Mayor Adams Hosts Rat Summit: New Harlem Zone Sparks Furry Urban Warfare!

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced additional speakers and details for the city’s inaugural National Urban Rat Summit, taking place this Wednesday and Thursday.

Following introductory remarks from New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan and Dr. Matt Frye from the New York state Integrated Pest Management Program at Cornell University, the first day will focus on academic presentations from researchers and municipal experts from cities in the United States and Canada. The summit’s second day will focus on a framework for urban rat mitigation challenges, encompassing parks, sewers, construction sites, public housing, yards and alleys, and trash containerization.

“I’m excited to welcome my fellow generals in the ‘War on Rats’ to our great city for the inaugural National Urban Rat Summit,” said Mayor Adams. “Thanks to our citywide integrated pest management strategy and our ‘Trash Revolution,’ we are giving rats the boot, driving down rat sightings, and improving quality of life across the five boroughs. We’re looking forward to sharing new strategies and best practices for rat mitigation and reduction over the course of the summit.”

“Rat mitigation is a core public health issue in New York City,” said DOHMH Commissioner Dr. Vasan. “Freedom from the threat of diseases rats carry, and from the stress and fear rat sightings can trigger — these are basic human needs. Every day, our team is equipping New Yorkers from all walks of life with data-driven, evidence-based strategies for a cleaner, safer, more livable city.”

“The National Urban Rat Summit is a dedicated step forward in municipal rat management. We are thrilled to create a space for academic researchers and municipalities to come together and have meaningful dialog about a path towards sustainable, urban rat reduction,” said Citywide Director of Rodent Mitigation Kathy Corradi. “This collaborative, science-based approach to New York City’s rat mitigation, along with the tremendous efforts from city agencies, will ensure an improved quality of life for all New Yorkers.”

“Since the start of this administration, we’ve been dedicated to improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers. Thanks to our citywide sanitation and public health initiatives, including the work of our rodent mitigation team, we’ve seen real progress in communities all across the city,” said Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack. “I’m thrilled to see Mayor Adams, Director Corradi, and our partners convene experts from across the nation for New York’s inaugural National Urban Rat Summit. This summit will build on the tremendous progress already made, bringing together the best minds to address rodent mitigation challenges and enhance our strategic, holistic approach. Together, we’re committed to ridding this city of rats once and for all.”

“Rats will find no purchase here, there, or anywhere, not if the experts at the first-ever National Urban Rat Summit have anything to say for it,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “As we containerize the city’s trash and upgrade our outdoor dining landscape, we know the war is not yet won — which is why we’re pulling together this summit, so that New York and our sister cities can share best practices for urbanites across the continent.”

“The single best way to finally beat the rats is to get their food off the streets and into containers — and that’s what the Adams administration is doing, with a plan to finally shut down the all-you-can-eat rat buffet,” said New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Commissioner Jessica Tisch. 

“New York City Public Schools is proud to help lead the charge in the fight against rats, embracing important prevention efforts like containerization,” said New York City Public Schools Chancellor David C. Banks. “I’m grateful to this administration and our partner agencies for all they do to make this city more livable for our youngest New Yorkers.”

“As a pillar area of the 2019 HUD Agreement, pests represent a significant priority in NYCHA’s mission to provide decent, affordable housing to public housing residents,” said New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “Through the use of our integrated pest management strategy, NYCHA has experienced a 62 percent decrease in rodents across the portfolio since 2018, ultimately improving the quality of our residents’ lives. Our work continues, and we are very excited to attend the inaugural National Urban Rat Summit to collaborate with other agencies facing similar challenges and continue honing our expertise in this area.”

“Reducing the rodent population is vital for creating healthier, cleaner cities, while maintaining a balanced urban ecosystem,” said New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (NYC Parks) Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “With support from Mayor Adams and Cornell University, this summit will foster collaboration between cities nationwide on effective strategies to keep rats at bay. By targeting the root causes of infestations — limiting food sources and addressing high-burrow areas — NYC Parks will continue taking decisive action to make a lasting impact on the rat population and improve quality of life across the city.”

“HPD, especially our housing inspectors, know all too well about the impacts and dangers of rat infestations,” said New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Adolfo Carrión, Jr. “Today marks a milestone for New York City as we host the inaugural National Urban Rat Summit, bringing invaluable expertise to our fight against rats. We’re ready to learn from our government partners and experts across the country to add new solutions to our pest-fighting toolbox and create a healthier, safer city.”

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Additional speakers at the summit will include:

• Maddie Baker, operations manager, Bryant Park Corporation
• Josey Bartlett, vice president of pest management, NYCHA
• Caroline Bragdon, director of neighborhood interventions, DOHMH
• Gerard Brown, rodent and vector control program manager, Department of Health, Washington, D.C.
• Kaylee Byers, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
• Bobby Corrigan, research scientist, DOHMH
• Leah Helms, health and environmental investigator Seattle & Kings County Public Health Service, Washington
• Chelsea Himsworth, University of British Columbia, Canada
• Rebecca Kriegman, executive director of policy and planning, DSNY
• Maureen H. Murry, Lincoln Park Zoo Urban Wildlife Institute, Chicago, Illinois
• Jonathan Richardson, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia
• Claudia Riegel, director, City of New Orleans Mosquito and Termite Control Board, Louisiana
• John Ulrich, assistant commissioner of environmental services, City of Boston, Massachusetts

“… the new Harlem Rat Mitigation Zone …”

The summit comes as New York City continues to make progress in implementing a holistic integrated pest management strategy, focused on identifying rat hotspots and removing conditions that allow rats to thrive. In April 2023, Mayor Adams appointed Kathleen Corradi as citywide director of rodent mitigation and announced the new Harlem Rat Mitigation Zone, the city’s fourth dedicated zone. Director Corradi has played a vital role in developing, coordinating, and executing rat mitigation efforts across city agencies, in addition to different private-sector partners. 

Included in Mayor Adams’ holistic integrated pest management strategy is the city’s efforts, led by DSNY Commissioner Tisch, to containerize all 14 billion pounds of trash that the city currently produces every year. For decades, that trash sat on the street in black plastic bags for as long as a full day at a time, attracting rats and stinking up New York City neighborhoods. The Adams administration rejected that status quo and has already implemented DSNY rules requiring that all 7 billion annual pounds of business trash go into containers. Later this fall, when container requirements go into effect for low-density residential buildings — those with one to nine units — approximately 70 percent of all trash in the city will be containerized. Additionally, the administration developed an all-new, automated, side-loading garbage truck that will allow the city to containerize trash from high-density buildings using stationary on-street containers. As a result, Manhattan Community Board 9 will be the first district with 100 percent of its trash containerized and serviced next year.  

Additionally, NYC Parks is implementing a robust approach to rat control in the city’s parks, with the goal of addressing the underlying conditions that support rat colonies. As a part of their effort to significantly decrease rats in parks with high burrow counts, NYC Parks will continue to limit access to potential food sources by rodents and target the places where they burrow. 

Further, DOHMH conducts proactive inspections and complaint inspections enforcement. The agency uses a targeted strategy that extends to Rat Mitigation Zones, where city agencies focus resources to address rats and the conditions that support them. Other efforts to reduce rat activity range from technical assistance to extermination to education to public engagement. 

There are currently four DOHMH-established Rat Mitigation Zones that encompass nearly 200 New York City public school buildings. New York City Public Schools’ efforts have included two distinct but collaborative pieces: extermination and waste operations. Rodents are addressed through extermination services, as well as support for proper waste management procedures at each impacted school to reduce conditions conducive to rats.  

Finally, NYCHA has designated 45 exterminators to treat NYCHA public spaces, in addition to rolling out training on more efficient methods of treating grounds. They have also invested in more effective equipment that puts pesticides directly into rat burrows, as well as non-pesticide mitigation methods like carbon dioxide tanks, carbon monoxide-based Burrow Rx machines, and snap traps. Additionally, they have launched an exclusion team that seals window vents to basements and a rat burrow collapse team that collapses rat burrows, aiding in the prevention of mating and overall tracking of active rat colonies. 

As a result of the administration’s broader integrated pest management approach, rat sightings reported to 311 continue to decline. Rat sightings have decreased in 12 out of the 13 months since the administration kicked off its revolutionary efforts to get trash off the streets and since Mayor Adams appointed Corradi as director of citywide rodent mitigation. The total decrease across the covered period was 6.3 percent and almost 14 percent in the city’s Rat Mitigation Zones. 

Photo credit: HWM.