Swampscott Bans Feeding Wildlife, Gas Leaf Blowers In Summer Months

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Swampscott residents can be fined for feeding wildlife and also will be prohibited from using gas-powered leafblowers from Memorial Day through Labor Day as part of two articles that passed during the final night of the annual town meeting on Wednesday.

After more than two hours of the meeting were spent on whether to make zoning changes at Vinnin Square, the new restrictions designed to protect coyotes from hanging around humans and protect residents from the noise of gas-powered leaf blowers during the summer months passed before the 2023 town meeting adjourned.

(Also on Patch: Swampscott Vinnin Square Zoning Changes Pass At Town Meeting)

A separate article that would have expanded the town's ban on plastic straws and stirrers to include takeaway plastic and styrofoam containers was postponed so a Solid Waste Advisory study group could examine all of its ramifications and implementation.

The wildlife feeding ban carries fines after a warning of $50 per the first offense, $100 for the second offense and $300 for subsequent offenses.

There is an exemption in the article to allow bird feeders, with the hope that residents will keep the areas around them as clean as possible so as not to attract rodents.

The ban is aimed at curbing coyote reliance on humans as a source of food that makes them comfortable around people and builds on the town's public campaign discouraging the practice of intentionally or unintentionally leaving out food for the wild canines.

(Also on Patch: Swampscott Town Meeting Votes In Favor Of Boutique Hotel For Hadley)

"Coyotes will teach their pups that this is a good way to get an easy meal," article author and vocal coyote advocate Deb Newman said Wednesday night. "Not only do these attractants directly entice coyotes, but they also bring other wildlife, especially rodents, which are coyotes' favorite prey.

"Where there are rodents, you will see coyotes."

There is a provision in the article that will force residents and commercial businesses to take steps to secure their trash and dumpsters should it be determined that overflow or unsecured garbage is acting as a calling card for rats, mice or the coyotes themselves.

Newman pushed the article as a way to help avoid Swampscott heading down the path of neighboring Nahant, where an increasingly bold coyote population spurred town leaders to authorize targeted shooting of the animals this winter.

"When you feed wildlife you are signing its death warrant," Swampscott Animal Control Officer Scott Considine said. "Because that animal is not going to stop. It's going to continue to come to you. You've made it conditioned. ...

"Then when someone you know — a neighbor, your child, maybe your grandchild — tries to shoo it off and it nips, all of a sudden when push comes to shove, it's human over animal. The animal gets killed."

While the wildlife feeding ban passed with a unanimous vote, there was a bit more debate on the leaf blowers before that passed with an overwhelming majority as well.

The article, modeled after the Marblehead bylaw that passed last year and stood up to a recall challenge last month, bans the use of gas-powered leaf blowers for, essentially, June, July and August.

Because the bylaw still has to be approved by the state attorney general it will not technically go into effect next week. Marblehead's bylaw was not able to be enforced last summer but will be starting May 29.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)