Thursday, November 27, 2014 12:13 am
Wildlife officials are considering plans to allow deer hunting in several state preserves — including Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich — to cull herds that have flourished under state and local protections.
The move, details of which are still being worked out, will likely require legislative approval and is expected to prompt a backlash from animal rights groups and others who say the parks should remain sanctuaries for wildlife.
Hunters groups and local officials have pressed the state to allow hunting in Willowdale and other state lands – including Wompatuck State Park in Hingham and the 6,000-acre Blue Hills Reservation in Norfolk County – to control the deer population, said Bill Hickey, a spokesman for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.
“Many of our reservations are closed to hunting by regulation either because they are in urban areas, border neighborhoods, or as a result of deed restrictions placed on the properties before the commonwealth acquired them,” he said. “This is very preliminary, and we are considering [the requests] on a case by case basis.”
Exposing the Big Game 
It is a violation of public trust and ethics tor agencies, state or federal, to be having killing contest on public land as was going to be the case in ID, which under protests BLM cancelled their permission for the event. It was a contest targeted at wolves and coyotes. It is also inappropriate, unethical and violation of the public trust mandate to be hunting wolves, killing predators (lions, wolves, bears, coyotes), and manipulating normal prey-predator relationships, established through millenniums of time to follow the unethical and mythological hunter myth of bolstering ungulate populations for hunters to kill. This amounts to game farming in the wilderness and is a violation of the trust put in state and federal wildlife agencies to protect the natural balance of wild places, which is basically to leave them alone and protect them from humans. Wildlife viewing is usually much more remunerative than wildlife killing. The American public pays for wilderness, wildlife, preserves and national parks much more than hunters and trappers. Nationally, hunters only represent 6% of the population and fishermen 15%. It may be higher in Alaska, as it is in a couple of western states, but not that much higher. Wolf viewing alone in Yellowstone brings in $35 million to the states surrounding Yellowstone. It is my understanding that the Denali wolf packs have already been diminished by hunters outside the park, indicating that there should be a buffer zone around Denali as there should be around Yellowstone, Glacier and other national parks, game preserves, and sanctuaries. There should be no hunting on preserves and state or national parks. We are losing wildlife to encroachment on a large scale. Hunting per se is a major form of encroachment; and is way out of bounds in the areas and conditions described above. People come to states that still have significant wilderness to see wilderness and the wildlife that should not be diminished by an unholy alliance between hunters, trappers, their fees and sports game targets and wildlife agencies. The role of wildlife agencies: wilderness and wildlife conservation and protection, not slaughter.
Of course these agencies want to expand hunting in state parks: They are there to appease, and work for, the hunting industry. The dangerous move to expand hunting to every bit of public land, including National Parks is on the rise, with the help of politicians. We who care about non-humans must make a decision about which side we are on, and we must clearly identify who the Enemies are–and stop compromising with such. We just learned here in NM that Bold Visions is now going to “work with” a hunting organization called “Backwoods Anglers and Hunters.” What a disappointment, as this group (we would have worked with) appears to be strong on the public lands ranching issue. Unless people who care about wildlife realize the connections between hunters, trappers and ranching, we will not make a dent in the wildlife slaughter. The time for appeasement, collaboration, compromise or whatever Sleeping with the Enemy is called, is over. We do not have much time. Actually, it is the wildlife who don’t have much time.
http://www.foranimals.org
I support Bold Visions from time to time. What a disappointment to find out they’re partnering with a hunting organization.
I couldn’t believe that that group said they were working with a “backcountry hunting” group when I read that recently. I’ve personally known plenty of backcountry hunting groups and “outfitters”–had them for neighbors–trophy hunters all. Yes, what a disappointment.
Yes, it is sad. I think those of us who are in touch with Bold Visions, need to let them know how we feel. Rest assured, we are in touch with Stephen Capra here in NM who heads it, in Albuquerque.
I sent an email to Joe Adair the other day to ask for more details about the following project:
http://www.razoo.com/story/America-S-Small-Group-Wolf-Protection-Effort?utm_source=Membership+List&utm_campaign=d01399df6a-Searching_for_Answers_in_the_Abyss8_3_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_927d1c6250-d01399df6a-148570789&ct=t%28Searching_for_Answers_in_the_Abyss8_3_2014%29
If he gets back to me I’ll ask him about their partnering with Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. I checked out BV’s website and they’re allying themselves with BHA in conjunction with this campaign:
http://www.bvconservation.org/ah-shi-sle-pah.html
Thanks for the links and further info Maureen. Let us know what you hear back.
What’s next? School playgrounds? Walmart parking lots? Really that’s about all that’s left.
Good comment! The hunting industry’s agenda is clear: no restrictions on public lands, and make it as difficult a possible for private land owners to restrict them. Friends of mine in the Northeast, who post their land, tell me the hunters constantly trespass, and tear down or otherwise vandalize their postings & fencing, and poach animals.
As most of us know, thanks to this blog site, statistics show the majority of people do not hunt. But, they are also not “anti-hunting.” This is the problem. Again, as I constantly write, unless we take stands clearly Against what is happening, with No Compromise, we (and the wild animals), will lose. Too many groups continue to “work with” The Enemies of Wildlife–The livestock/hunting/trapping industries, thinking that somehow it will help them. A good example of this was the latest Bear Hunting Initiative in Maine. The HSUS and others in Maine, renamed their second effort to halt bear baiting, dogs, etc. “Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting. the same mistake they made before. They even had a hunter in their ads, talking about how this “was not ethical, fair hunting.” Did this second initiative ever fool anyone? It certainly didn’t fool the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine. Both the 1st and second initiatives failed.
Since there is no such thing as “fair hunting” this was a grave mistake–again, and the bears once again lose.
The only way I can see that we might have some impact with the large (and smaller) compromise groups, is to have a massive call in or e-mail in to these groups, after identifying them all. If they realize that people who have donated to them, or were think of joining their efforts, are not going to support them, until they take a strong stand against hunting,trapping, public lands ranching, they might reconsider. After all, it is all about the money they take in. I’m sure others on this blog have some suggestions as well.
http://www.foranimals.org
Hooray for deed restrictions!