday, Feb. 19, during school vacation week, according to a notice sent out by the town. The lights are intended to alleviate congestion on Mill Street and create a safer intersection for students, pedestrians and drivers.

Motorists have grown so accustomed to the blinking lights that it might take them time to get used to the change when it eventually operates like a regular signal.

“I know when they turn the light fully on, I’m going to be running the red light like crazy,” said Noah Swaim, the student ministry assistant at Mill Street’s Highrock Church.

Morning to afternoon, visitors and residents slip in and out of the buildings that line the street.

Mill Street Cafe

Jess Swaim, manager of The Mill Cafe, a coffee shop and community center, says the street’s walkability encourages people to go from one business to another, and get their errands done at the same time. She says customers will grab a coffee after shopping at Shattuck’s hardware store or leaving a checkup at Arlington Family Practice Group.

“Lots of pregnant women will come here after their doctor’s appointments to get decaf coffees,” said Swaim, who is married to Noah Swaim. “Then when they have their child, I watch them get caffeinated drinks with their kids.”

Brooke Krabill, mother of 4½-year-old Olivia, started going to The Mill Cafe after Sunday services at Highrock. Since the cafe opened in 2023, the Krabills have joined other crayon-wielding kids and their parents one to three times a week.

“Olivia thinks that she runs the place,” Krabill said as her daughter, wearing a paper crown, held out a drawing of her two dogs, cat and neighbor’s cat. “She’s basically the welcoming committee.”

Two buildings down, shoppers stalk the aisles at Shattuck’s, the local Ace hardware store, which has served the town since 1857. Originally called R.W. Shattuck Hardware and located on Mass. Avenue until moving to Mill Street about 40 years ago, the store is the “go-to” place for area residents.

A bundled-up customer winds through the sweeping selection of products until he resigns to asking a worker for assistance. Nodding enthusiastically, the worker beelines to the aisle home to braided utility cords. 

“One of the things people say about us is that we have everything,” said Dan Civita, the manager of Ace Hardware. “This is where everyone in Arlington shops, where they buy all their seasonal stuff from leaf blowers to salt melt.”

Leaving with a bag of ice salt slung over one shoulder, an Ace patron crosses the parking lot to Arlington’s historic 10-mile Minuteman Bikeway. With no vehicles allowed, the path serves as a safe means for residents to walk, run and bike. 

Thanks to the connecting trail from Bedford to Cambridge, bikers show their gratitude to pausing cars with a wave, shoppers speed through the cold while carrying bags of groceries, and packs of teenagers run after classes let out at the abutting Arlington High School. 

This story, published Feb. 18, 2025, is part of a partnership between YourArlington and the Boston University Department of Journalism.