----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "dgroves@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <dgroves@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: woodpecker97330@xxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, October 28, 2016 12:22 PM
Subject: Tell Congress to Increase the Number of Federal Wildlife Officers to
Keep Staff and Visitors Safe!
#yiv2545661417
| Dear supporters of the National Wildlife Refuge Association, On October
27th, a federal jury found the seven armed occupiers who took over and occupied
the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon to be not guilty of conspiring
to impede federal workers from doing their jobs during those 41 days in January
and February this year. This decision leaves us stunned, outraged and
extremely concerned for the safety and welfare of staff and visitors on
national wildlife refuges across the nation. The message this verdict sends to
others who would challenge the right of dedicated Refuge staff to do their work
and provide for their families is chilling. While we hope this decision is not
interpreted as license for others to disregard the public interest and occupy
national wildlife refuges or other public lands across the country, we know
this concern was on the minds of thousands of Refuge System employees and their
families this morning as they went to work. The employees of the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service have dedicated their careers to public service that benefits
each and every American. But who among us would willingly risk going to work
knowing that armed occupiers can, without consequence, take over any and every
desk, compromise careful research collected over years of field seasons, and
urge others nationwide to join them? The verdict came on the 158th birthday of
President Theodore Roosevelt, who designated the first national wildlife refuge
in 1903. President Roosevelt would never have stood by if something like this
happened and nor can we. The Refuge Association, a non-profit organization
devoted to promoting the Refuge System as the world’s largest network of
protected wildlife and habitat, calls upon Congress to immediately provide the
Refuge System with the number of Federal Wildlife Officers needed to keep staff
and visitors safe. Congress must ensure that all Americans can freely enjoy our
public lands without the danger of encountering armed occupiers claiming the
authority to restrict public access. Please join us by signing this petition,
which will be delivered to every member of Congress when they return after the
election. Thank you, David Houghton President National Wildlife Refuge
Association This email was sent to: woodpecker97330@xxxxxxxxx
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