FreeLists / va-richmond-general / [va-richmond-general] Re: Migratory Bird Protection Act

[Susan Heath <sheath@xxxxxxx>]

I usually stay out of these things and I don't want to start a 
controversy here but before you send a complaint about this list to the 
Fish and Wildlife, make sure you are making an informed decision.  Take 
a look at the list of birds which will no longer be protected.  It can 
be found at:

http://policy.fws.gov/library/05-55.pdf

It consists of species that were introduced to the U.S. by humans and 
which in some cases (e.g. the Mute Swan) are decimating habitat that is 
much needed for native species.  Keep in mind that most, if not all, of 
these species were not considered to be protected by the Migratory Bird 
Treaty Act until a 2001 court ruling determined that due to ambiguous 
language in the MBTA, introduced species could not automatically be 
excluded from protection under the act.  Protecting non-native species 
was not the intention of the people that wrote the MBTA.  Exotic and 
introduced species were not a known problem at the time of the original 
drafting of the MBTA and therefore the subject was not addressed in the act.

Please make an informed decision about this rather than deciding that 
making a list of non-protected birds is automatically a bad thing.  
Thanks for listening.  If you have problems with this e-mail, then send 
them to me, not the listserv.

Sue

Heron329@xxxxxxx wrote:

>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has declared that more than  
>100 species of birds protected under international law will no longer be  
>protected in the United States. The FWS's action is the result of an  
>amendment to the recently passed omnibus spending bill, adding the  
>Migratory Bird Treaty Reform Act of 2004. The FWS is accepting public  
>comments until February 3, 2005 on a proposed list of 113 bird species to  
>which the Migratory Bird Protection Act will no longer apply.
> 
> WHAT YOU CAN DO:
>Please submit comments to the USFWS by  February 3, 2005 asking them to 
>withdraw the proposed list.
>
>Chief,  Division of Migratory Bird Management
>U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
>4401  North Fairfax Drive, Mail Stop 4107
>Arlington, VA 22203
>
>Fax: (703)  358-2272
>E-mail: _nonnativebirds@xxxxxxxx ()  <_mailto:nonnativebirds@xxxxxxxx () >
>Phone: (703)  358-1714
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Susan A. Heath
George Mason University
Environmental Science Department
Fairfax, VA

Secretary, Virginia Avian Records Committee
Keeper, Virginia Comp List at www.virginiabirding.org

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