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Bill Huber, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), is leading the charge for the reintroduction of strychnine as a tool to control Richardson's ground squirrels in the province. In a recent interview, Huber discussed the need for the provincial government to invoke the Saskatchewan First Act to reinstate the use of the rodenticide, which was banned following a federal deregistration order that fully took effect in March 2024.
Strychnine, historically used to combat the burgeoning ground squirrel population, is being sought after by SARM for its effectiveness. According to Huber, it outperforms other available alternatives, such as ZP (zinc phosphide), rosinol, and burrow oat bait. While these products are still in use, their effectiveness falls short of that provided by strychnine, which many Saskatchewan farmers and agricultural producers say is crucial to maintaining the health of their lands and crops.
The Richardson's ground squirrel, often mistaken for the common gopher, poses a significant threat to Saskatchewan's agricultural industry. Huber emphasized that these rodents cause extensive damage to both hay and pastureland by destabilizing the ground with their burrows and dirt mounds. The resulting hazards are dangerous not only to livestock but also to newly seeded crops such as canola, oats, and spring wheat, which the squirrels voraciously feed on.
“They are a real pest,” Huber said. “They seem to be a lot bigger of a problem in drier years, and of course in the last four or five years, in southern Saskatchewan, southwest Saskatchewan, and even parts of central Saskatchewan, we’ve suffered some pretty severe droughts.”
SARM’s call for action is not just about the immediate concerns of crop loss but also about preventing the overpopulation of ground squirrels. These rodents reproduce rapidly, and their numbers can spiral out of control if not kept in check. The optimal time for baiting, according to Huber, is mid-to-late April, before the female squirrels give birth to their young. If left unchecked, a small number of ground squirrels can turn into a much larger problem within a year.
While SARM has had some success with alternative pest control measures, including a cost-shared program for rodent baits, Huber made it clear that these options are not as effective as strychnine. As such, SARM continues to lobby both the federal and provincial governments, aiming to bring strychnine back into the mix of tools available to rural municipalities for managing ground squirrel populations.
“I don’t think we’d look at a bounty program because they just don’t work,” Huber stated when asked if bounties were a viable option. “We’ve had them on coyotes and on beavers, and it’s a hard program to control and manage properly.”
For now, SARM is focused on securing the use of strychnine once more, hoping that the Saskatchewan First Act will offer a pathway to effective pest control in the province’s rural communities.