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THE
C.A.S.H.
C
OURIER
T C
A
S
H
HE
OMMITTEE TO BOLISH PORT UNTING
A DIVISION OF WILDLIFE WATCH, INC.
© 2012 BY WILDLIFE WATCH, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Winter 2012
MISSION STATEMENT:
The mission of C.A.S.H. - Committee to
Abolish Sport Hunting - is to accomplish
what its name says in the shortest possible time. Understanding that abolishing hunting entails a process, a series
of steps taken and not a single action
that would effect our goal overnight, a
time frame cannot be established. We
hope for building a succession of wins,
and if not wins immediately then at
least a succession of stirrings of consciousness. We hope to encourage
those who are still silent to speak out,
awakening community after community
about the heavy hand of state and federal wildlife management agencies. We
hope to alter whatever belief still exists
that sport hunters are conservationists
and champions of the environment to a
realization that they are destroyers of
wildlife and ecosystems in the narrow
and broad sense. Where the natural
feeling for wildlife doesn’t exist, we
strive to engender among citizens outrage that their own rights are violated
by legal hunting and their quality-of-life
diminished.
Luke A. Dommer was the founder of the
Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting. He was its
president from 1976 until his passing in August
1992. Mr. Dommer’s research and publications
served as the foundation for the anti-hunting
movement. He remains, through this organization, an invaluable and dedicated warrior in the
battle to save wild animals, the environment,
and general public from the silent economy that
encourages and preys on the passion of a few to
kill the wildlife that belongs to all.
Wildlife Watch Inc.
a 501(c)3 Not-for-Profit Corporation.
Contributions are tax-deductible.
C.A.S.H. COURIER
PO Box 562 New Paltz, NY 12561
845-256-1400 - Phone
Fax - 845-501-3175
e-mail: [email protected]
Anne Muller - Editor
E.M. Fay, Assoc. Editor
Robert Greenough - Desktop Publishing
www.wildwatch.org
www.all-creatures.org/cash
BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY’S DEER
“CULL” STOPPED IN ITS TRACKS!
HOW IT HAPPENED
BY PETER MULLER
On November 21st 2011, I
received an email from
Sidell
Gold
from
Binghamton:
I wanted you to know of
the planned culling of nearly 200 deer, to take place
during student break.
Do you have any info on
how to stop it?
Unfortunately, that is not
an unusual type of email for
us to receive at C.A.S.H. A
deer-kill has been planned,
arranged for, the necessary
rationalizations have been
made to the media, and the
game agency’s (in this case the NYS
DEC) permits are in place. It’s the
11th hour. What do we do now?
The University of Binghamton, a
New York State University, had
planned to hire Tony DeNicola and
his gang of alleged sharpshooters to
kill 90% of the deer in a 300 acre
“Nature Preserve” that was part of
the university’s campus because the
deer were eating flowers. The date
was set for December 21st when
most students would be away on
semester break.
A public meeting on that plan was
scheduled for December 6 th.
C.A.S.H. armed Sidell with all the
arguments against the planned
killing. We told her about immunocontraception, about the compensatory rebound of deer populations
reduced by killing, and the ineffectiveness of the action due to immigration of deer from adjoining
areas. She reported back the next
day:
“The meeting was unbelievable.
The University Vice President would
not let me speak. This was not a
meeting! Instead, they handed out
cards, for questions, and said that
they would select which ones they
chose to answer.
…
I did get up and personally ask the
Vice President to permit a presenta-
Please see BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY, Page 3
PAGE 1
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
I am looking over our database of
hunting accidents for
the year gone by. In
just about every way it
was a typical year for
accidents, with our
being able to document
544 that we tracked
down through published media
reports. Here are a few things we’ve
been able to glean from crunching the
numbers:
• Victims ranged in age from five to
eighty-five years old.
• Over 14% of accident victims
were children younger than eighteen.
• Over 14% of fatalities were children younger than eighteen.
• Over 28% of hunting accidents
documented were fatal.
• 119 fatalities and injuries were the
result of falls from tree stands – over
21%.
• New York had the most
injuries/fatalities: 50.
• Accidents and fatalities were
recorded in every state, with the
exception of Nevada.
I wish we could say that there
were only 544 hunting accidents in
2011, but we know that for every
accident we document, there are
hundreds more that do not come to
our attention. We know this to be
true because of an article from the
EXPOSING
THE
BIG GAME
Mark Your
Calendar for June
29th. That is the
date of the release
of EXPOSING
THE BIG GAME,
Jim Robertson’s
first book. Jim can
be contacted at
[email protected]
Brandon Valley Challenger, a small
weekly out of Dell Rapids, South
Dakota. In an article from 2009, a
state hunting safety instructor told
a reporter that in 2008 there were
4,114 hunting accidents reported in
South Dakota alone. Extrapolating
this figure to the 50 states and it’s
possible that each year there are
over two-hundred-thousand hunting accidents in the United States.
This is in sharp contrast to the reports
coming from the special interests
within the hunting industry claiming
that hunting with firearms is safer
than activities such as bowling or
cheerleading. If these numbers are
accurate it means that 1.66% of
hunters will fall victim to an accident
in any given year – what a tragic
price to pay for engaging in such an
unnecessary activity.
Contrary to what our critics
believe, we’re not happy when hunting accidents occur, and if we could
change things we’d eliminate hunting
accidents altogether by eliminating
sport hunting now and forever. But
we understand that as long as violent
people enter the woods with the
intent to kill, there will be times when
they will injure and kill themselves
and each other – they will become the
victims of the very violence they
wish to impose upon others. That’s
not C.A.S.H. being cold, anti-human,
or hateful – it’s our recognition of an
undeniable fact.
The moral is: Be safe – Don’t hunt.
Springtime is a wonderful time to
enjoy the wild animals who live
among us. As the days get longer, and
the air gets warmer, we’ll be spending more time outdoors and will be
able to enjoy watching nature come
alive again. We’ll soon be seeing
woodchucks, butterflies, hummingbirds, tortoises, and other animals as
they wake up from their winter naps.
Keep your camera and binoculars
handy, and be sure to take a kid
camping, hiking, or boating, because
spring is a perfect time to teach
young people that wildlife should be
respected and that watching animals
enjoy their lives is in every way superior to anything else we can do in our
interaction with them.
Peace,
Joe
MOURN FOR CIVILITY
AND WHAT’S KIND AND GENTLE
September 1, 2011, marked the first day of Mourning dove hunting in
93 years! Oh, and they can be shot with lead shot. (We will write more
about hunting and lead ammunition in the next issue of the Courier.)
Merle Wilson of IA wrote:
IA has become a very disappointing state to live in.
80 % of Iowa’s population
did NOT want a bill to kill
doves. Legislators I would
call “DNR pimps,” attached a
Dove Bill to another bill so it
would not come up for
debate and got it passed!
If you would like to stop more of this visit LOHV.org
PAGE 2
Bad Hare Days –
One Man’s Fight
Against a Cruel
Blood Sport!
BY JOHN FITZGERALD
REVIEWED BY E.M. FAY
This engaging first-hand account
of the long fight to end the barbaric “sport” of hare coursing in
Ireland is related in a novelistic
manner, partly because of the strict
Irish libel laws, but the story is
quite true, and truly harrowing.
Freelance journalist/writer John
Fitzgerald put his life and livelihood
on the line out of a deep compassion for the terrible suffering
caused to harmless hares in his
native Ireland by his fellow countrymen. While still a boy, he visited
a well-to-do farmer’s house, the
uncle of a schoolmate, and learned
what coursing actually entailed. He
was horrified by the brutality he
witnessed at his first sight of a
coursing event.
Hare coursing
involves the pursuit of hares on an
enclosed course, usually by greyhounds, and the eventual savage
death of the hare when caught. It
is thus a blood sport, like fox hunting. Coursing is competitive, with
gambling on the outcome very
much a part of it, and the men who
participate consistently display a
heartless attitude towards the suffering of the hares.
Please see BAD HARE DAYS
Story, Page 9
BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY
Continued from page 1
tion on birth control. He ignored my
request and brushed me aside.
…
I did get up to ask the speaker if he
had done a deer survey or environmental impact study. He had the craziest answer, he said, “We’ll make it
up as we go along.”
At this point, we saw no other
option but a court injunction to stop
the killing –a daunting project given
a local court venue, the major
employer in the area as defendant,
and the NYS Attorney General as
their attorney.
There was only one attorney who
would have a chance at succeeding:
David Bernheim, Esq. He is a highly experienced litigator in cases
that involve animal and environmental protection. He was willing
to take on the case. Barbara Stagno,
New York State Director of In
Defense of Animals, arranged with
IDA for the neccesary funding.
Sidell found the best possible local
plaintiff to join the suit – a retired
professor
from
Binghamton
University whose house adjoined the
preserve. He was concerned that the
alleged sharpshooters would shoot
into his house, or injure or kill members of his family. With him on our
side, there could be no challenge
regarding our “standing” in the case.
David, Sidell, and I conferred by
phone. I suggested that looking at
the requirements imposed by
SEQRA (State
Environmental
Quality Review Act) might impose
conditions on the planned action
which the University had not followed.
SEQRA requires that before an
action is undertaken that requires
approval by a government agency,
such as a town board, town planning board, or the state environmental conservation agency (in
New York State it’s the DEC) – the
permitting agency must review the
effect of the contemplated action
PAGE 3
with regard to the quality of the
environment.
The first SEQRA decision the
agency must make is whether the
action is a type-I or type-II action. A
type-I action is one that likely has
a major impact on the environment (e.g. a proposal to clear cut 90
acres of forest and put up a 75 house
development.) A type-II action is
one which is not likely to have a
major environmental impact (e.g. a
homeowner plans to build an extension to his house – adding a bedroom
and a bathroom).
If an action is determined to be a
type-II action – the SEQRA portion
to the permitting process is completed.
If an action is determined to be a
type-I action the applicant must
file an EIS (Environmental Impact
Statement) which has many precisely defined stages with lots of opportunity for public input and requires
approval by the permitting agency at
each stage. It frequently takes
years and hundreds of thousand of
dollars in consulting fees to complete an EIS. Declaring an action to
be a type-1 action is sometimes tantamount to killing the project.
Each State has its own SEQRA, so
what we did here may not apply in
other states.
The NY State Environmental code
concerning SEQRA states:
§617.7 Determining Significance
(c) Criteria for determining significance.
(1) These criteria are considered
indicators of significant adverse
impacts on the environment:
(ii) the removal or destruction of
large quantities of vegetation or
fauna; substantial interference
with the movement of any resident
or migratory fish or wildlife
species; impacts on a significant
Please see BINGHAMTON
UNIVERSITY, Page 7
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT – DUE FOR CHANGE
BY JANET PISZAR
In NJ, a war is raging. The adversaries
are the activists for modernized wildlife
management vs. traditional hunters. The
unsuspecting majority is made to believe
that hunting, although dreadful, is necessary for wildlife management.
The ideology that no one may own
wildlife originated in ancient Roman law
and was adopted by the British Empire via
the Magna Carta. It carried over to the
United States and became the antecedent
of our constitution. Public Trust Doctrines
(PTD) assert that natural resources, such as
oceans, rivers, wildlife, etc., are publicly
owned and held in trust for all. It avows
that no sovereign— government — can
own public assets.
In defiance of that mandate, wildlife is in
fact controlled by a small and shrinking
special interest group—hunters. The archaic statute, NJSA 13:1B-24 dictates that the
trustees, a Fish and Game Council, have
eleven members. Six are hunters, nominated by the NJ Sportsman’s Federation.
Three are farmers— also hunters— nominated by the Agricultural Convention. Of
the remaining two one is the chair of the
Endangered and Non-Game Species
Committee and the other one is someone
knowledgeable about land use. Clearly, the
membership is biased since it is without
broad, democratic representation.
NJ statutes countermand the PTD. In
The Outdoor Heritage of New Jersey,
1937, by George C. Warren, Jr. and H. J.
Burlington, the authors describes the Fish
and Game Commission: “The agency was
to be non-political with a policy of noninterference.” They clarify that the commissioners were, men of the great outdoors, sportsmen for the most part…”
Doe Day, The Antlerless Deer
Controversy in New Jersey, was published
in 1963 by Dr. Paul Tillett, Rutgers professor, attorney and hunter. Marion Clawson,
Director of Land Use and Management
wrote in her Foreword to that book,
“Wildlife management in most states is
under the political control of sportsmen
and to some extent, of private landowners
on whose lands much of the hunting takes
place. These interest groups have taken
over this function in large part, because of
the general indifference of the public.”
In the early 1980s, there were approxi-
mately 200,000 hunters in NJ. NJ’s 2008
application for Federal Aid to Wildlife
Restoration funds shows 79,539 hunting
license holders including hunters from outside NJ. According to the US Dept. of
Agriculture’s NJ Census, there were
approximately 3,000,000 agricultural
acres in the mid 1870s and 894,426 in
1987. The most recent 2007 census shows
less than a third, or 733,450 remaining
acres. A total of 15,936 farm operators own
10,327 farms.
Today the two controlling factions,
hunters and farmers, represent less than
2% of the state’s population but promulgate wildlife policy with total disregard to
the views of the remaining 98%.
Hunters enjoy killing and need to purchase licenses for their recreation. Game
animals are an economic engine for the
state. Therefore, management goals are to
maintain surplus inventories of game
species. The states’ eligibility for Federal
Aid to Wildlife Restoration is largely calculated by the number of license purchasers a state can attract. Thus, there is
great attention paid to hunter success and
satisfaction.
What is wrong with hunter control of
wildlife? The Division of Fish & Wildlife’s
(DFW) deer harvest reports for 2008,
2009, 2010 reveal that 59% of deer management zones were managed for population increase/stabilization. Deer thrive on
early succession food. NJ’s Bureau of
Land Management optimizes habitat in
Wildlife Management Areas. Mowing,
controlled burning, planting, tilling, artificially provide vast tender vegetation for
deer, turkeys and other game species.
Weight, health and proliferation are boosted.
The NJ Audubon Society’s “Forest
Health and Ecological Integrity” policy
paper was published in March 2005. It
cites, “Wildlife management to facilitate
hunting opportunities has been a key contributor to deer over population.”
We see how the model for wildlife control is historically rooted. However, it is
irrefutable that Clawson’s statement of
“general indifference of the public” is no
longer accurate. Evolved humane-minded
individuals and organizations strive for
modernization that no longer focuses on
PAGE 4
recreational killing. Non-consumptive
stakeholders have employed opposition
through: lawsuits, petitions to the courts,
protests and demonstrations, education to
inspire others, lobbying, and even deliberately provoking arrests via civil disobedience.
Deer are not managed for public benefit.
NJ Open Public Records Request No.
111736 reveals that in Deer Management
Zones managed for increase, no research
was conducted to learn of negative consequences, such as vehicle-deer collisions.
This exposes a grievous disregard for public safety.
Many residents are aggravated by deer
that forage on landscape, emerge on roadways or leave feces in yards, but their anger
must be redirected to those responsible: the
DFW and its hunter-centric management
for recreational hunting and revenue.
I conclude with the sentiments of those
far wiser than I:
The Public Trust Doctrine, Richard A.
Epstein, “Expectations must be deemed to
change as time, circumstances and public
attitudes change, and expectations which
might have been reasonable at one time
can cease to be reasonable.”
And, with Clawson’s acknowledgement,
“….the
old
sportsman-association
approach may be increasingly outmoded;
new scientific understanding offers the
possibility of vastly better resource management than we have experienced in the
past.”
PUBLIC
TRUST
Wildlife
Management commands broad public
representation for equitable and lawful
jurisdiction in the creation of wildlife policy. We aim for state wildlife management
that is reflective of democracy, evolved
public opinion and values, bona fide science, and the public’s full trust.
To receive quarterly newsletters and
action alerts, please register your contact
information with:
[email protected].
-------------------------Janet Piszar is Founder and President of
PUBLIC TRUST Wildlife Management,
P.O. Box 646 Chatham, NJ 07928, Fax
(973) 467-2189,
[email protected]
The Sandhill Cranes of Kentucky
BY EILEEN FAY
The Kentucky Department of Fish
and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR)
has created a hunting season for
Sandhill Cranes, a bird not formerly
hunted legally in Kentucky. They are
already hunted legally in 12 other
states, all of which are in the West.
Kentucky is the first of the eastern
states to take this step, although others are considering it.
In common with other states’ departments of natural resources and “conservation” agencies, the KDFWR
claims that their mission is to manage wildlife for all citizens. This
claim is belied by their precipitate
decision to allow the killing of inoffensive Sandhill Cranes, a muchloved migratory visitor to Kentucky.
The process to open this new hunting
season began in 2010, and was mostly
carried out “under the radar,” unbeknownst to most citizens.
The eight men on the governing
commission of KDFWR are nominated by hunters and fishermen; thus,
they represent only a tiny percentage
of the population of Kentucky.
Members need only have held a hunting or fishing license in the state for
two years. When the suggestion to
open a season on Sandhill Cranes
was made, only one public meeting
was held to discuss it, thereby showing little inclination to hear the full
range of public opinion.
Even though the KDFWR earns
revenue from the sale of license
plates with pretty pictures of wildlife
and the slogan “Nature’s Finest,”
implying that they celebrate nature,
the department is clearly more interested in promoting hunting – including finding ways to increase violence
towards wildlife, e.g., adding
Sandhill Cranes to the list of animals
legally available for slaughter.
Regional Flyway Councils set
migratory bird policy in the U.S.
They have created a “management”
plan for Sandhill Cranes over a number
of years, one of the objectives of which
is to provide more hunting opportunities. Other objectives are increased
options for wildlife watching, and
management of flocks to avoid crop
depredations. The latter is an issue in
some Midwestern states, but not in
Kentucky, as the birds are not residents
there. Sandhill Cranes only migrate
through Kentucky at various points,
dependent upon the weather. The
Eastern Flyway Council allowed each
state to make their own proposal
regarding the cranes. In Kentucky, the
state legislature was not involved in the
decision, as hunting regulations do not
have to be approved or voted on by
them. They are sent to the
Administrative and Regulation Review
Subcommittee, but it basically functions as a rubber stamp on whatever
measures the KDFWR asks for.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources
Agency developed a Sandhill Crane
hunting proposal for the state at the
behest of a petition from local
hunters, but a strong response from
the TN Ornithological Society and
other groups persuaded them to postpone approval of the hunting season
until more research could be done. In
Kentucky, however, the KDFWR
Commissioner pushed it through,
PAGE 5
insisting there was great hunter
demand. Despite this assertion, only
330 permits were applied for
statewide; as of end of hunting season, 50 birds were reported killed.
Carol Besse, President of the
Kentucky Ornithological Society, said
that a broad coalition of environmental, conservation, and birding groups
worked indefatigably to be heard in
time for the August 1st public input
deadline, but without success. In her
Louisville Courier-Journal op-ed
piece, Besse wrote that the
International Crane Foundation,
“the foremost authority on cranes
and an organization that neither
endorses nor opposes hunting
cranes, was refused the opportunity
to present scientific research on
crane populations prior to the commission’s vote on the hunt proposal.” Besse further pointed out that the
ICF’s painstaking research was callously dismissed as mere “magical
numbers” by the KDFWR commissioners “in their headlong rush to be
the first state in the Eastern United
States to hunt Sandhill Cranes in
almost 100 years.”
The Sandhill Crane is an impressive bird, with a distinctive long neck
and legs. They can be from 3 to 5 feet
tall and weigh from 6.5 to 14 lbs.
Their broad wingspan – typically 5 to
over 6 feet – makes them a very
skilled soaring bird, similar to hawks
and eagles. Using thermal winds to
lift them up, Sandhill Cranes can stay
aloft for many hours with only occasional flapping of their wings.
Plumage is generally in various
shades of gray. Forehead and crown
have reddish skin, and the face, chin,
upper throat, and nape range from
white to pale gray. A white cheek
patch is present on the adult birds.
Please see SANDHILL CRANES
Story, Page 6
Continued from page 5
Juvenile plumage develops from cinnamon brown to gray during the first
year. The cranes have long black
beaks, and black legs and feet.
Sandhill Cranes inhabit open grasslands, meadows, and fresh water wetlands; their nests are usually constructed in low mounds made of vegetation found in the nesting area.
They congregate in huge numbers
during migration.
Although their scientific name is
“Grus canadensis,” the appellation
“Sandhill” was added because of
their annual use of Nebraska’s sand
hills region, an important stopover on
their migratory route. Hundreds of
thousands of birds arrive there annually as they fly south for the winter.
Eastern Sandhill Cranes were hunted almost to extinction just a century
ago. When the Migratory Bird Treaty
Act was passed, they began to make a
comeback. Now, according to the
USGS, the leading threat to the
Sandhill Cranes, which include six
sub-species, is the loss and degradation of wetland habitats. Excessive
water withdrawals and potential dam
construction projects are another
serious survival issue. Humancaused loss of roosting habitats has
led to increased concentration of
migrating crane flocks, which adds
to the risk of more disease and
other threats. In the prairie
regions, the USGS states that
“Over-hunting poses a potential
threat to certain segments......of the
Sandhill Crane populations. Lead
and mycotoxin poisoning, abnor-
Sandhill Cranes
mal predation pressures, and collisions with fences, vehicles, and utility lines are of local concern for various populations.”
One cogent argument against
hunting Sandhill Cranes in
Kentucky is that no study has been
done of the potential impact on the
local population. It is unknown as to
whether it can sustain a hunt. On
behalf of Sandhill Cranes, 17 organizations enlisted, signing a letter opposing
the hunt – from Kentucky Coalition for
Sandhill Cranes and Louisville
Beckham Bird Club to local Audubon
chapters and the Sierra Club; individuals from other states, including Ohio
and Tennessee, also joined in.
As is usual with animal advocacy versus the hunting lobby, the pro-hunting
faction erroneously portrayed all crane
supporters as being generally anti-hunting. They brought in the Kentucky
League of Sportsmen and the NRA,
both groups possessed of huge e-mail
lists. People who wanted to save the
cranes wrote lengthy, thoughtful letters
about why hunting cranes is wrong, but
their adversaries mainly replied to a
mass robo-e-mailing.
A major advocate for Sandhill
Cranes is the Kentucky Coalition for
Sandhill Cranes, founded in 2010 to
make the public aware of the proposed
crane hunt. Mary W. Yandell, CoFounder of KCSC, told us:
“The Kentucky Coalition for
Sandhill Cranes, which has both hunting and non-hunting members, gathered thousands of signatures and spoke
at every public opportunity to express
opposition to the proposed Kentucky
Sandhill season. Despite a general lack
of interest in hunting cranes and obvious support for maintaining the status
of the cranes in the state, KDFWR did
exactly what it set out to do. Worse, the
Department’s approach was hostile to
opposing views, belittling and misrepresenting those attempting to bring a
broader perspective into the process.
As in most states, the general public
PAGE 6
has literally no vote – zero – on
what happens to wildlife in the
state. As un-American as it seems,
what we have is conservation without representation.”
As Carol Besse put it:
“There is simply no good reason to
hunt Sandhill Cranes, and there are
many reasons not to. Kentuckians are
currently able to hunt deer, elk, bear,
squirrel, rabbit, turkey, quail, grouse,
dove, woodcock, snipe, crow, and
dozens of species of waterfowl
including ducks, geese, coots, mergansers, moorhens, gallinules and
rails. The hunters of Kentucky were
not vocal on the issue of hunting
cranes until several groups closely
aligned with the KDFWR stirred
them up by falsely claiming that
opposition was against all hunting
and if this proposal was stopped, the
next step would be to end all hunting
and to come and take their guns
away. It was easy to gin up support
for the hunt by using lies and scare
tactics such as these, and the agency
should be ashamed at having done
so.”
Nationwide, state conservation
agencies receive most of their support from only a small proportion of
the populace: basically, the hunting
and gun lobbies. Unfortunately, not
Please see SANDHILL CRANES
Story, Page 11
Continued from page 3
BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY
habitat area; substantial adverse
impacts on a threatened or endangered
species of animal or plant, or the habitat of such a species; or other significant adverse impacts to natural
resources;
In short, removal or destruction of
large quantities of fauna is to be considered a likely adverse impact on the
environment and therefore likely to be
a type-I action requiring an EIS.
At the first court hearing, on
December17th, David Bernheim
succeeded in getting a temporary
restraining order. The judge considered there to be sufficient evidence
to prohibit the University from proceeding until she had a chance to
study the submitted briefs. Then, on
December 23rd, State Supreme
Court Justice Molly Fitzgerald ruled
that the University must first comply
with the State Environmental Quality
Review Act process before going
ahead with the culling.
Judge Fitzgerald held that counter to the arguments advanced by the
NY State’s office of the Attorney
General and the DEC’s insistence
that it could issue a “Nuisance
Permit” without an EIS – the action
required an EIS. At first, the
University gave the impression that
they could come up with the EIS in a
fairly short time. On January 6th,
David Bernheim was informed by
Assistant Attorney General Michael
Danaher, representing the University,
that they would not be able to comply
with the SEQR process by the end of
January when classes resume, so the
deer culling plan was off for now.
WHAT DOES ALL THAT MEAN
FOR A FUTURE CASE?
We now have case law in New
York State that establishes that deer
culls (‘the removal or destruction of
large quantities of vegetation or
fauna”) are a type-I action under
SEQRA which requires a full EIS.
Notwithstanding the pleadings of
the DEC.
By their own regulation, one criterion for issuing a nuisance permit to kill
or trap wildlife is that the applicant
can show that killing or trapping
wildlife as requested in the application
will obviate the existing nuisance. If it
can be shown that other animals will
likely move into the area to take the
place of the animals killed, then the
alleged nuisance cannot be solved by
the issuance of the permit.
Thanks to the work of David
Bernheim, Esq., Sidell Gold, Barbara
Stagno of IDA, and C.A.S.H., New
York State now has case law established by this decision. In the future,
we should have better success in litigating “cull” cases in New York State.
-------------------------Peter Muller is VP of C.A.S.H. and
designer
of
the
website:
www.nocull.org
HILLSBOROUGH, NJ, RESIDENTS FEAR
HUNTERS WILL KILL A CHILD –
Parents in the Township of
Hillsborough, NJ, are afraid to let
their children play in yards after a
bullet came into a resident’s
house. The bullet passed through
a linen closet and fell after hitting
a wall in an upstairs bathroom.
The Grandmother and youngest
child were home at the time.
Neighbors went to the township to
lodge their complaints about tres-
passing hunters. They want the
buffers
around
the
house
increased as bullets and arrows
travel farther. “One life is too
much to lose.”
One man said he has had buckshot rain down on him, and was
almost assaulted when he confronted hunters in tree stands.
Another said there were many
decaying carcasses (deer bodies)
out there. An elderly man got up
and said he also had bullets rain
down and WAS assaulted by
hunters.
Hillsborough, NJ Township information is:
http://www.hillsborough-nj.org/Cit-eAccess/Mayor/?TID=45&TPID=5232
Thank you to Susan Gordon
for the posting.
Support Hillsborough
by stating your agreement with increased buffers
or - better yet - a hunting ban
Warning: Not Safe For Humans - Stray Bullets Do Hit Unintended Targets
Reported on 2/25/12 in North Dakota:
This hunter’s bullet went through a window,
A hunter's bullet ripped through a wincontinued through a refrigerator, crashed
through the wall behind the fridge, continued dow of Frieda Kassner’s house as she was
through a closet into a bathroom. The woman sitting in her living room about 10:30 a.m.
She was hit by glass but uninjured.
was a fraction of an inch from being killed.
http://thechive.com/2012/02/22/stray-bullet-causes-one-hell-of-a-scare-11-photos/
PAGE 7
http://www.kfgo.com/fm-headline-news.php?pageNum_rsTSnews2=47&totalRows_rsTSnews2=3291&ID=0000002213
OUR BEAUTIFUL DOG WAS SHOT!
Our beautiful malamute/husky dog, Reka, was shot yesterday while hiking with
Jeff on a high use trail in
Pike National Forest, across
the street from the road we
live on.
At 2 pm, on this gorgeous sunny Saturday, Jeff
went for his customary hike
with our dogs. We hike with
our dogs 4-5 times per
week on the trails near our
house. He parked at his
usual place at the trailhead on Cedar Mountain Road, and
was hiking down a marked foot trail that leads to the 717
system. Two men, one from Castle Rock, and one from
Colorado Springs, were out shooting coyotes for fun.
They were utilizing some type of “coyote calling” device to
attract coyotes, and this got Reka’s attention and she went
towards the noise. She was shot in the chest. She is a tall
75 lb malamute/husky, wearing a bright orange reflective collar with tags.
Jeff wrapped Reka in his sweatshirt to stem the bleeding, and immediately called me. Fortunately, I was at
home, and within minutes I was there and I was able to get
Reka over to Teller Park Vet and into surgery. With the
assistance of Dr. Lemons, we spent two hours working on
her, and despite a horrific wound and extensive blood loss,
I believe she will survive, although it remains to be seen if
she will be able to return to her previous level of fitness and
continue to climb 14er’s with Jeff.
Jeff called the Teller County Sheriff’s department and
the Division of Wildlife. Apparently, as long as the
hunters “believed” that they were shooting a coyote,
they are within their rights to shoot and/or kill dogs,
hiking alongside their owners, with absolute impunity.
This is OUTRAGEOUS. I am incensed and livid that in
a relatively densely populated area like Divide, on a marked
trail, adjacent to Teller County’s largest subdivision of Indian
Creek Estates, recreational shooters can shoot and kill your
BY LISA G. S. BERG, DVM
dog while you are hiking with her. They did not shoot her
because she was unattended, at large, or chasing wildlife or
livestock, or threatening anyone - in fact, she is quite shy and
would never approach a stranger. They shot her because
they were trigger-happy and did not have a clear enough
view to distinguish a 75 lb collared malamute mix, hiking
with a man and 3 other dogs, from a coyote.
On the USDA Forest Service’s own website, Pike
National Forest is described as “... a busy urban national
forest noted for the majority of fourteen thousand foot
peaks in Colorado ...” We do not live in an area where you
would not expect to see other hikers, horse riders, and
ATV’ers and dog walkers!
Where is the justice? We live here because we love
nature and the outdoors. We have every right to hike with
our dogs in the national forest off leash, as long as we can
recall them with voice commands. I know that so many of
you, like me, spend hours of your free time out in the
national forest with your dogs, horses and children. Jeff
and I, along with many of our friends, family, and children,
have hiked this trail HUNDREDS of times in the last 4
years. I do not think it is unreasonable to expect to be able
to hike with your dogs, off leash but within recall range,
without fear of being shot and killed. Shouldn’t a person
wielding a deadly weapon have to have a clear view of
what he is shooting?
I think it is time to make hunters and recreational shooters RESPONSIBLE for knowing what they are shooting.
Hunters do not get a bad reputation for killing/consuming
game, or defending their property or livestock. They have
this reputation because of incidents like this, when dogs,
cattle, or horses are mistakenly shot due to the hunter not
having a clear view of what he is shooting.
I am going to try to find a way to put on the books,
somewhere, that if you can’t clearly see what you are shooting, then YOU SHOULDN’T SHOOT IT, and you will be
responsible financially, via heavy fines, if you do so.
Shooters should have to take responsibility for shooting
and/or killing our pets!!!!!! I also believe that if they want
to shoot wildlife, they need to GET OFF the marked trails,
where people, horses, and ATVers can be expected to be.
Yes, it may take more effort for them to “bushwhack” to get
off the trails - too bad! In heavily wooded areas like Pike
National Forest, it is often impossible to see that the dog
coming around the corner of the trail towards you is 15 feet
from its owner!!!!
Since they clearly could not see that Reka was hiking
with a tall man in a bright red Parka, and 3 other dogs,
including Sprighty, it is entirely possible that the bullet that
Please see
OUR BEAUTIFUL DOG Story, Page 11
PAGE 8
In Memory of RITA SARNICOLA
Rita’s friends at
C.A.S.H. lost a dear
friend and colleague on
February 3, 2012. Rita
Sarnicola passed away
after a long illness. Rita
was a strong fighter for
animal protection. She
was the founder of
CROW - Citizens Respectful of
Wildlife- whose mission was to stop
crow killing in Auburn, NY, and
“Shooting Contests” in NYS. Most
recently, Rita was the Director of the
Finger Lakes Region Affiliate of
LOHV NY. Rita and her husband,
Joe, lived in Auburn,
In Rita’s obituary, one line popped
out: Rita loved animals and was
very active in the humane treatment of any species..
Joe, Rita’s husband wrote:
Rita’s public work for animals started when she joined the board of the
local SPCA, then became its president. She did not like its antiquated
ways, especially the high euthanasia
rate. I’m pleased to say that the
SPCA no longer kills thousands of
cats and dogs each year, and that
might never have changed unless
someone like Rita had stepped in.
She held many different pet and
wildlife educational events and programs, and often visited schools for
the same reason. She enjoyed working
with the League of Humane Voters on
bills and gaining support for them.
Rita fought against the crow killing
here, and tried to turn what the community viewed as a negative into a
positive, such as having a crow festival. She held a few crow related
events at two museums here, and was
making real progress. Fifteen years
ago, she started a pet food pantry,
which is still being operated by a
lovely couple. She wanted to do so
much more, but her health prevented
her from doing so.
It goes without saying that it will be
a sadder world for the animals and for
us without our dear friend, Rita.
Rita will be in our hearts as we press
for humane change.
To send your condolences to Rita’s
husband, Joe, please send to:
[email protected]
--------------------------
Bad Hare Days
descriptions of the verdant Irish
countryside and introduces us to
the private life of the timid hare:
the charm of the male hares’ courting ritual, and the devotion of the
does to their leverets (baby hares).
Yet, as he poignantly notes, “The
prospect of death is never too far
away.” In the open grass, where
hares seek food, they are easy prey
for foxes or hawks. Still, if this natural predation were their only problem, hares might still be thriving,
but as they were rounded up and
netted in large numbers to be used
for coursing events, their survival
was put in real jeopardy.
In contrast to the graceful hare,
Fitzgerald shows us the brutish,
coarse demeanor and language of
the heartless men who hunt them;
their apparently unthinking, casual
cruelty as they discuss the animals’
suffering left a lasting impression
on him. His language is evocative,
as he likens the cry of the savaged
hare to a child’s scream.
Several esteemed Irish Senators,
including two future presidents,
introduced anti-coursing legislation
in the 1970s, but the powerful network of coursing clubs with friends
in high places – shamefully including priests and government ministers – crushed any hope of passing
a bill for decades.
The David vs. Goliath aspect of
Fitzgerald’s fight makes for suspenseful reading. Although hare
coursing is now outlawed in Britain
and Northern Ireland, the Republic
of Ireland still allows it, and shockingly, invites coursing enthusiasts
from other countries to enjoy the
continuing cruel practice when they
visit Ireland. Dogs are typically
muzzled now in coursing events, so
hares are no longer torn apart
when caught, but they are still
mauled, injured, and tossed about
by the dogs on the field.
Continued from page 3
As Fitzgerald became increasingly
aware of the facts, he was moved
to write hundreds of letters to
newspapers exposing the cruelty of
hare coursing. In doing so, he
became part of a national campaign against blood sports for over
thirty years. He spoke on radio
programs and joined peaceful
protests. His activism eventually
caused serious negative consequences for his personal and professional life, a few of which were
the unjust loss of a long-held job,
hate mail and phone calls, death
threats, physical assaults, false
arrests, police intimidation, and five
grueling court cases that took their
toll on him emotionally and financially.
Bad Hare Days unflinchingly
exposes the nightmare of coursing,
but it is also a beautifully written
book. Fitzgerald renders exquisite
PAGE 9
~ WALT RAVE ~
Barb Lomow informed us of the
sad passing of Walt Rave on
December 9, 2011. He was a fourdecade-long animal rights activist. He
died from horrendous burn injuries
suffered in a fire at his house three
days earlier. He had delayed exiting to
save his cats who also perished.
A full article can be seen at:
http://voicenewspapers.com/2011/12/
11/walt-rave-advocate-for-animalsdies-after-house-fire/
Please see BAD HARE DAYS
Story, Page 13
UPDATE ON THE MUTE SWAN FIGHT IN MICHIGAN
The Michigan DNR is continuing
its quest to kill all but 2000 mute
swans on Michigan’s 11,000+ lakes.
The only problem is they have no
proof to back up their claims about
how harmful the mute swans are to
our ecosystem. The lack of facts,
however, does not matter to some
lakefront residents. This past
December, lakefront homeowners on
Lincoln Lake, near Grand Rapids,
Michigan, signed a petition to have
the USDA shoot the mute swans on
the lake. They shot and killed 52
swans. They were put in garbage bags
and thrown away. Not too far away ,
the lakefront residents on Ryerson
Lake petitioned to have 39 mute
swans shot and killed on their lake.
According to some homeowners,
they were not informed of any petition and claim that they were never
asked to sign one and the whole
process was done secretly, so as not
to create opposition.
In Muskegon, Michigan, the officials on White Lake are planning a
mute swan cull sometime in the
upcoming weeks. These officials
claim that there are 1100 mute swans
on the 2571 acre lake. When we
investigated a couple weeks ago, we
counted less than 70 on the lake.
Most of the lake was frozen and the
swans we counted were mainly in the
water near the road. The “sportsmen”
claim the swans are destroying the
shoreline. However, the only shoreline we saw being destroyed was
where the condominium complex
was being built. The marina was
filled with expensive boats and
yachts, and according to a local fisherman, the lake must always be
dredged because the boats are
destroying where the river and lake
join together.
A small group of swan advocates
met with the Michigan DNR recently.
The DNR was asked how they counted the 15,500 mute swans they claim
we have in Michigan. They use one
plane that travels across the entire
state in one week with people using
binoculars to count them. When
asked about a formula to help calculate the number, they could not give
one. During this meeting, The DNR
admitted that they do not have very
Live swan photos by Karen Stamper
PAGE 10
BY KAREN STAMPER
good records of how many they have
killed. How will they know when
their 2000 goal is reached? A FOIA
was recently requested on the mute
swan count. We have requested many
FOIAs in the past for goose and swan
issues, and have never been charged.
This particular FOIA brought in a
hefty price of $1,269.65 made up
mostly of administrative fees. What
is the DNR hiding?
If you would like to join in our
fight, not only for Michigan mute
swans, but mute swans all over the
country, please go to Change.org and
search mute swan.
http://www.change.org/petitions/st
op-the-killing-of-mute-swans-inmichigan
The Michigan DNR confirms this
picture, taken by Hanny Melinn, contains dead mute swans culled from
Lincoln Lake (Dec. 13, 2011)
-------------------------Karen Stamper is a photographer
and activist. While out in the field,
she became aware of injured animals,
especially waterfowl, which led her
to do animal rescue. In recent years,
she has seen first hand how Canada
geese and mute swans are treated in
Michigan, and throughout the United
States. She said, It is my mission now
to fight for these birds and give them
a voice. Cruelty to any animal should
never be accepted in our society,
whether it be abuse to an animal by
an individual or by our government .
For more information
and links, please like us
on Swans Voice on
Facebook.
Sandhill Cranes
OUR
BEAUTIFUL DOG
Continued from page 6
enough non-hunting, wildlife-friendly
citizens are aware that wildlife management agencies only feel accountable to hunters – which is why they
promote the unfettered massacre of
wildlife that supposedly “belongs” to
all the residents of a state. In Kentucky
and elsewhere, the majority of people
who could help protect vulnerable animals are simply not well-enough
informed nor actively taking a hand in
preserving their state’s precious
wildlife. And agencies like the
KDFWR are colluding in keeping the
citizenry ignorant when they refuse to
hold sufficient open meetings on topics
like the Sandhill Crane hunts.
As we have told our readers in these
pages before, hunting numbers are ever
declining, while wildlife watching is
growing in popularity. Again, quoting
Besse: “Developing opportunities to
watch the Sandhill Cranes as they
migrate through Kentucky would be a
far smarter, more fiscally responsible
and strategic use of the [KDFWR’s]
resources than pursuing an unpopular
hunt that will raise no revenue and will
alienate many.”
Another salient point from Ceci
Mitchell, of the Frankfort chapter of
the National Audubon Society:
“One overriding issue with the KY
crane hunt is that it does not seem
wise economically. When KY Fish
and Wildlife Resources only charges
$3 for a permit to kill two Sandhill
Cranes, but a KY state park charges
$30 per person to take an afternoon
van ride to sit and watch the cranes how can KY afford to cater to the
wildlife hunters for so little income
than to capitalize on the wildlife
watchers paying ten times the fee? It
does not compute!”
The Sandhill Crane hunting begun
this winter is considered experimental
for 3 years and will be evaluated after
that. If enough Sandhill Crane advocates keep up the pressure against the
hunt, there is a chance we could curtail
it in future. Otherwise, with
Kentucky’s precedent, other eastern
states may follow, and that would be a
crime against these magnificent birds.
With thanks to the Kentucky
Coalition for Sandhill Cranes
http://kyc4sandhillcranes.com/ , the
Kentucky Ornithological Society,
www.biology.eku.edu/kos/default.htm
and
the
International
Crane
Foundation: http://www.savingcranes.org.
Learn how you can help these nonprofit groups save the majestic crane
by visiting their websites. And read
about the TN Sandhill Crane Festival
that was held in January on Vickie
Henderson’s site at:
http://vickiehenderson.blogspot.com/
Carol Besse, President of the
Kentucky Ornithological Society, and
Mary W. Yandell, Co-Founder of
Kentucky Coalition for Sandhill
Cranes were interviewed for this article.
-------------------------E.M. Fay is Associate Editor of the
Wildlife Watch Binocular and
C.A.S.H. Courier.
God’s Dog
We were happy to learn from Hope Ryden that her amazing
book, God’s Dog is back in print. We encourage you to read
it and give it to others to read. Ask libraries to order it, and
give it to friends for holidays and birthdays. It will be a gift
that will last a lifetime, for it will change the reader’s perspective of coyotes forever.
“Full of charm and tenacious inquisitiveness as the appealing animal she pleads is allowed to live.”—The Washington
Post. $24.95 or $20.95 members.
God’s Dog :
A Celebration
of the North
American
Coyote
by Hope Ryden
PAGE 11
Continued from page 8
blew open Reka’s chest could have
also hit Jeff! And yes, Sprighty, the
Mayor of Divide, was also with Jeff
when Reka was shot! This may
have to be her final act as Mayor of
Divide - to make people handling
deadly weapons be responsible for
what they shoot!
I think there needs to be something done about the impunity that
shooters enjoy! I am exhausted this
morning, and have a horrible
headache and heartache after spending the night lying on the floor next to
Reka while she panted, whimpered
and fussed all night trying to find a
comfortable way to stand and sleep.
As a follow-up, Lisa wrote:
The hunter not only was not
charged with anything, he has also
refused to accept any responsibility
and has refused to pay the bill for her
veterinary care.
We are seeking legal representation to file a civil suit against the
hunter, but as you know, it is difficult, especially in Colorado, to
go up against the hunting segment
of this area.
If you know an attorney who can
help, please contact Dr. Berg.
This is a continuing nightmare of
wildlife
mismanagement
and
hunters’ control of our courts and
lawmakers.
Please
visit:
www.lohv.org to see if you might
have an interest in forming a LOHV
chapter in CO.
-------------------------Lisa G. S. Berg, DVM, The
Mobile
Pet
Vet,
[email protected], Divide, CO
--------------------------
But do coyotes deserve this or
what happened to Reka?
C.A.S.H. thinks not.!
Christian Bowhunters
an Oxymoron
These comments are in response to
the article: Christian Bowhunters
http://www.christianbowhunters.org/
use archery as a way to spread the
word about God, by Beth Slaughter
Sexton.
Bryan White, the founder of the
local group in Georgia, is quoted in
the article as saying, “All of us were
very involved in our faith and we said,
“Wouldn’t this be a neat ministry to
use archery in some way to minister to
people.” Today it is a part of the ministry of Solid Rock Baptist Church.
On the surface, some might believe
that it could be a nice way to spread
the Gospel message.
So, why do we believe that the term
“Christian Bowhunters” is an oxymoron?
Because the people who call themselves Christian Bowhunters say
that they believe in Jesus Christ as
their personal Savior, yet at the
same time they also fail to follow His
teachings on compassionate living.
They make killing a part of their
so-called ministry.
To be a Christian means that the person is a follower of Jesus Christ and
His teachings, and not just a believer.
This is exactly what James wrote
about in 2:18-20…
18 But someone may well say, “You
have faith, and I have works; show me
your faith without the works, and I
will show you my faith by my works.”
BY FRANK L. HOFFMAN
19 You believe that God is one. You have no empathy for that animal’s
do well; the demons also believe, and desire to live.
If these bowhunters truly mourned
shudder.
the
suffering of creation, they would
20 But are you willing to recognize,
you foolish fellow, that faith without not add to the suffering and death.
If these bowhunters were truly genworks is useless?
tle, they would not seek to kill anothNAS
Jesus tells us that we are to be per- er living being.
If these bowhunters truly hungered
and thirsted for righteousness, they
could not defile the God given rights
of animals by killing them.
If these bowhunters were truly
merciful, they couldn’t kill anyone.
If these bowhunters were truly pure
of heart, they wouldn’t have hardened their hearts to the extent that
they can take another’s life and lead
children astray.
This poor deer is from the OH chapter's
If these bowhunters were truly
site.
peacemaking children of God, they
fect as our heavenly Father is perfect would do everything in their power to
(Matthew 5:48), and that we are to
pray for our heavenly Father’s will to
be done on earth as it is in heaven
(Matthew 6:10). Thus, if people are
really Christian, they will strive to end
the pain, and mourning, and death that
is absent in heaven (Revelation 21:4),
and so prevalent upon this earth.
These bowhunters are doing just the
opposite, which voids their claim that
it’s a Christian ministry. It also makes
the Solid Rock Baptist Church seem
more like the Hard Hearted Baptist
Church.
The only one who is empowered by
the hardness of the human heart and
the shedding of blood is Satan, so
from our point of view, they are really
free creation from its present corrupadvocating for the devil.
Let’s go on and see if these tion, instead of adding more bloodbowhunters and the Church are fol- shed.
Even after looking at these few
lowing what Jesus teaches us in the
things that Jesus taught us to live by,
Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-9):
If these bowhunters were really there seems to be no way that they
poor in spirit, they would not let the
Please see Christian Bowhunters
lust of their flesh to kill another livStory, Page 13
ing being control their lives, and
PAGE 12
Christian
Bowhunters
Continued from page 12
could be considered a ministry for
Christ.
There seems to be no way that their
actions would be considered worthy
of any heavenly blessing. It just
seems to be an antichristian ministry.
To us, even their claim to be
Christian seems blasphemous.
Jesus said of people like these in
Matthew 23:15 –
15 “Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites, because you
travel about on sea and land to make
one proselyte; and when he becomes
one, you make him twice as much a
son of hell as yourselves.”
When there is unrepented sin in our
lives, such as taking pleasure in
killing, when the lust of the eye or the
lust of the flesh or the boastful pride
of life comes before God, we bind
ourselves with the sin, and harden our
hearts.
In essence, when people live this
way, they have been bound by the
devil, and he can come in and plunder
them; and from the way the world is
today, he does a good job of it, too.
-------------------------Frank Hoffman is a retired United
Methodist pastor. His foundation,
The Mary T. and Frank L.
Hoffman Family Foundation hosts
his website: www.all-creatures.org
and also generously hosts scores of
other websites of organizations that
work on animal protection. The
C.A.S.H. website is among them.
--------------------------------C.A.S.H.
thinks this OH
CBA Chapter
logo speaks
volumes. On
their website,
the American
flag is waving to the right of the Cross
and both are in direct line to be
pierced by the arrow.
-------------------------Herman Lenz is a longtime
C.A.S.H. member. He is a farmer in
Iowa and loves wild animals. He wrote:
I was raised to be religious, but lately I’ve backed away from church for
the following reasons: I don’t know of
any church, ministers, or religious
group that condemns the cruelty that
humans do to animals, or the
manslaughter that humans do with
motorized vehicles. Anyone can be a
sport or trophy hunter or trapper, or
speed down the roads without concern
about killing another being, and still
be an esteemed member of any mainstream church. Any religion that does
not condemn the human barbaric
actions that I have mentioned above is
not going to give me eternal life in
Heaven.
GIVE A FORMER HUNTER A GOOD HOME!
C.A.S.H. will start to find hunters good homes - that is,
dogs who had been forced into hunting. These sad dogs are
often shot and injured in the frenzied desperation of a wild
animal trying to get away and hunters who couldn't care less
about either the wild animal or the dog. Not infrequently,
dogs are abandoned after hunting season and, if they are
RUBY RED DRESS
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21963430
JOSIE LEE
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/22164261
Bad Hare Days
Continued from page 9
Fitzgerald’s delight in “the sheer
innocence and magical appeal of
the hare” is contagious. His book
will make anyone wonder how the
brutal sport continues. Sign a
lucky, are found emaciated and/or injured in the forests, given
veterinary care, and wind up in a no-kill shelter.
Here are some VA dogs who have come to our attention.
Once the shelter gives the go-ahead, C.A.S.H. will help to
arrange transportation for them.
RONNY SMART BOY
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/22102045
petition against it at
www.banbloodsports.com.
To see a coursing video, visit:
www.tinyurl.com/7afrb6m
-------------------------John Fitzgerald lives in County
Kilkenny. He is the author of five
other books, all dealing with
Ireland’s history, and folklore.
PAGE 13
BULLET
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21953364
C.A.S.H. highly
recommends
Bad Hare Days. Available
at Amazon.com, or downloaded as a free pdf from
http://banbloodsports.files.wordpress.com
ASK UNCLE JOE
BY JOE MIELE
GOT A QUESTION FOR UNCLE JOE? YOU CAN E-MAIL IT TO [email protected].
WOULD YOU RATHER SNAIL MAIL YOUR QUESTION? SEND IT TO:
ASK UNCLE JOE,
P.O. BOX 13815, LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO 88013
UNCLE JOE GETS A LOT OF MAIL SO DON’T BE OFFENDED IF HE CANNOT ANSWER YOUR
QUESTION IN THE COURIER. HECK, HE’S GOTTA WORK A DAY JOB, TOO.
LETTERS ARE PRINTED AS RECEIVED. THEY ARE UNEDITED.
Dear Uncle Joe – 2/14/12
When our emotions are stirred to the point
Dear Uncle Joe:
of outrage, great things can be accomplished.
“We strive to engender citizen outrage…” In American history it was this outrage that
I think this snippet from your mission state- sparked the women’s suffrage movement, the
ment is telling. Engender outrage? Why? civil rights movement, the gay rights moveTo keep the money machine going?
ment, and the animal rights movement.
Garth,
When this outrage is focused and channeled
(Location undisclosed)
into a course of action it can be an unstoppable force, and it is the power of this outrage
Dear Garth,
As I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “If that we wish to harness and use to protect
you’re not outraged, you’re not paying wildlife from those who would do them
attention,” let me inform you of the things unnecessary harm. Stay tuned.
Peace,
that you’re not paying attention to. We’re
Uncle Joe
outraged over:
------------------------• Harmless wildlife mercilessly wounded
Hey Knuckleheads:
and left to suffer and die. They include
If you don’t agree with hunting then you
those who were injured through careless
better
be a vegetarian. Also, if it wasn’t for
shots and those who were shot in the face
modern
technology you wouldn’t be able to
and in other body parts that hunters know
survive
because
your definitely to weak to
will not lead to a lethal shot.
• Trespassing hunters who violate the be able to provide for yourself.
Marc,
rights of those who ban them from their
Oakland, OR
property.
And this gem….
• Hunters harassing property owners by
Joe:
leaving the entrails of murdered animals on
What’s wrong with eating NATURAL!!!!
their cars, porches, etc.
food
that was not put together in a labratory
• The obscene number of human injuries
by
some
skinny vegans in lab coats? the
and deaths that result from legal hunting.
• State hunting clubs (masquerading as game i eat is the most natural food there is
wildlife agencies) that create wildlife overpop- and its not the artifical soybean stuff that
ulation and the problems associated with it in you p;eople eat. do you ever see a healthy
vegetarian i sure don’t. your teeth will fall
an effort to appease the hunting community.
• Hunters who drive down public roads out ha ha
James,
with the carcasses of murdered animals
Walden, OR
hanging out of the back of their gas-guzDear Marc and James,
zling trucks.
I’d like to address both of your letters
• Animals who come home dragging steel
together since you’re arguing against each
traps clamped on their mangled limbs.
• Litter in the form of tangled fishing gear, other and probably don’t realize how silly
empty beer cans, and other assorted garbage you are. Marc seems to imply that we’re
that you slob, self-appointed “environmen- against “modern technology,” yet James
says (in a nutshell) that we should eschew
talists” leave behind.
• Hunting dogs who were abandoned in modern technology and eat like our knuckthe woods because they were not good le-dragging ancestors did before the advent
enough for you to hunt with, or at the end of of toothbrushes. Perhaps since you guys
hunting season prompting calls from veteri- live not too far from each other you should
narians asking us if we know of any rescue get together and get your story straight?
Marc would probably be OK with using his
groups who can take in these poor dogs
modern technology to drive to James’
Need I say more?
PAGE 14
house, but James would most likely prefer
to walk to see Marc. No problem – you
guys can work it out.
Those who wish to avoid “artificial soybean stuff” can feed themselves very well
without having to hunt, and those who prefer to use “modern technology” (like
microwave ovens and slow cookers) can do
the same. The commonality is that neither
James nor Marc need to hunt to feed themselves (as evidenced by the greater than
95% of the American population that does
not hunt and has not already starved themselves to death).
As far as my being too weak to provide
for myself, did you know that I once tried
out for the U.S. Olympic Weightlifting
Team? Well, not really, but I’m still plenty
strong enough to handle the garden chores
and cook myself dinner.
Sincerely,
Uncle Joe
------------------------JOe, I’m not calling you Uncle Joe. Get
Real,
anyone who doesnt want hunting around
is (a homophobic slur) lol. its a way of life,
it has been for generations before us and
will be for many generations after us. bunch
of animal loving (misogynistic slur). i dont
care what u Guyana think bcc ur not young
to get huning banned, lol like i aaid before u
parenta must be proud to raise a bnch of
(misogynistic slur).
Noah,
Writing from youre mothers house.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Dear Noah,
I see that woman hating and homophobia
go hand in hand with hunting, don’t they?
Yes, hunting has been around for generations but have you ever heard of a thing
called change? No? Do you still want to be
accusing women of witchcraft and hanging
them? Probably. Please get at least a thirdgrade education. If you can’t do that, please
at least learn how to use spellcheck.
Regards,
Uncle Joe
PETER’S HUMOR?
C.A.S.H. apologizes if you are not amused
BY PETER MULLER, V.P. C.A.S.H
A couple walked into a diner, leading
an alligator by a leash. The woman asked
the host "do you have vegan options?"
He assured her that there were many
vegan options on the menu. The man
then asked him, very apologetically, "Do
you serve hunters here?"
"Sure do," said the host. "Great,"
replied the man. "Give me a veggieburger, and a hunter for my 'gator."
☺☺☺
At a fundraiser, the County was having an "ugliest man" contest. When the
local hunting club decided to do something good for their community by joining as contestants, the contest administrators rejected them all explaining
"Sorry, no professionals."
☺☺☺
Q- How do you know when a hunter is
about to say something smart?
A- When he starts his sentence with
"An anti-hunting activists once told me..."
☺☺☺
Once upon a time, on a snowy, stormy
Christmas eve, a good-natured, kind,
and compassionate hunter, named Joe
and his wife Betty were driving along a
winding road, when they noticed someone at the side of the road in distress.
Being good-natured, kind, and compassionate, they stopped to help. There
stood Santa Claus with a huge bundle of
toys. Not wanting to disappoint any children on the Eve of Christmas, Joe and
Betty loaded Santa and his toys into
their vehicle. Soon they were driving
along
delivering
the
toys.
Unfortunately, the driving conditions
deteriorated and Joe, Betty, and Santa
Claus had an accident. Only one of them
survived the accident.
Q: Can you figure out who was the
only survivor?
A: Since there is no good-natured,
kind, and compassionate hunter and no
Santa Claus, -- it must have been Betty.
☺☺☺
Q. Why does it take longer to build a
hunter snowman?
A. Because you have to hollow out its
head!
☺☺☺
After a five-hour drive a hunter
comes to his favorite hunting spot to
find it posted with "No Hunting - No
Trespassing" all around by the new
owner of the property. Totally overwhelmed by the loss of his hunting
opportunity and distraught, he aims his
rifle at his own head. The owner of the
property, seeing this, comes running out
and yells "Please don't kill yourselflet's talk!" The hunter glumly replies:
"Shut up - you're next!"
☺☺☺
Q: Why do we include so many short
hunter jokes in this column?
A: So hunters can remember them.
C.A.S.H. CATALOG
A Voice in the Wilderness
Videotape approximately 20 minutes.
$12.00 and $8 for members.
This video is an expose of wildlife
management by Luke Dommer,
founder of C.A.S.H. It was produced
by Focus on Animals, CT. Esther
Mechler of Focus has generously
given C.A.S.H.
the right to sell
this videotape.
Copies
have
been generously
donated
by
Nancy Gordon
of HAVE, an
audio-visual
company
in
Hudson, NY.
Luke Dommer
CASH HAT
Neon Orange, one size fits all. $7.50
C.A.S.H. T-SHIRT,
X-LARGE,
BRIGHT ORANGE—$12.00
Back of shirt, left. Front of shirt, right.
Fans of Pete’s Humor
HOW YOU CAN HELP US DO MORE:
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YOUR GENEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS WILL
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PAGE 15
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PAGE 16