WCAXhttp://www.wcax.com/story/15715058/the-policy-and-politics-behind-pete-the-moose
... you have to step back and say, wait a minute-- what are the bigger implications," Eric Nuse of Orion Hunters' Institute said February 2011. ...
Showing posts with label Pete the Moose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pete the Moose. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Celebrity moose that was pardoned by Vt. gov dies
The Associated Press
MONTPELIER, Vt. — Pete the Moose, who developed a cult following with a Facebook page and a rally at the Vermont Statehouse after biologists threatened to kill him to prevent the spread of disease, has died, the state's top wildlife official said Friday..... A public outcry erupted, and in 2010, Vermont lawmakers crafted a compromise.
... But lawmakers reversed themselves earlier this year, saying wild animals in the state can't be privately owned and are legally a public trust, owned by all Vermonters.
More:
From the Burlington Free Press:
As Vermont mourns Pete the Moose's death, questions swirl
State officials say they were 'misled' about Pete the Moose's well-being
...“This is the prime example of why wildlife should be kept wild,” the commissioner said. “When you try to domesticate wild animals you have to undertake these sorts of procedures, and you put their lives at risk.”
...
Lawrence Pyne, outdoors columnist for the Burlington Free Press, said Pete never should have been taken from the wild.
“If Pete has one important, lasting legacy, it’s that he was the catalyst for the bill being introduced last January that established in the law that wildlife is a public trust resource that cannot be privatized,” Pyne said.
More:
From ABC News:
Preserve Owner Admits Covering up Vt. Moose Death
Monday, September 26, 2011
Irasburg hunting park expected to close by March
This is the last chapter in the long fight Orion helped lead in Vermont to keep our wildlife wild and in the public trust.
Outdoors:
BurlingtonFreePress.com
It established that wildlife in Vermont is a public-trust resource and mandated that the whitetail deer and moose in the facility be "reduced to zero" by Sept. 1, 2014. According to Fish and Wildlife commissioner Patrick Berry, the time frame was moved ...
Outdoors:
BurlingtonFreePress.com
It established that wildlife in Vermont is a public-trust resource and mandated that the whitetail deer and moose in the facility be "reduced to zero" by Sept. 1, 2014. According to Fish and Wildlife commissioner Patrick Berry, the time frame was moved ...
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Outdoors: Bill protects Pete the Moose, Vermont's wildlife
Hallelujah! Pete the Moose is saved once again! Only this time, the good news is legislators were actually more concerned about protecting Vermont's wildlife and democratic hunting tradition than they were one misbegotten bull.
Conceding that he and other lawmakers made a mistake last year, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law Wednesday legislation that nullifies an amendment a few legislators put into the annual appropriations bill in the final hours of the 2010 session. That amendment stripped the state Fish and Wildlife Department of its authority to regulate a so-called "captive hunting facility" in Irasburg and, worse, it essentially transferred ownership of Pete and scores of other native moose and white-tailed deer trapped in the facility to its owner. He was then free to sell them to the highest rifle-toting bidder, despite a state Fish and Wildlife Board rule crafted with legislative oversight and considerable public input that forbids having native deer in a captive facility for wildlife health reasons.
The bill the governor signed Wednesday, H.91, not only overturned those provisions, but it also goes two significant steps further: It mandates that, with the exception of Pete, all the moose and whitetails in the high-fence facility be killed within three years, which is the only way to ensure that infectious diseases spread by non-native elk and red deer do not enter native populations; and it set in law once and for all that, "the fish and wildlife of Vermont are held in trust by the state for the benefit of the citizens of Vermont and shall not be reduced to private ownership."
That the 2010 law was nullified so quickly is a tribute to Shumlin and many other legislators, who openly regretted being duped by a "Save Pete the Moose" campaign that benefitted the owner of the Irasburg facility more than it did one photogenic moose -- a moose that was not only illegally taken from the wild, it somehow conveniently became a social media darling.
Credit also goes to Fish and Wildlife commissioner Patrick Berry and House Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources Committee clerk Kate Webb, D-Shelburne, who shepherded H.91 through the Legislature. And last but not least, kudos go to the many hunters and other wildlife advocates who worked since last summer to have the 2010 law overturned.
Ironically, what a few legislators surreptitiously did last year for the benefit of one private landowner in the end actually helped safeguard the health and public ownership of all wildlife."It was a bad law done badly, with all the last-minute, backroom stuff," said Eric Nuse of Johnson, a retired game warden who helped organize a coalition of hunting and environmental groups in support of H.91. "That made it a lot easier for legislators and other folks to get behind a good bill, even if it means killing some deer and moose that got trapped behind a fence through no fault of their own."
Read full articlehttp://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20110605/COLUMNISTS01/106050327/1050/COLUMNISTS/Outdoors-Bill-protects-Pete-Moose-Vermont-s-wildlife?odyssey=mod|homepromo|4
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
VT Gov. Shumlin Signs Wildlife Act
Measure will clarify that fish and wildlife are public resource
MONTPELIER -- Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin signed H.91 today, a bill passed by the Vermont Legislature clarifying that fish and wildlife of Vermont are a public, not private, resource.
“I want to thank our Legislature for passing this bill clearly stating that the fish and wildlife of Vermont are held in trust by the state for the benefit of the citizens of Vermont and that these resources shall not be reduced to private ownership,” said Gov. Shumlin. “It also helps reduce the possibility that our fish and wildlife could be harmed by diseases from outside Vermont.”
The bill says, “The State of Vermont, in its sovereign capacity as a trustee for the citizens of the state, shall have ownership, jurisdiction and control of all the fish and wildlife of Vermont.”
It goes on to say that the Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife shall manage and regulate the fish and wildlife of Vermont in accordance with legislation and rules of the Fish and Wildlife Board.
Resolving a long-standing issue regarding a captive herd of white-tailed deer and moose in Irasburg, the bill charges the Fish and Wildlife Board with adopting a regulated process through which the number of the animals will be brought to zero over a three-year period. It also requires that the deer and moose be examined for disease during the process, and it protects a moose known as Pete, while authorizing the relocation of that moose to another facility.
Vermont Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Patrick Berry applauded the diverse coalition of individuals and organizations passionate about fish and wildlife resources who came together to support the bill. “I want to thank the broad cross-section of Vermonters who worked tirelessly to help pass this bill. The collaborative effort shows our strong and unfailing appreciation of Vermont’s fish and wildlife, and it should serve as a model for future efforts,” said Berry. “As a result, these resources will be managed by the Fish and Wildlife Department for the benefit of current and future generations of Vermonters.”
Thursday, April 21, 2011
“Pete’s” final passage
From VT Digger:
The saga of “Pete the Moose” is near its end.
Or perhaps only the legislative chapters of the legend.
In what seems to have been a violation of convention, if not of etiquette, the Senate on Wednesday declined the request of Agriculture Committee Chair Sara Kittell to let her committee have a crack at H. 91, which had already passed the House and been approved by the Senate’s Natural Resources Committee.
Veteran senators said it was unusual to refuse such a request from a committee chair. But they also said they were all but unanimously ready (if not well past ready) to be done with the issue.
They also said that Kittell, who is from Franklin County, probably made the request at the best of fellow-Democrat Bobby Starr, whose Northeast Kingdom district includes the huge captive elk farm on which “Pete” is also encaged. Kittell and Starr were two of the “no” votes. The others were Republican Vincent Illuzzi, also of the Northeast Kingdom, and, for whatever reason, Philip Baruth of Burlington.
The bill reaffirms that “the fish and wildlife of Vermont are held in trust by the state.”
So they had been, here and in every other state, until last year when a measure literally snuck through in the dead of night transferred control of some wildlife to Doug Nelson, the owner of the elk-hunting preserve and the proprietor of “Pete.” The moose, apparently abandoned by its mother, had been “rescued” and transported (all illegally) to Nelson’s farm, where it was fed donuts and became something of a national cause célèbre.
Though “Pete” will once again become part of the public trust, he will not be harmed. Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Patrick Berry has said that one way or another, Pete will be protected.
~Jon Margolis
Moose, photo from stock.xchng
The saga of “Pete the Moose” is near its end.
Or perhaps only the legislative chapters of the legend.
In what seems to have been a violation of convention, if not of etiquette, the Senate on Wednesday declined the request of Agriculture Committee Chair Sara Kittell to let her committee have a crack at H. 91, which had already passed the House and been approved by the Senate’s Natural Resources Committee.
Veteran senators said it was unusual to refuse such a request from a committee chair. But they also said they were all but unanimously ready (if not well past ready) to be done with the issue.
They also said that Kittell, who is from Franklin County, probably made the request at the best of fellow-Democrat Bobby Starr, whose Northeast Kingdom district includes the huge captive elk farm on which “Pete” is also encaged. Kittell and Starr were two of the “no” votes. The others were Republican Vincent Illuzzi, also of the Northeast Kingdom, and, for whatever reason, Philip Baruth of Burlington.
The bill reaffirms that “the fish and wildlife of Vermont are held in trust by the state.”
So they had been, here and in every other state, until last year when a measure literally snuck through in the dead of night transferred control of some wildlife to Doug Nelson, the owner of the elk-hunting preserve and the proprietor of “Pete.” The moose, apparently abandoned by its mother, had been “rescued” and transported (all illegally) to Nelson’s farm, where it was fed donuts and became something of a national cause célèbre.
Though “Pete” will once again become part of the public trust, he will not be harmed. Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Patrick Berry has said that one way or another, Pete will be protected.
~Jon Margolis
Monday, April 18, 2011
Public Trust Status for Wildlife in VT Nearly Restored
H.91 has passed the Vermont Senate Natural Resources committee on a 5-0 vote and is scheduled to be reported on the floor this week (April 18). But it is facing a significant challenge. Senator Starr, who represents Orleans Co where the Big Rack Ridge high fence operation is located and one of the authors of the Nelson Amendment that H.91 will repeal, is working to have the bill sent to the Senate Agricultural committee. If this happens it will be in jeopardy.
H.91 has nothing to do with domestic animals or legitimate farming. It should not go to the Ag committee. This is the message being sent to the Senators by the Public Trust Coordinating committee.
The following letter was sent to members of the Senate Ag committee by Trust committee member Rodney Elmer:
H.91 has nothing to do with domestic animals or legitimate farming. It should not go to the Ag committee. This is the message being sent to the Senators by the Public Trust Coordinating committee.
The following letter was sent to members of the Senate Ag committee by Trust committee member Rodney Elmer:
What would you say to your grandfather, if he made a grave mistake?
Mine covered me with cattle spray, threw out car batteries as targets, let the radiator drain in the brook that I drank from,
Mine covered me with cattle spray, threw out car batteries as targets, let the radiator drain in the brook that I drank from,
Burnt plastic and trash as the smoke filtered in my bedroom window, poured motor oil on the driveway to keep the dust down.
Used enough DDT to kill the eagles.
A bad guy ? Not in my mind. My father explained to me when I asked and said, "There is something to be learned from everyone , even if it is what not to do."
This is what we are looking at here with this problem.
E 702 ,Governing without transparency , intentionally keeping people in the dark and manipulating gov. , the keeping of a public resource for private long range profits even if unintentional deserves no reward, my former Governor not upholding the laws he swore to, the shameless using of caring and well meaning individuals hearts.
A bad guy ? Not in my mind. My father explained to me when I asked and said, "There is something to be learned from everyone , even if it is what not to do."
This is what we are looking at here with this problem.
E 702 ,Governing without transparency , intentionally keeping people in the dark and manipulating gov. , the keeping of a public resource for private long range profits even if unintentional deserves no reward, my former Governor not upholding the laws he swore to, the shameless using of caring and well meaning individuals hearts.
We now must spend great moneys to hold, what was, our own. All to be done again, sometime in the future for sure, unless we agree.
We belong to the land, we have great power and most temper it with restraint and compassion. We should value wildness. Are we not a wild people?
Pete's wildness is gone. This doesn't bother you?
We like money, to much! We are talking principles here, let the people, care
for and protect what is theirs. Vote for vibrant healthy wildlife in the care of democratized citizens. Not my mistaken grandfather!
Is there a time limit on disease prevention or crooked government? I think not! Neither do you,,, really.!!
We belong to the land, we have great power and most temper it with restraint and compassion. We should value wildness. Are we not a wild people?
Pete's wildness is gone. This doesn't bother you?
We like money, to much! We are talking principles here, let the people, care
for and protect what is theirs. Vote for vibrant healthy wildlife in the care of democratized citizens. Not my mistaken grandfather!
Is there a time limit on disease prevention or crooked government? I think not! Neither do you,,, really.!!
Please just send this to the floor [H.91] and Vote on it, let's just learn and move on! We appreciated your support in keeping wildlife free for everyone to enjoy and take part in wild & free.
Rod & Theresa Elmer
Friday, March 25, 2011
H91 Wildlife Public Trust bill passes the Vt House and is off to the Senate
Margolis: Pete the Moose will likely survive new bill
In the continuing saga of Pete the Moose, only two questions seemed to remain Tuesday after the House approved a bill to return control of the caged cervid to the “public trust” and the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Neither question had to do with whether the bill is likely to become law. It is. Even Rep. Robert Lewis, the Derby Republican who made the strongest argument against H. 91 when it cleared the Committee on Fish, Wildlife, and Water Resources last week, acknowledged that the Senate would probably pass the measure and send it to Gov. Peter Shumlin for his signature.
Lewis said he wouldn’t even bother to try to persuade senators to oppose the bill.
more
Mar 23, 2011 | ... MONTPELIER -- Pete the Moose has moved a big step toward having special protection under Vermont law. The moose, which lives on a game preserve in Irasburg, became a popular cause .. more
The following letter was sent to all House Members prior to the vote:
March 14, 2011
Vermont House of Representatives
Montpelier, VT 05602
Dear Member of the House,
The following groups support House Bill No. 91 entitled “An act relating to the management of fish and wildlife” as passed by the House Fish, Wildlife and Water Resource Committee. We urge passage of this important bill for the following reasons:
1. It clearly establishes wildlife as a public trust resource.
2. It confirms the Fish and Wildlife Department as the managers and trustees of the public’s wildlife.
3. It brings all wildlife back under the rule-making authority of the Fish and Wildlife Board.
4. It requires the relevant captive cervidae facility to be depopulated of native deer and moose and sets deadlines for compliance within a reasonable time frame.
The signature groups and leaders below represent thousands of Vermonters from all political views and parties, many who have helped to craft H.91 and have testified for its passage.
With regards,
Eric Nuse
Convener, Public Trust Coordinating Group
(802) 881-8502
Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs
Hunters, Anglers & Trappers of Vermont (H.A.T.)
Hartford Rod & Gun Club
Barre Fish and Game Club
Vermont Natural Resources Council
Lamoille Valley Fish and Game Club
Vermont Bear Houndsmen
Fish & Wildlife Board
National Wildlife Federation
Orion-The Hunter’s Institute
Sportsmen Inc.
Wild in Vermont, Inc.
New Hampshire & Vermont Outdoor Gazette
Rob Boroski, past Chair of the F&W Board and Vt F&W Advisory Committee
Mountain Deer Taxidermy, Rodney and Theresa Elmer
Bradley Carleton, Champlain Valley Guide
Steve Wright, former Fish and Wildlife Dept. Commissioner
Vermont Trappers Association
Friday, March 11, 2011
H.91 Restoring the Public Trust of Wildlife passes out of committee 7-2 in favor
Future of Pete the Moose unclear
The Vermont House Fish and Wildlife Committee voted 7-2 Thursday to require an Irasburg game-hunting park to eliminate within five years all the wild white-tailed deer and moose mixed in with its imported elk. The park is home to Pete the Moose, who could possibly die of natural causes before the deadline or be moved to another location.
....
Last year’s measure essentially gave Nelson ownership of wild deer and moose, and he planned to sell the right to hunt the trophy animals.Uproar ensued. Vermont sportsmen argued that the 2010 law violated the longstanding legal tradition that wild animals are held in trust by the government for all the people of the state. They urged lawmakers to re-establish that principle. They also want the whitetails and moose killed for fear they could spread disease if they escape.
“The most important element in the bill is that it affirms that wildlife is owned by all Vermonters, not just one person,” Berry said. [Commissioner of VT Fish and Wildlife Dept Pat Berry]
Lewis, one of those who voted no on the bill, agreed.
“They belong to the people of Vermont,” he said. Nelson is one of Lewis’ constituents.
read full article
From the AP:
Vt. House panel works on wildlife bill
NECN
Now the House Fish and Wildlife Committee is drafting a bill that would reverse that action and clarify that Vermont's wild animals are a public trust owned by all residents of the state. But the panel is still debating a provision that would have the ...
See all stories on this topic »
Friday, February 11, 2011
Shumlin defends Pete the Moose
Note - Read the Governor's quote closely. My take is although he says Pete should not be put down and he wishes to other moose and deer would not have to be killed. But he does not say they will not be put down. In the Free Press article he defers to the FWD on how to deal with the other captive cervids. This is (in much clearer language) what the Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources committee is saying it wants to do with the illegally captured herd at Nelson's facility.
The good news is Shumlin supports the Public Trust and returning management to Fish and Wildlife.
Montpelier, Vermont - February 10, 2011
Pete the Governor says Pete the Moose should live-- and so should all the other animals inside the hunting preserve in the Northeast Kingdom.
Pete the Moose lives inside a fence in Irasburg with other animals including elk, wild deer and moose.
Pete became a celebrity last year after wildlife officials considered removing or killing him. They feared he and other animals in the preserve might spread disease.
Now the Legislature is considering a bill that would save Pete the Moose from being killed. The governor wants the bill on his desk. He pledged Thursday to pardon Pete and all the other deer and moose that live inside the preserve.
"You know I think there has been a lesson for all of this which is don't take publicly owned wildlife and put it in private hands. I think the best way to solve this problem is to make sure it does not happen again. And let's let the existing wildlife at the farm continue to live," said Gov. Peter Shumlin, D-Vermont. "I would like to pardon them all."
The Legislature will continue to debate the bill. The governor says they would act quickly to pass a bill that prevents private citizens from owning wildlife.
Anson Tebbetts - WCAX News
Here is the press conference footage:
Pete the governor might have gotten ahead of himself when it comes to the other, unnamed animals. Asked how the animals could continue to live in captivity, Shumlin said, "I'll defer to the biologists on some of your question."
More
The good news is Shumlin supports the Public Trust and returning management to Fish and Wildlife.
Pete the Governor says Pete the Moose should live-- and so should all the other animals inside the hunting preserve in the Northeast Kingdom.
Pete the Moose lives inside a fence in Irasburg with other animals including elk, wild deer and moose.
Pete became a celebrity last year after wildlife officials considered removing or killing him. They feared he and other animals in the preserve might spread disease.
Now the Legislature is considering a bill that would save Pete the Moose from being killed. The governor wants the bill on his desk. He pledged Thursday to pardon Pete and all the other deer and moose that live inside the preserve.
"You know I think there has been a lesson for all of this which is don't take publicly owned wildlife and put it in private hands. I think the best way to solve this problem is to make sure it does not happen again. And let's let the existing wildlife at the farm continue to live," said Gov. Peter Shumlin, D-Vermont. "I would like to pardon them all."
The Legislature will continue to debate the bill. The governor says they would act quickly to pass a bill that prevents private citizens from owning wildlife.
Anson Tebbetts - WCAX News
Here is the press conference footage:
Will Shumlin also pardon Pete the Moose's pals?
Whatever happens with the saga of Pete the Moose, the moose's life will be spared, that much state officials have made clear. But what about the other animals living in captivity with Pete?
Gov. Peter Shumlin said Thursday at his weekly news conference that he would pardon them, too, before clarifying that he would defer details to wildlife
scientists.
"Pete the governor hasn't issued any pardons yet, but I'm going to issue one for Pete the Moose," Shumlin said. "The best way to solve this problem is, let's make sure it doesn't happen again and let's let the existing wildlife at the farm continue to live. I would like to pardon them all."Pete the governor might have gotten ahead of himself when it comes to the other, unnamed animals. Asked how the animals could continue to live in captivity, Shumlin said, "I'll defer to the biologists on some of your question."
More
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Public Trust bill has first hearing in Montpelier
The VT House Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources Committee took testimony on H.91 to reverse the Nelson Amendment and restore the Public Trust of our wildlife resource. Everyone testifying in favor of the bill spoke with a united focused voice. Congratulations to all the individuals and leaders of the hunting/conservation and environmental groups.
Doug Nelson also testified and showed his true colors. He refused to agree to cooperating in solving the problems his facility poses to the health of Vermont's deer herd. Testimony was offered by the Fish and Wildlife Dept that his facility has never been in compliance with FWD or Ag rules in over 10 years. He brushed that off and said he is in compliance now and the Ag dept has agreed that he doesn't have to mark his animals as called for in the Ag rules he is currently under.
More testimony is scheduled to tomorrow (Wed the 9th) morning and again again on Friday.
Lots of press coverage by WCAX, FOX 22, Public Radio, Burlington Free Press, and Vt Digger.com
Margolis: Nelson scolds lawmakers in bid to "save Pete," and ...
By Jon Margolis
Photo of Eric Nuse. Eric Nuse, executive director of Orion — The Hunter's Institute, told the committee that legislation passed last year violated the Public Trust Doctrine. Photo by Josh Larkin. In response to anger from hunting groups ...
Vtdigger.org - http://vtdigger.org/
The saga of Pete the Moose continues. The Legislature is revisiting a controversial deal that allowed the wild moose to live out his days on a Northeast Kingdom elk farm. More>>
Vermont: Pete the Moose's Life Is on the Line, Again
New York Times
... save Pete the Moose, who gained thousands of online fans but in the process gave the owner of a private game preserve ownership of a wild animal herd. ...
See all stories on this topic »
Lawmakers Re-Consider “Pete The Moose” Law
Vermont Public Radio
(Dillon) But for Eric Nuse that's exactly what's wrong with what the Legislature did last year. Nuse is executive director of Orion, an organization that ...
The News-Herald : Breaking news coverage for Northern Ohio
Now, they're reconsidering because they say Vermont's wild animals belong to the state, not to any one person. Associated Press ...
hosted2.ap.org/.../id-
Doug Nelson also testified and showed his true colors. He refused to agree to cooperating in solving the problems his facility poses to the health of Vermont's deer herd. Testimony was offered by the Fish and Wildlife Dept that his facility has never been in compliance with FWD or Ag rules in over 10 years. He brushed that off and said he is in compliance now and the Ag dept has agreed that he doesn't have to mark his animals as called for in the Ag rules he is currently under.
More testimony is scheduled to tomorrow (Wed the 9th) morning and again again on Friday.
Lots of press coverage by WCAX, FOX 22, Public Radio, Burlington Free Press, and Vt Digger.com
Margolis: Nelson scolds lawmakers in bid to "save Pete," and ...
By Jon Margolis
Photo of Eric Nuse. Eric Nuse, executive director of Orion — The Hunter's Institute, told the committee that legislation passed last year violated the Public Trust Doctrine. Photo by Josh Larkin. In response to anger from hunting groups ...
Vtdigger.org - http://vtdigger.org/
Will Vt. lawmakers change their minds about Pete the Moose?
Vermont: Pete the Moose's Life Is on the Line, Again
New York Times
... save Pete the Moose, who gained thousands of online fans but in the process gave the owner of a private game preserve ownership of a wild animal herd. ...
See all stories on this topic »
Lawmakers Re-Consider “Pete The Moose” Law
Vermont Public Radio
(Dillon) But for Eric Nuse that's exactly what's wrong with what the Legislature did last year. Nuse is executive director of Orion, an organization that ...
The News-Herald : Breaking news coverage for Northern Ohio
Now, they're reconsidering because they say Vermont's wild animals belong to the state, not to any one person. Associated Press ...
hosted2.ap.org/.../id-
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
VT Lawmakers Look To Reverse 'Pete The Moose" Law
The Public Trust of Wildlife got a boost today here in Vermont. Both the Burlington Free Press and Vermont Public Radio had feature pieces on a new bill designed to repeal the "Nelson Amendment" that passed in the 11th hour last year that gave control of native deer and moose to the operator of a shooting park in Irasburg. When the give-a-way of our public property became known, Orion began a campaign to educate Vermonters about the public trust doctrine. Using several papers commissioned by Orion in an earlier fight in Montana, it soon was clear to hunters and many legislators that this amendment was in violation of hundreds of years of common law and case law.
We then convened a meeting of the hunter/conservation leaders and legislators to craft a coordinated plan for reversing the damage and restoring the public trust of wildlife. Representative Kate Webb and Fish and Wildlife Committee chair David Deen crafted a draft bill. After input from the group at our second meeting the bill was finalized. With over 30 sponsors and the support of Governor Elect Peter Shumlin, it appears there is a good chance it will pass. However, the owner of Big Rack Ridge is unlikely to return ownership of "his" deer and moose to the citizens without a fight.
From Vermont Public Radio:
A bill already in draft form restates the longstanding principle that wild animals belong to all people of Vermont. It requires the wild deer and moose trapped inside Doug Nelson’s elk hunting park to be removed, probably through hunting. It also allows for protection of young Pete the Moose, an orphaned resident of the park.
Read More
We then convened a meeting of the hunter/conservation leaders and legislators to craft a coordinated plan for reversing the damage and restoring the public trust of wildlife. Representative Kate Webb and Fish and Wildlife Committee chair David Deen crafted a draft bill. After input from the group at our second meeting the bill was finalized. With over 30 sponsors and the support of Governor Elect Peter Shumlin, it appears there is a good chance it will pass. However, the owner of Big Rack Ridge is unlikely to return ownership of "his" deer and moose to the citizens without a fight.
From Vermont Public Radio:
AP/Toby Talbot
Pete the moose eats leaves in a tree in Irasburg, Vt., Thursday, July 30, 2009.
Incoming Governor Peter Shumlin and other legislators are hoping to reverse a law that went into effect this year that ended up giving the owner of an elk hunting park custody of all the wild moose and deer on the property--including Pete the Moose. Burlington Free Press reporter Candace Page discusses the potential change to the law, and how it would impact Pete the Moose.
From the Burlington Free Press:
Vermont lawmakers set to reverse 'Pete the Moose' law
By Candace Page, Free Press Staff Writer • Monday, December 20, 2010
Key lawmakers and Gov.-elect Peter Shumlin are ready to reverse a 2010 law drafted in secret and passed at the 11th hour that gave an Northeast Kingdom farmer ownership of wild deer and moose on his property, an action that provoked an outcry among hunters.
Key lawmakers and Gov.-elect Peter Shumlin are ready to reverse a 2010 law drafted in secret and passed at the 11th hour that gave an Northeast Kingdom farmer ownership of wild deer and moose on his property, an action that provoked an outcry among hunters.Read More
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Fish & Wildlife Commissioner raps elk hunting park plan
From the Burlington Free Press:
In a six-page letter to the Agriculture Agency, Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Wayne Laroche says the park’s proposed management plan fails to comply with state regulations and might not protect the health of the park habitat, the captive animals or Vermont’s wild deer.“The plan offers little, if any, assurance that management of this captive herd will be conducted in such a manner as to secure the health of Vermont’s free-ranging white-tailed deer and moose population,” Laroche wrote late last week.
He was responding to a plan filed by Doug Nelson, a dairy farmer who also raises trophy-sized elk, which are confined to Big Rack Ridge, where hunters pay to shoot them. The management plan was written by Nelson’s consultant, James Kroll of Texas, awildlife biologist and an expert in managing captive deer.
Nelson and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment about Laroche’s critique.
Laroche has no power to approve or deny the plan. In legislation written behind closed doors earlier this year, state lawmakers stripped his department of oversight of the Nelson park and transferred that authority to the Agriculture Agency.
Legislators acted after public protests that Fish and Wildlife rules would require killing all the native deer and moose trapped inside Nelson’s five miles of fencing as a disease-prevention measure. State wildlife biologists say the non-native animals brought to the hunting park could spread a feared illness, chronic wasting disease, to Vermont’s wild herd.
Protesters were defending Pete the Moose, an orphaned bull moose adopted by a local man and later housed at Big Rack Ridge. Pete became a cause celebre, with his own Facebook page and rallies.
But the legislators’ decision also sparked outrage, this time on the part of some hunters who fear not only the spread of deer diseases but viewed the law change as giving Nelson ownership of the white-tailed deer inside his fence, deer that by longstanding doctrine are considered the property of all citizens.
read more:
Politics and Government
A trophy elk strolls along a road at Big Rack Ridge in Irasburg on Monday, June 14, 2010. It is part of a herd of 50 or more male elk on the square-mile property. Owner Doug Nelson of Derby sells elk hunts for $2,000 to $7,500 to clients from across the Northeast.
In a six-page letter to the Agriculture Agency, Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Wayne Laroche says the park’s proposed management plan fails to comply with state regulations and might not protect the health of the park habitat, the captive animals or Vermont’s wild deer.
He was responding to a plan filed by Doug Nelson, a dairy farmer who also raises trophy-sized elk, which are confined to Big Rack Ridge, where hunters pay to shoot them. The management plan was written by Nelson’s consultant, James Kroll of Texas, a
Nelson and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment about Laroche’s critique.
Laroche has no power to approve or deny the plan. In legislation written behind closed doors earlier this year, state lawmakers stripped his department of oversight of the Nelson park and transferred that authority to the Agriculture Agency.
Legislators acted after public protests that Fish and Wildlife rules would require killing all the native deer and moose trapped inside Nelson’s five miles of fencing as a disease-prevention measure. State wildlife biologists say the non-native animals brought to the hunting park could spread a feared illness, chronic wasting disease, to Vermont’s wild herd.
Protesters were defending Pete the Moose, an orphaned bull moose adopted by a local man and later housed at Big Rack Ridge. Pete became a cause celebre, with his own Facebook page and rallies.
But the legislators’ decision also sparked outrage, this time on the part of some hunters who fear not only the spread of deer diseases but viewed the law change as giving Nelson ownership of the white-tailed deer inside his fence, deer that by longstanding doctrine are considered the property of all citizens.
read more:
Agriculture Agency Denies Management Plan for Elk Farm
From blurt Seven Days staff blog:
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture has rejected plans to manage wildlife on a 700-acre Irasburg game preserve owned by Doug Nelson, whose herd of elk became famous this year when it was joined by a moose — Pete the Moose.
The agency said Nelson's 20-page proposal offered few details about how he planned to ensure that his captive animials would not mix with the native species. The proposal also failed to show how Nelson planned to accurately catalogue all of the animals currently penned inside his 700-acre Irasburg preserve, and it provided the agency with no plans for how it would manage the herds going forward.
In a separate letter to Nelson the agency did approve elements of his fencing plan, which includes adding a second perimeter fence around his game preserve as a way to keep native species out and nonnative species in. However, the agency asked him to add one electrified wire at 54 inches from the ground. Nelson has proposed only going as high as 42 inches.
The rejection is the latest in a nearly one-year saga that started when a national public relations campaign was launched to "Save Pete the Moose" from being killed by state officials. Nelson has been flaunting state authority for years, and the state was trying to force Nelson to find better ways to keep wild and captive species from mixing. Their fear? Chronic wasting disease, a brain disease that affects cervids in a similar way to how "mad cow disease" affects bovines.
Part of that plan included a culling effort to thin out the herds through controlled hunts.
The public outcry eventually led to a last-minute, secretive legislative deal that ensured that Nelson could ensnare, and eventually kill, all wild animals found on his property. Nelson also owns a private stock of breeding elk in Derby.
In short, Pete may have been "saved", but Nelson also got to keep all of Pete's friends to hunt at a later date. That outraged many hunters and wildlife advocates who believe the move violated the stae's public trust doctrine. How? By handing over a public asset— the wildlife — to a private individual to later for profit.
Part of the last-minute legislative deal included a caveat that the Agency of Agriculture — not the Department of Fish and Wildlife — would regulate Nelson's herd. For years, Nelson had rebuffed efforts by DFW to regulate his herd of elk. In part, because DFW wanted Nelson to have a better culling plan to thin out his herd, and to ensure that wild deer were not mingling with some of his own captive deer.
Read more
Agriculture Agency Denies Management Plan for Elk Farm
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture has rejected plans to manage wildlife on a 700-acre Irasburg game preserve owned by Doug Nelson, whose herd of elk became famous this year when it was joined by a moose — Pete the Moose.The agency said Nelson's 20-page proposal offered few details about how he planned to ensure that his captive animials would not mix with the native species. The proposal also failed to show how Nelson planned to accurately catalogue all of the animals currently penned inside his 700-acre Irasburg preserve, and it provided the agency with no plans for how it would manage the herds going forward.
In a separate letter to Nelson the agency did approve elements of his fencing plan, which includes adding a second perimeter fence around his game preserve as a way to keep native species out and nonnative species in. However, the agency asked him to add one electrified wire at 54 inches from the ground. Nelson has proposed only going as high as 42 inches.
The rejection is the latest in a nearly one-year saga that started when a national public relations campaign was launched to "Save Pete the Moose" from being killed by state officials. Nelson has been flaunting state authority for years, and the state was trying to force Nelson to find better ways to keep wild and captive species from mixing. Their fear? Chronic wasting disease, a brain disease that affects cervids in a similar way to how "mad cow disease" affects bovines.
Part of that plan included a culling effort to thin out the herds through controlled hunts.
The public outcry eventually led to a last-minute, secretive legislative deal that ensured that Nelson could ensnare, and eventually kill, all wild animals found on his property. Nelson also owns a private stock of breeding elk in Derby.
In short, Pete may have been "saved", but Nelson also got to keep all of Pete's friends to hunt at a later date. That outraged many hunters and wildlife advocates who believe the move violated the stae's public trust doctrine. How? By handing over a public asset— the wildlife — to a private individual to later for profit.
Read more
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Nelson's Deer Management Plan as submitted to the Ag Dept on Sept 10th. Some very interesting stuff in it. I'd be interested in what you think...
Nelson Farm Mgmt Plan
Nelson Farm Mgmt Plan
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Who Owns North America’s Wildlife?
The following article was put together by an Orion board member:
The answer to “who owns wildlife?” differs greatly in the United States and Canada from the rest of the world. In North America wildlife does not belong to individuals. Instead it belongs to everyone with federal, state and provincial governments responsible for managing wildlife on public land. However, this bedrock principle is being tested in Vermont now.
In the final days of Vermont’s 2010 legislative session, language known as the Nelson amendment was inserted in the appropriations bill (H.789 Sec E.702.1), which changed the status of native deer and moose enclosed on a captive shooting facility from the public domain to private ownership.
This legislation was reportedly passed to save a celebrity game preserve moose known as Pete from being culled. Rules governing captive-hunting facilities were adopted by Vermont’s Fish and Wildlife Board, and stipulated game preserves could not have any moose or white-tailed deer in their enclosures as way to protect wild herds from chronic wasting disease, tuberculosis and other diseases carried by captive animals.
The Nelson Amendment of H.789 contains language that transfers regulatory authority of illegally taken native deer and moose from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department to the Vermont Department of Agriculture and permits an individual citizen to own and profit from those wild animals that rightfully belong to all Vermont citizens.
Several groups are up in arms over this threat to public ownership of wildlife including Orion-The Hunters’ Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to upholding hunting by providing intellectual leadership on hunting-related issues.
“This giveaway of public wildlife resources to a single individual for personal gain threatens wildlife management in Vermont and beyond,” said Eric Nuse, executive director of Orion - The Hunters' Institute. “To change this management system, just to solve a short-term problem without any debate or input from the public and the professionals at the Fish and Wildlife Department, is reckless governance.”
The concept of ownership by the people and management by federal, state and provincial governments is known as the public trust doctrine of wildlife. It’s one of the reasons why this country enjoys the greatest diversity, quality, and quantity of game animals and other wildlife in the world. The idea dates back to when America defeated the English during the Revolutionary War. When wildlife was transferred from the King to the new government and thus to the people, it nullified the centuries-old European model where wildlife was privately owned and hunting was reserved for the upper class. Since then, a series of Supreme Court rulings have firmly established the public trust as it relates to this country’s wildlife.
For more information about Vermont’s public trust doctrine issues, click here (link externally to http://fairchasehunting.blogspot.com/)
Friday, September 10, 2010
Nelson Shooting Facility Plan Due Today
Despite the headline below, this is not about Pete. This issue as regular readers of this blog know, is about keeping wildlife wild. Nearly all wildlife groups in Vermont agree the Nelson amendment needs to be repealed. This would force Nelson to negotiate with the FWD on removing all wild deer and moose from his fenced in shooting grounds and to comply with the FW Board regulations on shooting his red deer.
The odds of the plan due today being anything but a blueprint for Nelson selling "hunts" for Pete and the rest of the formerly wild life is about nil.
From WCAX TV news website:
Irasburg, Vermont - September 10, 2010
Another page today in the drama of Pete the moose.
The animal is living on an elk hunting preserve in Irasburg after he was mauled by dogs, but the Fish and Wildlife Department planned to kill Pete. It's illegal to hold wild animals in captivity out of fear they'll spread disease.
Today is the deadline for the land owner to submit a plan to the state on turning his wildlife preserve into a wildlife farm.
WCAX News
This is my comment left on the website:
Eric Nuse
It is true the FWD is very concerned about the spread of disease, thus Pete could not be released in the wild and no other facilities would take Pete. However, the larger principle is wildlife is owned by all and held in trust by the State. Therefore wildlife can not be owned or held captive by any one person. Thus Pete was illegally taken and held by Mr. Nelson along with the other fenced moose and whitetail deer on his canned hunt facility. It is in the interest of everyone to keep wildlife wild.
It is true the FWD is very concerned about the spread of disease, thus Pete could not be released in the wild and no other facilities would take Pete. However, the larger principle is wildlife is owned by all and held in trust by the State. Therefore wildlife can not be owned or held captive by any one person. Thus Pete was illegally taken and held by Mr. Nelson along with the other fenced moose and whitetail deer on his canned hunt facility. It is in the interest of everyone to keep wildlife wild.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Gubernatorial candidates questioned about the Nelson or Pete the Moose amendment.
It is good to see that people have gotten the word about the damaging Nelson amendment and are questioning state officials about their involvement in it's passage.
From WCAX.comhttp://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=12973421:
In a discussion about transparency in government, Shumlin and Bartlett had to defend a last-minute provision tacked onto the state budget granting the owner of an elk-hunting park an exception to state law so he could also let an orphaned moose named Pete stay in his fenced acres and spare dozens of native deer within the park’s confines.
“You can absolutely pick one piece of my career and judge me if you want,” Bartlett said.
Shumlin said he now considers the amendment a mistake. “I sometimes do things in haste,” he said. “I should have had a better handle on what I was voting on.”
From WCAX.comhttp://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=12973421:
Susan Bartlett was the champion of Pete the Moose, a wild animal that was nursed back to health after being attacked by dogs and abandoned by Vermont Fish and Wildlife. So Jim McGarry wanted Bartlett to explain the ethics behind her "Pete the Moose" amendment which was added into the finance bill but hidden from Fish and Wildlife.
"This Fish and Wildlife Department refused to do anything except to say the only solution is to slaughter," said Bartlett, "We disagreed with that. So we worked with the administration, and it was the administration that made the choice to not include its Fish and Wildlife Department."
From the Burlington Free Press:
“You can absolutely pick one piece of my career and judge me if you want,” Bartlett said.
Shumlin said he now considers the amendment a mistake. “I sometimes do things in haste,” he said. “I should have had a better handle on what I was voting on.”
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Ag Commissioner speaks up about Nelson's non-compliance with rules
From WCAX News
New problem for Pete the moose
Montpelier, Vermont - August 10, 2010
"This is a very serious thing that needs to be addressed," Vt. Agriculture Secretary Roger Allbee said.
The issue-- Pete the moose's owner Doug Nelson has not given the state a management plan, even though he's had three months to do so after lawmakers passed a last minute plan to save the moose. Pete is living on an elk hunting preserve in Irasburg after being found mauled by dogs.
The Vt. Fish and Wildlife Department planned to kill Pete. It's against the law to keep wild animals in captivity because they could spread disease. But lawmakers turned Doug Nelson's preserve into a game farm under the jurisdiction of the Agency of Agriculture.
"We hope he will understand that there were several legislators that went to bat for him to put special provisions into the law to allow him to comply at this time, it seems quite unreasonable that he would ignore what is required," Allbee said.
Calls to Nelson were not returned but he sent a letter to Allbee asking for an extension because his expert is in Texas. Allbee says Nelson has had time and the law is clear-- a plan was needed by August 1. Nelson is facing a state fine of $250 a day.
Allbee: If he doesn't comply with the hearing and tell us how he is complying he is going facing a very significant fine at this stage.
Reporter Kristin Carlson: Is it still on the table that the animals would be killed?
Allbee: I don't think anyone is at that stage of the recommendation, but certainly we are looking with the possibility of the fine that Mr. Nelson will understand that everyone in the state of Vermont is being understanding and reasonable and if he continues to show he doesn't regard state law as being important, that obviously he'll have the public against him as well.
The state is now asking to have a hearing with Nelson in two weeks to hear his management plan. And it's not just state officials and lawmakers who are annoyed, even some Pete supporters say they are frustrated that Nelson has not complied with the new law.
Kristin Carlson - WCAX News
Monday, August 9, 2010
Nelson misses another deadline - so what else is new?
Our thanks to Candy Page for following up on this violation of the public trust of wildlife. I bet the Ag Dept grants the extension and a bunch more to follow.
Where's the plan for the park that Pete (the Moose) saved?
Candace Page / Free Press -Richard Nelson fills a feeding trough at Big Rack Ridge in Irasburg as an elk approaches to feed on Monday, June 14, 2010.
Free Press environment writer Candace Page filed this entry in her blog, “Tree at My Window:”
Remember Pete the Moose and Big Rack Ridge? That’s the orphaned moose and his elk-hunting-park home I wrote about earlier this summer after Vermont lawmakers cut a special deal to exempt the park from Fish and Wildlife regulations. Well, the park’s owner missed an Aug. 1 deadline last week to submit a management plan for monitoring and protecting the health of animals inside — and outside — his seven miles of fence.
Instead, on Aug. 2, Doug Nelson of Derby wrote to the Agriculture Agency to request a two-month extension because “my management consultant is located in Texas and has been unable to come to Vermont.”
State veterinarian Dr. Kristin Haas said she is consulting with the attorney general’s office about whether to grant the exemption.
It is not clear what effect granting the postponement would have on other deadlines facing Big Rack Ridge, including compliance with the Agriculture Agency’s rules for deer farms by Sept. 1 and construction of a second, interior fence by Oct. 1.
“We are reviewing how to go forward,” Haas said.
“I’m not surprised,” Fish and Wildlife Board Chairman Brian Ames said of Nelson’s failure to meet the deadline. “He never made any attempt to come into compliance with our rules.”
Doug Nelson and his son Richard did not return my telephone calls of inquiry last week or Monday.
In May, Vermont lawmakers granted Nelson’s park an exemption from Fish and Wildlife regulations and transferred oversight to the Agriculture Agency.
They acted because new Fish and Wildlife regulations would have required Nelson to kill the native whitetail deer and moose trapped inside his fence, as a precaution against the spread of chronic wasting disease and other animal illnesses. The Nelsons have operated Big Rack Ridge since 2001; no disease has been detected in any of their elk.
The proposed killing provoked a public outcry because Nelson is providing a home for an orphaned moose, Pete, who had a Facebook page and a large following of humans.
But the Legislature’s action outraged some parts of the hunting community. Hunters not only fear the spread of disease to Vermont’s wild deer herd, but object to a deal that gave Nelson ownership of the wild animals trapped inside his fence.
Ames said the controversy isn’t over.
“We are going to try to have this issue re-addressed” by the 2011 Legislature, he said. “The ramifications for the privatization of wildlife are significant — we can’t let that continue.”
Remember Pete the Moose and Big Rack Ridge? That’s the orphaned moose and his elk-hunting-park home I wrote about earlier this summer after Vermont lawmakers cut a special deal to exempt the park from Fish and Wildlife regulations. Well, the park’s owner missed an Aug. 1 deadline last week to submit a management plan for monitoring and protecting the health of animals inside — and outside — his seven miles of fence.
Instead, on Aug. 2, Doug Nelson of Derby wrote to the Agriculture Agency to request a two-month extension because “my management consultant is located in Texas and has been unable to come to Vermont.”
State veterinarian Dr. Kristin Haas said she is consulting with the attorney general’s office about whether to grant the exemption.
It is not clear what effect granting the postponement would have on other deadlines facing Big Rack Ridge, including compliance with the Agriculture Agency’s rules for deer farms by Sept. 1 and construction of a second, interior fence by Oct. 1.
“We are reviewing how to go forward,” Haas said.
“I’m not surprised,” Fish and Wildlife Board Chairman Brian Ames said of Nelson’s failure to meet the deadline. “He never made any attempt to come into compliance with our rules.”
Doug Nelson and his son Richard did not return my telephone calls of inquiry last week or Monday.
In May, Vermont lawmakers granted Nelson’s park an exemption from Fish and Wildlife regulations and transferred oversight to the Agriculture Agency.
They acted because new Fish and Wildlife regulations would have required Nelson to kill the native whitetail deer and moose trapped inside his fence, as a precaution against the spread of chronic wasting disease and other animal illnesses. The Nelsons have operated Big Rack Ridge since 2001; no disease has been detected in any of their elk.
The proposed killing provoked a public outcry because Nelson is providing a home for an orphaned moose, Pete, who had a Facebook page and a large following of humans.
But the Legislature’s action outraged some parts of the hunting community. Hunters not only fear the spread of disease to Vermont’s wild deer herd, but object to a deal that gave Nelson ownership of the wild animals trapped inside his fence.
Ames said the controversy isn’t over.
“We are going to try to have this issue re-addressed” by the 2011 Legislature, he said. “The ramifications for the privatization of wildlife are significant — we can’t let that continue.”
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