[birdky] Sandhill Crane hunting season vote
- From: Mary Yandell <mtwy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: BiRDKY <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 29 May 2011 23:35:54 -0400
This Friday, June 3, the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission will
vote on the proposal by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife
Resources to start a 2011-2012 Kentucky Sandhill Crane season. The
Commission needs to hear from Kentuckians opposed to beginning this
new season. Before the Friday meeting, email KDFWR Commissioner Jon
Gassett, at jon.gassett@xxxxxxx The meeting is open to the public,
and we encourage those opposed to Kentucky's becoming the first
eastern state in almost 100 years to hunt Sandhill Cranes to plan on
attending the meeting. Thank you.
Mary W. Yandell
Kentucky Coalition for Sandhill Cranes
http://kyc4sandhillcranes.wordpress.com/
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting
Friday, June 3, 2011 – beginning at 8:00 a.m. EDT*
Commission Room – Mitchell Administrative Building
KDFWR – US 60 - Frankfort, KY 40601
Commission will vote whether to make Kentucky the first state to hunt
the
eastern population of Greater Sandhill Cranes in almost 100 years.
Your voice should be heard before that vote!
Here’s the background:
Prior to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, sandhill cranes were
harvested in an unregulated fashion, and at the beginning of the 20th
Century the North American population had plummeted to an
extraordinary low. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA)
established protection for birds from uncontrolled hunting
activities, and as a direct result, the crane population began to
rebound.
Sandhill Cranes are one of the slowest reproducing birds in North
America. This slow rate of what biologists call “recruitment”
resulted in a very slow recovery from overhunting.
The Sandhill Cranes that migrate through Kentucky each spring and
fall are part of the “Eastern Population” (EP), nesting primarily in
southern Ontario, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and formerly wintering
primarily in central Florida. In recent years, increasing numbers
have not migrated all the way south, but instead have stopped to
winter at places like Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge near Chattanooga,
Tennessee, and at Barren River Lake in south-central Kentucky.
What’s being proposed:
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) has
already submitted a draft hunt plan under a federal approval process,
though the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission has not
yet approved any hunt. Under the MBTA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service will have to approve any proposed hunt plan for Sandhill
Cranes. The KDFWR proposes to allow up to 400 Sandhill Cranes to be
shot (harvested) per year, and is based on the “Management Plan For
The Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes” prepared for the Atlantic
and Mississippi Flyway Councils; a plan whose science has been
questioned by the International Crane Federation (which neither
endorses nor opposes hunting). A full copy of the ICF critique of
the proposed Kentucky Plan and the management plan on which it is
based, can be found at http://kyc4sandhillcranes.wordpress.com/kyfws-
and-usfws-documents/
Among the ICF criticisms of the regional plan are the lack of
population modeling for the EP Sandhill Cranes, which could result in
an overharvest of the breeding crane population in the upper Midwest,
and reliance on the untested assumption that population dynamics for
the eastern population of sandhill cranes are comparable to the much
larger and less concentrated Midcontinent crane population. Of the
Kentucky plan, the ICF additionally expressed concern over the lack
of data on the origin of the migrating birds, possibly resulting in
disproportional harvest of birds from specific breeding areas, and
the lack of details about how public participation would be sought on
the decision regarding if and how to hunt cranes. The regional plan
contemplated the individual states would involve the public in the
decision, yet to date KDFWR has not done so. What feedback was
received during general “Town Hall” meetings did not reflect strong
demand or support for such a hunt.
Presently, there are no other eastern states proposing a season on
the eastern population of Sandhill Cranes. Tennessee’s proposal has
been put on hold for two years for additional study, and the state of
Ohio considers the Sandhill Crane to be Endangered as a breeding
species and has not publicly expressed any movement towards a season.
In addition, the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources’ Non-game Bird
Technical Advisory Committee came to consensus that it was not in
favor of supporting establishment of a Sandhill Crane hunting season
there.
Why The Rush To Hunt Sandhill Cranes?
The proposal to hunt sandhill cranes is not one that has been
advanced due to significant public demand. While opponents of this
hunt have been miscast as “anti-hunting” in a campaign by an
organization close to the KDFWR to stir up support for the hunt, in
truth many opponents of this hunt are hunters themselves, as well as
wildlife enthusiasts who believe that the hunt could negatively
affect viewing this majestic species, and who question the rush to
judgment in light of the lack of population data and modeling.
At a time when state employees are furloughed and the state faces a
significant financial crisis, a proposed hunt that will add costs to
the agency, will raise no new revenue, and will require significant
staff oversight, is imprudent. Additionally, moving forward on this
controversial proposal will alienate many potential partners in
conservation who are ready and willing to work to develop a
“watchable wildlife” program similar to that in other states using
this population of migrating cranes as a keystone species, which
could broaden public support for KDFWR’s mission, and engage an
increasingly urban population in outdoor wildlife conservation.
How Can I Provide My Opinion?
The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission will vote on June
3 on whether to approve a hunt plan. Send them a letter, addressed
to “Commissioners, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission,”
and email it to the KDFWR Commissioner Jon Gassett, at
jon.gassett@xxxxxx with a request that he distribute your letter to
the Commissioners prior to the June 3, 2011 meeting.
* For more information, visit the website of the Kentucky Coalition
for Sandhill Cranes at http://kyc4sandhillcranes.wordpress.com/
This fact sheet was developed collaboratively by the KC4SC and
Kentucky Ornithological Society with assistance from the Kentucky
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