Maine Audubon is headquartered at the Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth, and we care about protecting the lands and waters we share with our Falmouth neighbors. For several years we have helped support an effort to strengthen Falmouth’s fertilizer and pesticide ordinance. The resulting ordinance, passed in May, brings us in line with several neighboring municipalities and helps protect local pollinators, beneficial insects, and aquatic invertebrates. However, an effort to repeal this work is on the ballot during the November 2025 election season.
Maine Audubon urges you to protect Falmouth’s environment and VOTE NO on Falmouth Article 1.
Falmouth residents have reached out to us for clarity on our position after seeing numerous yard signs in Falmouth. Here are some facts:
• The updated ordinance went through extensive public review and comment before it was finally passed in May 2025, including public workshops and community forums. More information about the ordinance from the town of Falmouth can be found here (PDF).
• The updated ordinance prohibits neonicotinoids (“neonics”), a widespread class of pesticides with devastating ecological consequences. Unlike other pesticides, neonics are systemic, meaning that they are taken up by plants from the soil and become present in plant material and pollen. Neonic effectiveness is indiscriminate and kills not only pest insects, but beneficial pollinators, such as bees, Monarch Butterflies, and Luna Moths, and wildlife like deer that eat affected plants and insects. Perhaps most widely known, neonic use is attributed to mass pollinator declines which threaten our food system and farmers. Restricting the use of neonicotinoids has become standard practice for municipalities surrounding Falmouth, including the Cities of South Portland and Portland. Learn more about the impacts of neonicotinoids here.
• The ordinance would also help keep pesticides away from Falmouth’s water bodies, aiming to reduce harmful impacts to sensitive aquatic environments. It specifically prohibits pesticide and fertilizer applications within 75 feet of any body of water or within 20 feet of a storm drain. Nutrient runoff, eutrophication, and drinking water contamination are some of the top concerns associated with fertilizer and pesticide applications occurring too close to water bodies or storm management infrastructure. Among the impacts of this runoff is harm to eelgrass beds, which are critical to protecting shorelines from shoreline erosion, providing shellfish nursery habitat, and improving water quality.
• There are plenty of organic pesticides available for use, see here.
We urge you to vote No on Article 1 to protect the health of humans and wildlife in our beautiful town.
Paid for by Maine Audubon