Automatic Trap Company Announces its TerraTrap GS is Driving Successful, Rapid and Toxin-Free California Ground Squirrel Control at Santa Barbara Airport

According to Airport Maintenance Supervisor Matthew Donahue, the airport area was “teeming with squirrels and other rodents” just a few months ago and poison was not an option with raptors, foxes, and other wildlife nearby

SONOMA, Calif., Oct. 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Automatic Trap Company, the leader in self-resetting traps that are humane and eco-friendly rodent control solutions, announced today the successful implementation of its TerraTrap GS at Santa Barbara Airport (SBA)—delivering effective population-control of the native California ground squirrel while protecting non-target wildlife and critical airport infrastructure.

SBA faced a mounting issue: a large population of California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi) that had colonized turf and infrastructure zones around the airport’s administration-building yard. According to the airport’s maintenance supervisor, Matthew Donahue, the yard was “teeming with squirrels and other rodents.”

Traditional rodenticides were not a viable option. With nearby raptors, foxes, and domestic animals present on or near airport grounds, the risk of secondary poisoning of non-target species was too great. As a result, SBA sought an effective alternative that aligned with the airport’s environmental stewardship goals—and turned to Sonoma, California-based Automatic Trap Company.

“It is everything we could have hoped for and more,” said Matthew Donahue, Santa Barbara Airport Maintenance Supervisor. Automatic Trap Company’s TerraTrap GS delivered results fast—in just a short time the once-overrun yard was clear. As Donahue continued, “In three short months we were able to move the traps to another location and even purchased another to manage other populations on the property.”

Benefits Realized:

Rapid results: Within three months the yard—formerly overrun—was declared clear by airport staff.
Toxin-free: The system eliminated the need for poison baits, reducing risk to non-target wildlife and domestic animals.
Operational safety & infrastructure protection: By reducing burrowing and associated damage risks, the airport enhanced turf integrity and reduced potential hazard exposure.
Scalability & re-deployment: After success in one zone, the TerraTrap GS was redeployed to other locations on the airport property and additional units purchased to broaden management.
Sustainability: The project highlights SBA’s commitment to environmentally conscious pest-management practices, aligning operations with broader wildlife and habitat protection efforts.

“The Santa Barbara Airport success story underscores how modern, non-toxic trapping technology can meet the dual demands of infrastructure protection and environmental responsibility,” said Blair Calder, President of Automatic Trap Company. “We are proud to support organizations like SBA in deploying solutions that are both effective and ecologically sound.”

TerraTrap GS Unique and Key Features:

The TerraTrap GS is purpose-built for ground-squirrel management and combines several best-in-class features:

Mimics the natural environment: The housing is designed to resemble a natural squirrel den or rock outcrop, encouraging the notoriously cautious ground squirrel to investigate.
Self-resetting CO₂ powered mechanism: At the heart of the system is a repurposed version of the Goodnature A18 self-resetting trap mechanism. Each CO₂ cartridge enables multiple activations (up to 18 strikes) before replacement.
Non-toxic, wildlife-friendly design: Because the mechanism is mechanical and toxin-free, the dead squirrels can be scavenged safely by predatory or scavenger wildlife—eliminating risk of secondary poisoning.
Labor-saving and discreet: The design blends into natural surroundings, requires less frequent checks thanks to self-resetting capability and scavenger removal of carcasses, and supports long-term, low-maintenance deployment.
Complete kit: The TerraTrap GS Kit includes the base, tunnel housing, entrance, mounting hardware, the self-resetting trap unit (A18), digital strike counter, and CO₂ cartridges.

Visit https://www.automatictrap.com/ to learn more about Automatic Trap Company or go to https://www.automatictrap.com/products/terratrap-gs-kit to learn more about the TerraTrap GS.

About Automatic Trap Company
Established in 2016, Automatic Trap Company’s vision is to eliminate the preventable suffering of rodents - and we feel we are one step closer with every trap we ship. Sadly, the three most common ways to kill rodents - glue traps, snap traps, and poison - are incredibly cruel. Glue traps are an inhumane and unnecessary way to end a rodent’s life. Snap traps often fail to kill quickly, and they only work on either rats or mice. Poison results in a slow, painful death and exposes other wildlife, such as predator birds, to the same harm. At Automatic Trap, we are breaking the cycle of inhumane and harmful rodent control. We offer pragmatic solutions that eliminate rodents in the most humane and efficient way possible.

Media Contact
Ria Romano, Partner
RPR Public Relations, Inc.
Tel. 786-290-6413

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/81b20693-98fb-4316-8d42-b4e1d38c2815

Cross-section of interior of TerraTrap GS installed at Santa Barbara Airport

Automatic Trap Company’s TerraTrap GS delivered results fast for the Santa Barbara Airport—in just a short time the once-overrun yard was clear of ground squirrels.

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