PUBLIC
COMMENTS SOUGHT FOR CAPE COD HUNTING PROGRAMS:
The decision regarding hunting programs at the Cape Cod National Seashore
is at a crucial juncture, and your
comments are needed! The impact of hunting on the Seashore has
been called into question ever since The HSUS and The Fund for Animals
filed a lawsuit alleging that the Seashore's infamous release-and-shoot
pheasant hunt violates the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA).
The allegation is based on the fact that pheasants used in the annual hunt
are not native to the area. They are raised on farms before being
released onto the Seashore, amidst native flora and fauna, as fodder for
hunters' guns. Most of the birds released into the area are disoriented
and are quickly brought down by hunters' gunfire. The remainder are picked
off by predators.
A judge agreed with The HSUS and The Fund that the environmental
documentation was insufficient to justify the hunt and ordered it halted,
pending the completion of a study of the overall impact of sport hunting
programs in the park (see
HUMANElines Issue 265). Now,
as part of the federally-mandated "public scoping" process, Seashore
officials are accepting comments from the public regarding the impact of
sport hunting at the Seashore. Each comment received will be tallied and
counted as a "vote" either for or against hunting on the Seashore.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Send in your comments opposing hunting at the Cape Cod National Seashore
by Friday, July 30. Tell them that you oppose the use of our national
parks as hunting preserves, especially because non-consumptive wildlife
enthusiasts (such as hikers and bird watchers) far outnumber hunters. Let
them know that you find the stock-and-shoot pheasant hunting program to be
particularly objectionable.
Acting Superintendent Michael Murray
Cape Cod National Seashore
99 Marconi Site Road
Wellfleet, MA 02667
Or you can email your comments to
Nancy Finley, the Seashore's Natural Resources Chief, at
nancy_finley@nps.gov
For talking points to include in your written comments, or to send an
automated letter, click
here.
CALLS NEEDED TO MOVE MASSACHUSETTS DISSECTION CHOICE BILL FORWARD:
In Massachusetts, H. 1252, a bill
that would guarantee all students in the state the right to choose
alternatives to animal dissection projects, is being threatened by a
destructive amendment. With only one day left before a vote is expected on
H. 1252 (the vote is expected on Wednesday), calls opposing this amendment
now are crucial!
H. 1252 has the support of a majority of Senators in the state, as well as
the support of 67% of Massachusetts science teachers. Furthermore, more
than 70% of teachers surveyed in Massachusetts already offer alternatives
to animal dissection to their students.
Nonetheless, the conservative Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA),
backed by pro-vivisection lobbying groups, has convinced state senator
Marc Pacheco to introduce an amendment to H. 1252 that would leave the
decision in the hands of local school committees, rather than the state.
This would seriously weaken H. 1252 and leave students who don't wish to
perform pointless dissections to the mercy of their local school
officials.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
- All concerned citizens, especially
Massachusetts residents, should contact Senator Pacheco and urge him to
withdraw his amendment to H. 1252
- Massachusetts residents can also
contact their state Senator and ask him or her to vote against the
Pacheco Amendment to H. 1252. If you need to look up the name of your
state Senator, click here
or call The HSUS at 202-955-3668.
MORE FUR COATS BEING
TOUTED AS PRIZES:
Last month,
Maryland's Herald
Mail reported that this year's
winner of the Miss Maryland beauty pageant has been given, among other
prizes, a full-length, fox-fur coat, courtesy of the Maryland Fur
Trappers, Inc.
The coat represents the deaths of
approximately 18 red foxes, each of whom suffered terribly. Foxes who are
trapped and killed for their fur suffer horribly in the grip of
steel-jawed leghold traps. Often, these traps do not kill the animal
instantly, leaving the animal to linger for days without food, water or
protection from the elements. Some animals chew off their own limbs in an
attempt to escape the trap, and others are killed by predators who come
upon them, helpless to defend themselves. Trapped animals who are still
alive when the trapper arrives may be killed by clubbing or suffocation.
The fact that the Miss Maryland pageant,
which bills itself as a wholesome, philanthropic event, would promote such
gratuitous cruelty is unconscionable. Let's make sure that pageant
officials reconsider, and remove cruelty from next year's list of prizes.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Contact the officials of the
Miss Maryland pageant, and let them know how disappointed you are in their
decision to mar this year's event with such an ugly symbol of animal
crulety.
Sherry Rush, Executive Director
Miss Maryland Organization
609 Fairmeadows Blvd.
Hagerstown, MD 21740
Email:
Srush@allconet.org
MARYLAND RESIDENTS: COME TO A RALLY FOR THE BEARS!
On July 24, Maryland citizens will
be joining The HSUS and the Fund for Animals at Governor Ehrlich’s mansion
to oppose this fall's black bear hunt. All citizens are encouraged to come
and speak out for the bears! Signs, banners and leaflets will be
provided, and speakers will include Fund for Animals' President Michael
Markarian and HSUS' CEO Wayne Pacelle.
When: Saturday, July 24, 2004
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Where: Governor Ehrlich's mansion
100 State Circle
Annapolis, MD 20401
If you are not local to Maryland but
would still like to support the bears, contact Governor Erlich and tell
him that you are not likely to vacation and spend tourist dollars in
Maryland if this is how the state treats its wildlife: