Information Pertinent to Legislative and State Department Activities Since 1906
REPORT NO. 150 VOLUME 43 THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2004
DOVE ADVOCATES LAUNCH PETITION DRIVE
In hopes of halting the recent approval of mourning dove hunting in the state, a coalition of humane and conservation groups announced Thursday a petition plan to put the issue on the 2006 ballot.
The group said it will need to collect nearly 225,000 signatures from registered Michigan voters by March 2005 in hopes of postponing the hunt that fall and getting it on the November 2006 ballot. Still, pending approval from the Natural Resources Commission, dove hunting most likely will be available in southern border counties (except for Monroe) this fall.
“The voters will have the final say whether the bird of peace should be blasted into pieces,” said Michael Markarian, president of the Fund for Animals.
The commission is expected to discuss a staff proposal on the hunt August 12, but probably will set guidelines for the hunt at its September 9-10 meeting. Commission members could not be reached for comment.
There were no signs of protest from groups supporting mourning dove hunting in Michigan during the press conference, but Sam Washington, executive director of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, said he was “thunderstruck” by the news.
“I thought we had put this thing to bed,” he said.
Mr. Washington said it was premature to try to revert back to the ban since the state hasn’t even started the 3-year trial period for dove hunting.
But the coalition said more organizations and volunteers are expected to be on board in order to collect the needed number of signatures.
Coalition members continued to discredit the need for the hunting of mourning doves, citing the state’s history of protecting the bird and lack of nuisance the population proposes.
James Bull with the Detroit Audubon Society said there has been no state baseline population studies to asses whether the dove is overpopulated, one reason cited for expand hunting. Mr. Bull also pointed out that even experienced hunters could mistake other birds, such as American kestrels, for doves. Because Michigan is a breeding ground for mourning doves, many nestlings would be abandoned, Mr. Bull said.
Members from the Michigan Audubon Society also cautioned that dove hunting with lead shot could adversely affect the bird if it is wounded, its predators, or animals and humans that feed off cropland where most dove hunting takes place. Although lead shot used to kill any animal could have these effects, the society said adding another species to the hunting list doesn’t help the situation.
But while the MUCC also has advocated for tracking the mortality rates for mourning doves, national statistics show there is no harm to the bird’s population because of hunting, Mr. Washington said. He pointed out that lead only in some forms is considered toxic, and added that the Environmental Protection Agency has established management guidelines for high-density lead areas (such as shooting ranges), but he doubted a group hunting mourning doves would constitute such an area.
Mr. Washington also said the coalition was ignoring the potential financial benefit for counties with mourning dove hunting, as residents would come into the select area and spend money on everything from hunting equipment to food.
He said if the petition drive proves to be successful, a group either led by the MUCC, or one the MUCC participates in, would assemble.
According to an EPIC/MRA poll conducted in February, 30 percent of Michigan voters support dove hunting. The survey had an error of plus or minus 4 percent.
REPORT NO. 150 VOLUME 43 THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2004