From Predator Defense via Project Coyote:
With last week's election, America's war on wildlife was kicked into even
higher gear. That means we need to redouble our efforts, speak out, agitate,
litigate even more emphatically--let alone vote for better candidates!
Today you have an opportunity to stop an appalling event in Oregon--a contest
hunt set for this weekend, Nov 19-20, where participants will slaughter as many
coyotes as possible for prizes. This is appalling. It is also counter to
science, which shows that the more you kill coyotes, the more their
reproductive rates increase. And it presents a risk to endangered wolves, which
are frequently mistaken for coyotes.
The event sponsors say they are holding this event on private land and they can
do what they want. But 77% of the land in Lake County where this event is
taking place is public land. Coyotes do not recognize the boundary lines
between public and private land, and the hunters are known to go wherever the
coyotes do, as they are hell-bent on killing them.
Federal law requires that contest sponsors obtain a special permit from the
U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for these types of
activities, if contestants will be using public lands managed by these
agencies. If endangered species, like gray wolves, are present the agencies
must first prepare a Biological Opinion to determine what impacts the event
will have on that species before issuing permits for the activity.
We have notified the agencies of these requirements and the risk to wolves, but
now they need to hear from the public.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
These are our federal lands, our wolves, our wildlife. No matter what state you
live in you can speak out and share this post. Please call or email the U.S.
Forest Service and BLM officials listed below immediately and tell them the
following:
"Hello, my name is ______ and I live in _______. I'm contacting you today to
urge you to stop or monitor the coyote killing derby that's scheduled this
weekend in Lake County. The organizers say it is being held on private land,
but it will very likely bleed over into federal lands your agency manages, as
coyotes do not recognize the boundary lines. These kinds of hunts are cruel and
unethical. They also pose a grave risk for endangered wolves in the area, which
are easily mistaken for coyotes. The contest sponsors do not have the required
federal permits for having any commercial, organized activities on our public
lands. Please, at the very least, monitor their activities to make sure no
contest-hunting takes place on our public lands and that no wolves are killed.
Better yet, please do what you can to cancel this hunt. It is appalling. Thank
you."
CONTACT THESE RESOURCE MANAGERS IMMEDIATELY!
Teresa Hanley, Acting State Director, BLM
503-808-6026
thanley@xxxxxxx
E. Lynn Burkett, Manager, Lake View District, BLM
541-947-2177
BLM_OR_LV_Mailbox@xxxxxxx
Jim Pena, Regional Forester, U.S. Forest Service
503-808-2204
jpena@xxxxxxxxx
Eric Watrud, Acting Supervisor, Fremont-Winema National Forest
541-947-6205
ewatrud@xxxxxxxxx
Dave Brillenz, District Ranger, Fremont-Winema National Forest
541-947-6328
davidbbrillenz@xxxxxxxxx
FOR MORE INFO
Read our press release at the link below for more background on this
coyote-killing contest and the threat it poses to endangered wolves.
http://www.predatordefense.org/.../coyotes_pressrelease_killi<http://www.predatordefense.org/docs/coyotes_pressrelease_killing_contest_Lake_Co_OR_11-14-16.pdf>
