This from the Sunday Burlington Free Press. Interestingly, just below this article was a press release from the Fish and Wildlife Dept warning people not to pick up newborn wildlife. So you and I can't own or possess live wildlife but Mr. Nelson can with the help of our legislators? Anyone for a tea party?

Lawrence Pyne

Outdoors: Pete the moose saved, but at what cost to wildlife?

Lawmakers' last-minute change overrides authority of Fish and Wildlife Board at Big Rack Ridge

Hallelujah! Pete the Moose, his pregnant girlfriend, Patty, and their entourage of whitetail deer friends are saved!

In case you missed it, that's more or less how early news accounts described a last-minute move by a handful of legislators that spares scores of moose and deer in a captive-hunting facility in Irasburg from the cold-hearted scientists at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. Under rules the biologists helped set in 2008, Pete and his pals had to be destroyed if the owner of the facility -- a 700-acre fenced compound called Big Rack Ridge -- wanted to continue offering pay-to-shoot "hunts" for trophy elk, red deer, fallow deer and other exotic game.
The Fish and Wildlife Board adopted the rules governing captive-hunting facilities under the direction of the Legislature after years of expert testimony and public input, and with the unanimous approval of the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules. It banned any new facilities, but otherwise gave Vermont's two existing game preserves almost everything they wanted, save for one thing: in order to receive a permit under the rules, they could not have any moose or whitetail deer in their enclosures.
The reason why is simple. Fish and Wildlife is required by law to sustain a healthy deer herd, and the captive deer industry is the No. 1 source of spreading wildlife diseases into new areas. Among many recent examples are costly outbreaks of chronic wasting disease in Michigan and both CWD and tuberculosis in New York.

Read more: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20100606/COLUMNISTS01/6060324/Outdoors-Pete-the-moose-saved-but-at-what-cost-to-wildlife#ixzz0q5wm1sNe

The Wildlife Society weighs in on wildlife giveaway in VT

The following is from The Wildlife Society on the violation of the state's role as trustee of Vermont's wildlife. They urge everyone to write to their legislature and ask for a repeal of Sec. E.702.1 TRANSFER OF REGULATORY OVERSIGHT AND SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITY AND HERD MANAGEMENT in the 2010 Appropriations bill.  Find contact information for your senators and representative here. http://www.leg.state.vt.us/legdir/legdir2.htm

For immediate release: June 02, 2010
TWS Contact: Jenna Jadin (301) 897‐9770 x 309; jenna@wildlife.org

The Wildlife Society Sends Letter to Vermont Legislature Concerns Regarding Recent Bill Transferring Wildlife to Private Owner Statement recommends repeal of bill and return of wildlife to people of Vermont

The Wildlife Society (TWS) recently wrote to Vermont State Legislators in opposition to language in the state’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 appropriations bill (H.789). The problematic language allows for the transfer of publicly‐owned wildlife to the possession of a private businessman. The letter calls for a repeal of the section of the bill containing this language and the restoration of Vermont’s wildlife to its rightful owners, the public.
In the recently‐completed FY 2011 appropriations bill, legislators quietly included language which transfers ownership of illegally‐captured wild deer and moose to a private individual, Mr. Doug Nelson, and gives the Secretary of Agriculture, Food, and Markets sole authority over hunting within his 700 acre enclosure. On the surface, the language sets forth some regulations to protect native deer and moose populations from diseases carried by elk by creating a “special purpose herd,” however, this is hardly the underlying function of the language.
The language is a problem for multiple reasons, first of which is that taking wildlife out of the public domain and allowing it to be privately owned violates all precedent for wildlife management in the United States. As it is, this language amounts to little more than a license for Mr. Nelson to profit from Vermont’s publicly‐owned wildlife. Also a problem is that the language was quietly added without the benefit of a public hearing, opportunity for expert testimony, or engagement of the Fish and Wildlife Department or any conservation or sportsmen groups.
Michael Hutchins, Executive Director and CEO of The Wildlife Society said that "Wildlife is held in trust for all Americans; any legislation which threatens this long‐held tradition must be opposed, as it harkens back to the European aristocracy and is an anathema to the egalitarian ideals on which our country was founded."
TWS opposes private ownership of native wildlife because of the harm it causes to wildlife resources and long‐standing public values. All of the public should have an opportunity to access these resources for purposes such as fishing, hunting, trapping, and wildlife photography and observation, not just a wealthy, privileged few. These recent actions by the Vermont legislature will serve to undermine the foundation of wildlife management in North America by giving the public’s wildlife resources to an individual for his personal private gain. TWS urges people to write to their legislators to repeal this language and ensure that publicly‐owned natural resources are never used for personal gain.
###
Founded in 1937, The Wildlife Society (TWS) is an international non‐profit association made up of more than 9,000 professionals dedicated to excellence in wildlife stewardship through science and education. The mission of TWS is to represent and serve the professional community of scientists, managers,educators, technicians, planners, and others who work to study, manage, and conserve wildlife and their habitats worldwide.

Drill Baby, Drill

This video was put together by a friend of my family:

Subject: Music Video About Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill
From:    "chris fox" <cfoxemail@yahoo.com>
Date:    Mon, May 31, 2010 11:37 am


Greetings! For the past couple of weeks I’ve been working on a music
video that depicts the situation in the Gulf. It’s done to the melody of
“Jambalaya”, but is called “Jumbo-Liar”. I’d appreciate any
feedback you might have and please feel free to forward it to other folks.
Here’s the link>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR2Cu-VFjYo
Chris

Democratic Hunting under Attack in VT

From the Calidonian Record:

Vermont Lawmakers Save 'Pete The Moose'

Robin Smith
Staff Writer

Local lawmakers believe they have saved Peter the Moose, his "girlfriend" and all the other wild deer and moose in Doug Nelson's elk hunting preserve in Irasburg.

Sen. Bobby Starr, D-Essex-Orleans, announced Wednesday the House and Senate conference committees have approved the budget bill that addresses the status of the preserve and the wild animals in the 700-acre enclosure, including Pete.

Even if the budget itself is vetoed by Gov. James Douglas over conflicts with the Democratic legislative leaders on capital gains taxes, the language about the preserve isn't part of the conflict, Starr said, and it will stay intact.

"We are good to go," Starr said.

Preserve Has New Status

Pete and other moose and deer that are in the elk preserve were illegal because the preserve fell afoul of new Fish and Wildlife laws governing hunting facilities.

The law required Nelson to get a permit for elk hunting on the nine-year-old preserve, which was created before such laws existed.

However, the permit would not allow native animals such as moose and deer inside the enclosure for fear they would catch tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease from the elk and spread the diseases to the native wild deer and moose population.

Now, under the language in the budget bill, the elk preserve will no longer be under Fish and Wildlife jurisdiction but under the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, which already supervises captive deer herds. The hunting preserve becomes a game farm.


Read more


Here is my comment on the story:


Wild animals are held in the public trust by our state government. 250 years of case law and 500 years of common law have been subverted by this change in the law. This legislation has given our deer and moose to Mr Nelson to shoot, market or sell for his own personal gain. The state gets nothing. Although the cynic in me suspects the politicians will get some good campaign donations.
This is the greatest attack on democratic hunting since we fought the British.  


Here is the full section that was put in the Appropriations bill in the last days of the session. Sources tell me that Fish and Wildlife was not consulted about the content or language.

Sec. E.702.1 TRANSFER OF REGULATORY OVERSIGHT AND

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITY AND HERD

MANAGEMENT

(a) The general assembly finds and declares that:

(1) Vermont has long recognized that the protection and management of

the state’s native cervidae population is in the interest of the public welfare.

 (2) An abundant, healthy deer herd is a primary goal of wildlife

management, and hunting is a time-honored Vermont tradition.

(3) Vermont’s captive cervidae herds are regulated as game farms under

authority of the secretary of agriculture, food and markets under chapter 102 of

Title 6 and the agency of agriculture, food and markets’ rules governing

captive cervidae.

(4) Captive cervidae herds provide economic benefit to Vermont in the

same manner as farms producing cattle, sheep, pigs, and other amenable

livestock.

(5) Tuberculosis is a transmissible disease that can infect species of both

the cervidae and bovidae families and is zoonotic. The family bovidae

includes cattle. The family cervidae include white-tailed deer, moose, and elk.

(6) Chronic wasting disease is a transmissible spongiform

encephalopathy that has been identified in both free-ranging and captive

cervidae populations in other parts of the United States, including New York

state.

(7) Tuberculosis can be transmitted in cervidae and bovidae by nose-tonose

contact and through the sharing of watering and feeding troughs. It is not

known exactly how chronic wasting disease is transmitted, but the most likely

route of transmission is nose-to-nose contact. The agency of agriculture, food

and markets’ rules governing captive cervidae contain provisions both for

managing herds that may be susceptible to chronic wasting disease and for

testing cervidae to monitor for the control of zoonotic diseases contagious to

livestock, including tuberculosis.

(8) The captive cervidae facility located in Irasburg manages a specialpurpose

herd established in 1994 within a 700-acre enclosure. At the time of

the enclosure, the 700 acres contained a small population of native cervidae

that currently falls outside the jurisdiction of the agency of agriculture, food

and markets.

(9) In order to align state regulatory oversight of the facility and balance

the state’s responsibility to protect and manage its native cervidae populations

with the economic benefit contributed by the 700-acre captive cervidae facility,

it is necessary to transfer to the agency of agriculture, food and markets full

jurisdiction and authority for regulatory oversight of the Irasburg facility and

full authority for herd management of the facility and all cervidae currently

contained within the 700-acre enclosure.

(b) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, for the purposes of this

section, the term “cervidae” shall include all white-tailed deer and moose

currently entrapped in the Irasburg captive cervidae facility that contains a

special-purpose herd, as “special-purpose herd” is defined in the agency of

agriculture, food and markets’ rules governing captive cervidae.

(c) The Irasburg captive cervidae facility that contains a special-purpose

herd shall:

(1) Erect a secondary-perimeter fence inside the existing, primaryperimeter

fence sufficient to reduce the possibility of contact between native

cervidae and any cervidae within the facility. The secondary fencing shall be

approved by the secretary of agriculture, food and markets and shall be erected

no later October 1, 2010.

(2) Submit a written herd management plan for all cervidae, including

entrapped native cervidae, within the facility to the secretary of agriculture,

food and markets for approval. The plan shall:

(A) contain a specific disease surveillance component, acceptable to

the secretary of agriculture, food and markets, that presents at least 30 mature

native cervidae to the secretary of agriculture, food and markets for

tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease testing per year. For purposes of this

subdivision, “mature” means an animal older than 16 months of age;

(B) provide for the culling of antlerless native cervidae at a rate that

prevents the herd size from overpopulating the enclosed area. The culling

program shall include a provision to allow members of the Vermont National

Guard who did not participate in the Vermont regular deer or moose hunting

seasons and who were awarded or are eligible to receive a campaign ribbon for

Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom to assist with the

cull; and

(C) be filed with the secretary of agriculture, food and markets no

later than August 1, 2010.

(3) Comply with all disease testing protocols established and required

by the secretary of agriculture, food and markets.

(4) Demonstrate by no later than September 1, 2010, substantial

compliance with the agency of agriculture, food and markets’ rules governing

captive cervidae.

(5) Remain in good regulatory standing with the secretary of agriculture,

food and markets.

(d) The secretary of agriculture, food and markets may grant a variance

from the agency of agriculture, food and markets’ rules for the design and

construction of the secondary-perimeter fence required under subdivision

(c)(1) of this section if the fence design proposed by the owner of the Irasburg

facility serves the underlying purpose of reducing the possibility of contact

between free-ranging native cervidae and any cervidae enclosed within the

facility. The secretary of agriculture, food and markets may grant variances to

other provisions of the agency of agriculture, food and markets’ rules

governing captive cervidae provided that the health and welfare of free-ranging

native cervidae are not compromised or put at risk.

(e) In order to ensure that the appropriate number of native cervidae are

provided to the secretary of agriculture, food and markets for disease

surveillance as required under subdivision (c)(2)(A) of this section and that the

facility is able to meet the cull rate required under subdivision (c)(2)(B) of this

section, the facility may harvest cervidae during a special season, if necessary.

Any special harvest shall be approved in advance by the secretary of

agriculture, food and markets after consultation with the commissioner of fish

and wildlife. Notice of approval for a special season shall be posted at least 10

days in advance of the season in the office of the town clerk of Irasburg.

(f) Any native cervidae discovered between the primary and secondary

fences at the Irasburg captive cervidae facility or any cervidae carcass

discovered within the Irasburg facility shall be immediately presented to the

secretary of agriculture, food and markets for disease surveillance.

(g) The secretary of agriculture, food and markets may enforce a failure to

comply with the requirements of this section under chapter 1 or 102 of Title 6.

(h) It shall be a violation of chapter 103 or 113 of Title 10 if a person

knowingly or intentionally entraps or allows a person to knowingly or

intentionally entrap a native cervidae within the Irasburg captive cervidae

facility.

Vermont Becomes 30th State to Join Families Afield Ranks

I just got back from a signing cerimony for H 243, the Vermont Mentored Hunting License bill. Governor Jim Douglas thanked everyone involved in passing the bill, especially Representative Steve Adams. I testified two times in favor of the bill based on my work at the national level with the Families Afield partners and safety research while at the International Hunter Education Association.
Thanks to the VT Traditions Coalition, DU and TU for backing the bill and the support of the VT Fish and Wildife Dept. This "Learners Permit" for hunting was one of the goals set at the Future of Hunting in VT conference held several years ago in Castleton. It will go into effect in 2011 and is open for people of all ages and residence.

From the US Sportsman's Alliance web site:

Vermont Becomes 30th State to Join Families Afield Ranks
Today, Vermont became the 30th state to pass Families Afield legislation aimed at reducing barriers for the next generation of sportsmen.

VT Fish and Wildlife Positions Saved

From the VT State Employees Assn, a bit of god news from this year's legislature :

Fish and Wildlife Positions Saved

Despite their positions being almost 75% federally funded, VSEA members in Fish and Wildlife were surprised to hear their positions were being eliminated to balance the Department’s budget. Thanks to our friends at the Vermont Natural Resources Council (who testified several times on this issue) the Appropriations Committees added a section to the budget that would preserve their jobs with the Landowner Incentive and Community Wildlife programs:

“It is the intent of the general assembly that the fiscal year 2011 budget provides funding to fill five (5) game warden positions that are vacant as of January 1, 2010, and funds two (2) limited service Fish and Wildlife Scientist II positions (position numbers 640148 and 640150). The Scientist II positions shall continue to implement the Landowner Incentive Program and Community Wildlife Program.”

The Department also just filled my old position with Hunter Education. This should be good news for hunter education instructors and new hunters.

UW hunter promotes eco-conscious behavior

Orion and Responsive Management have submitted a letter of intent for a multi-state grant to look at the connection of locavors and hunting. From what I see and read these folks have a strong respect for the land and animals, as do ethical hunters.

From Madison. Com

Locavor Hunters

...
Malcolm declared himself a hunter and environmentalist. He explained how those interests help him obtain "healthy, organic food in an ethical, eco-conscious manner." In fact, Malcolm appreciates hunting more than ever as he and his wife try to separate themselves from the industrial food chain that links our supermarkets to factory farms and petroleum-based agriculture that's making family farms obsolete.
Malcolm's no rebel. If you spend much time around serious gardeners, mushroom pickers and wild-berry pickers, as well as farmers' markets and community support agriculture -- CSA farms -- you've probably heard the term "locavore."
Locavores are do-it-yourselfers who try to obtain most of their food from local sources. They also like to "put up" as much food as possible through canning, smoking, pickling, vacuum-sealing and pressure-cooking.
In other words, they're food-gatherers who can often be nudged toward the "hunter-gatherer" lifestyle by folks like Malcolm. And he's more than happy to push. When he's not hunting deer, turkeys, waterfowl and small game, Malcolm is arming college students with guns and bows while teaching them to hunt.
Read more

Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Poaching $23,000 Trophy Buck

This news item from the Outdoor Wire. Interestingly, when this guy gets out of jail he could come to VT (and 16 other states) and hunt legally. So far Vermont has shown no interest in entering the interstate wildlife compact. Why? I have heard thru inside sources that Vt FWD doesn't want to lose any license sales. Sounds like we aught to put up some bill boards (outside the state lines of course- bill boards are illegal in VT) "Poachers Welcome"!

Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Poaching $23,000 Trophy Buck

After pleading guilty to four charges including taking a deer in a closed season, hunting without permission, no license and no deer permit, a Scioto County, Ohio man has been fined $23,572.05 in restitution - the largest fine ever for a poached deer in Ohio. Beginning today, the confiscated deer will be available for photographing at the ODNR District Five office in Xenia. 

In addition, Clay will lose his hunting privileges for life. Clay had 10 prior wildlife convictions for deer violations and has spent time in jail for several of those offenses. He will be entered into the Wildlife Violator's Compact and most likely will lose hunting rights in 33 other states.

The Division of Wildlife is also imposing restitution for the deer in the amount of $23,572.05. This is in accordance with Ohio's revised restitution law for illegal taking of white-tailed deer. The law went into effect March 2008 and allows the Division of Wildlife to seek an increased recovery value on all illegally harvested wildlife.

The typical trophy deer, scored according to Boone & Crockett (B&C) guidelines, netted an impressive 197 2/8. This deer was the largest typical white-tailed deer harvested in North America during 2009. In Ohio, this deer would rank fourth all time in the Buckeye Big Buck Club records.| For More...

Jim Posewitz Awarded Montana Federation's first Heritage Award

Technology and fair chase

Terrific video from the NSSF about the AR-15 and its use in hunting. They make the point that virtually ALL conventional sporting arms started out as "military guns."



My thanks to Cagey for passing this along.

Today's NYTimes: Coyote Hunting with Hounds

Video on the NYTimes web page at http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/04/26/sports/1247467638442/one-mans-controversial-sport.html :

One Man's Controversial Sport

Justin Sablich

 

John Hardzog, a cattle rancher, uses trained greyhounds to hunt coyotes, a common pest for farmers. It's a practice that goes back generations, but is also opposed by some animal rights groups.

Pretty sympathetic portrayal of this rancher and of his hunting of coyotes.

Today's Supreme Court decision

The U.S. Supreme Court today reversed a federal law that prohibited the sale of videos depicting "cruelty to animals," a law which,  as Justice Roberts noted in his opinion, "was so broadly written that it could include all depictions of killing animals, even hunting videos."

From today's Washington Post:

Supreme Court voids law aimed at banning animal cruelty videos

By Robert Barnes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 20, 2010; 11:48 AM 

The Supreme Court struck down a federal law Tuesday aimed at banning videos depicting graphic violence against animals, saying that it violates the constitutional right to free speech

Chief Justice John J. Roberts Jr., writing for an eight-member majority, said the law was overly broad and not allowed by the First Amendment. He rejected the government's argument that whether certain categories of speech deserve constitutional protection depends on balancing the value of the speech against its societal costs.

"The First Amendment's guarantee of free speech does not extend only to categories of speech that survive an ad hoc balancing of relative social costs and benefits," Roberts wrote. "The First Amendment itself reflects a judgment by the American people that the benefits of its restrictions on the Government outweigh the costs. Our Constitution forecloses any attempt to revise that judgment simply on the basis that some speech is not worth it."

The law was enacted in 1999 to forbid sales of so-called "crush videos," which appeal to a certain sexual fetish by depicting the torture of animals or showing them being crushed to death by women with stiletto heels or their bare feet. But the government has not prosecuted such a case. Instead, the case before the court, United States v. Stevens, came from Robert Stevens of Pittsville, Va., who was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for videos he made about pit bull fighting.

Animal rights groups and 26 states had joined the Obama administration in support of the 1999 law. They argued that videos showing animal cruelty should be treated like child pornography rather than granted constitutional protection

But Roberts said the federal law was so broadly written that it could include all depictions of killing animals, even hunting videos. He said the court was not passing judgment about whether "a statute limited to crush videos or other depictions of extreme animal cruelty would be constitutional.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. was the lone dissenter.

"The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, but it most certainly does not protect violent criminal conduct, even if engaged in for expressive purposes," Alito wrote

David Horowitz, executive director of the Media Coalition, said in response to the ruling: "We are gratified that the justices soundly rejected the government's invitation to create a new exception to the First Amendment. As today's ruling demonstrates, if the Court were to rewrite the First Amendment every time an unpopular or distasteful subject was at issue, we wouldn't have any free speech left. We continue to believe that animal cruelty is wrong and should be vigorously prosecuted, but as the Court today found, sending people to prison for making videos is not the answer.

The Media Coalition is an association that defends First Amendment rights and represents U.S. publishers, booksellers and producers and retailers of movies, videos, video games and other recordings.

The Humane Society of the United States said it was disappointed by the ruling but found hope in the majority's statement that it was not deciding whether a narrow statute targeting "crush videos" might be constitutional.

"The Supreme Court's decision gives us a clear pathway to enact a narrower ban on the sale of videos depicting malicious acts of cruelty, including animal crush videos and dogfighting," Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, said in a statement. "Congress should act swiftly to make sure the First Amendment is not used as a shield for those committing barbaric acts of cruelty, and then peddling their videos on the Internet."

Sounds like a pretty sane decision to me . . . although it is unfortunate that the Washington Post sees fit to give Wayne Pacelle and the HSUS the final word on the subject.

Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow on VPT

VPT's Outdoor Journal

New Season in HD!
Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m., on Vermont Public Television

The new season continues for Outdoor Journal, VPT’s award-winning outdoor adventure program. Hunting, fishing, camping and conservation are all included as Lawrence Pyne leads us across Vermont’s hills and waterways!

Highlights from this Tuesday's episode include:

Conservation Leaders of Tomorrow
At Camp Kehoe on Lake Bomoseen, catch up with Conservation Leaders of Tomorrow – a unique program that introduces wildlife management students to the culture and concepts of hunting.



You can also catch full Outdoor Journal episodes online!

Defending Principle, Not Politicians

This post is from the US Sportsmen's Alliance blog, Bullseye. I'm no fan of Sarah Palin, but I like the concept the Alliance puts forward in this post.
Eric

Defending Principle, Not Politicians

4/7/2010

By Doug Jeanneret, Vice President of Marketing

For over 30 years, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) has defended and promoted valid, scientific wildlife management principles. It does not defend politicians, unless they are taking unfair criticism by also defending valid wildlife management.



This is the core issue with respect to the story the USSA recently ran criticizing a campaign led by the animal rights group Defenders of Wildlife against former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. The USSA’s effort is not about defending Sarah Palin as a political figure. It is about keeping the public from being misled by the rhetoric employed by Defenders regarding wolf and polar bear management.



The Defender’s campaign is designed to pressure the Discovery Channel into not airing a new television program starring Palin. The USSA suggested sportsmen counter the call by Defenders to drop the show.



Our release generated much feedback.