I learned today from an official at KDFWR is that there is NO depredation permit for hawks. Folks, Please stop including that in letters to the legislature. Otherwise, thank you for a great letter KOS.
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 9, 2024, at 7:25 PM, klburt73 <klburt73@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Thanks for this, Jeremy.
It may not be necessary, or perhaps it’s already in the works, but do you or anyone on the board feel it would help get get national organizations involved? Perhaps the AOS or National Audubon Society, etc. Not sure if they would get involved in state matters, but I wondered if wider attention might give pause to those in committees in our state legislature to not act in a way that brings negativity on KY.
Sincerely,Kevin BurtBowling Green
On Jan 9, 2024, at 6:11 PM, Jeremy Teague <archilochus79@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Someone asked for a copy of the letter, so here’s the text, for those who may be interested:
January 9, 2024Dear Members of the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee,
On behalf of the Kentucky Ornithological Society, a respected one hundred-year-old bird conservation organization with hundreds of members, we urge you to oppose SB59, which targets Cooper’s hawks and Red-tailed hawks, and would prohibit state enforcement of the Kentucky law that currently offers state protection for both species.
These species, and all other raptors, are protected under a federal law, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, enforced by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Removing the state’s ability to enforce the killing of these species would shift enforcement to the federal level, which would expose violators to the federal penalties of as much as $250,000 in fines and up to two years imprisonment for each violation.
Both these species of raptors have been known to occasionally take poultry, but they are fierce predators of nuisance species, including rodents such as mice and voles, as well as the invasive European starling. Their benefits to the balance of nature and controlling undesirable species far exceed any purported loss to poultry farmers.
There are existing options available to farmers who are experiencing recurring losses. They can apply for a depredation permit which would allow the taking of the problem bird, or they can build safer enclosures to keep hawks and other predators from taking the poultry. Raptors are notoriously difficult to identify to species, and removing the state enforcement of protection for these two species will create an open season on all raptors.
Our organization, and others like it, represent thousands of bird enthusiasts in Kentucky. Please be assured that this legislation will be strongly opposed and contested by a large share of your constituents. The basis of this legislation is poorly informed, and there seems much to be lost and little to be gained.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter of opposition and to consider your stance on this bill.
Sincerely,Kentucky Ornithological Society Board of Directors
On Tue, Jan 9, 2024 at 5:55 PM Jeremy Teague <archilochus79@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:The KOS board of directors has submitted a formal letter of opposition to the members of the Natural Resources and Energy committee regarding this bill, citing many of the points that have been discussed here and elsewhere.
Please consider contacting the committee members to reinforce the opposition, if you are inclined to do so.
Thanks to Donna for writing this up and sending it to the senators, and thanks to Andrew and Meg for drafting/sharing the original language for BBC that we used as a starting point (good that we had some consistency between points raised from BBC and KOS).
Jeremy TeagueKOS PresidentCalvert City, KY
