STOP FOREST CLEAR CUTTING IN UPPER MICHIGAN
Same View of Original Picture
David Rassel
Crystal Falls, MI
Jan 23, 2018 — If you look at the picture of the Forest on the original page of this petition, this is the same road looking in the same direction just over 1 year later. How pitiful it is becoming. There are No Plans of DNR Replanting.
31,615 have signed. Let’s get to 35,000.
David Rassel: STOP FOREST CLEAR…
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A Big Tancook Island man who was involved in a hunting incident 15 months ago that left a father of two dead, pleaded guilty to careless use of a firearm in Bridgewater provincial court on Thursday.
Christopher Adam Stevens, 32, was scheduled to begin trial over the Oct. 28, 2016, incident that occurred while the two men were deer hunting in Big Tancook Island, but his lawyer (Thomas Feindel) informed the court of Stevens’ change of plea.
The sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 12.
The charge carries with it a maximum two-year prison sentence for first-time offenders but the Crown opted to pursue a lesser summary conviction. The maximum sentence in this case is six months in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.
Details of the day in question were not disclosed on Thursday but will be laid out during the sentencing hearing.
Feindel would not comment on the case, saying he didn’t have permission from Stevens do so.
Crown prosecutor Emma Baasch, who opened discussions with Feindel a couple of weeks ago, said she wasn’t surprised by Stevens’ decision to plead guilty.
“The case was one in which, like all cases, the Crown has a realistic prospect of conviction and had a realistic prospect of conviction in those circumstances,” said Baasch. “A guilty plea is never really a surprise.”
At this point, the case remains shrouded in mystery. RCMP have been tight-lipped in revealing details of its investigation. What is known is the name of the victim, Barry Slaunwhite, and that the two men knew each other but were not hunting together. The person who was responsible for the shooting made the call to 911.
Slaunwhite’s obituary says the 52-year-old man’s death was a result “of a tragic hunting accident.”
“He had a passion for hunting, fishing and all things outdoors,” states the obituary. “Above all else Barry loved his family, friends and spending time at his cottage on Big Tancook Island. He was especially proud of his grandson Carter whom he loved with all his heart, he treasured every moment he had with him.”
Baasch wouldn’t say whether Stevens’ change in plea would influence the Crown’s sentence recommendation. His punishment could be influenced by a pre-sentence report conducted by Stevens’ probation officer.
“The circumstances of the offender will permit us the best approach to follow in this matter.
“The Crown will be making a recommendation and we may come to an agreement with the defence on what that recommendation is.”
She also touched on the tragedy of the case.
“We’re dealing with a tragic outcome and an activity that’s so widely enjoyed in Nova Scotia,” she said.
“It has impacted a great many people but the facts of the case can’t be discussed until March 12.
Harsher punishment for animal cruelty-Ponce’s Law
82K supporters
Petition update
1/25/2018 Ponce’s Law passes in the Judiciary Committee unanimously today
Debbie Taylor Darino
Daytona Beach, FL
Jan 26, 2018 — Ponce’s Law HB 473 passed unanimously today in the Judiciary Committee. This means that it has passed the required number of committees in the House of Representatives. The next step is the Senate committees…..I will keep you posted!! Great day and big thank you to our sponsor Rep. Tom Leek!!
1/18/2018 Ponce’s Law HB 473 passes the Justice Appropriations Subcommittee
82,415 have signed. Let’s get to 150,000.
© 2018, Change.org, Inc.Certified B Corporation
Ted Lidie demonstrates two types of turkey calls. Lidie leads the local chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation’s JAKES program that teaches young people to hunt. Sean Longoria
A hunter suffered minor injuries when he was shot by a companion who mistook him for a turkey, Maryland Natural Resources Police said.
Police said James Henry Gilbert, 67, and Dennis Eugene Yoder, 66, of Parkton, Maryland, were hunting on leased Chesapeake Forest Land near Bell Road in Whaleyville on Saturday, Jan. 20, when the incident happened.
As was their practice, the two men split up. They ended up setting up to hunt within 50 yards of each other, with the line of sight obstructed by several small trees and brush, according to an NRP news release.
Yoder saw movement, thought he saw the red and white coloring of a turkey and fired his 12-guage shotgun, police said. Gilbert yelled that he was hit.
Driven by Yoder, Gilbert was treated at Dorchester General Hospital for shotgun pellet wounds to his head, legs and hand and then released.
The case is under review by the Worcester County State’s Attorney for possible charges, the release said.
About 23 years ago, the United States embarked on an experiment: What would happen if U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released grey wolves in the West?
The results were… mixed.
To their credit, the wolves have successfully controlled the grass-munching elk and deer populations of the Northern Rockies, leaving more habitat available for other species, like bugs and beneficial algae.
But the wolves, it turns out, aren’t that picky when it comes to dinner, and ranchers’ cows make for easy targets. So states have had to readjust. In states like Idaho, for example, ranchers are permitted to protect their herds by killing wolves, and some states also allow wolf trophy hunts in an effort to further thin the packs.
But in Oregon, ranchers have found themselves caught between a snarling rock and a hard regulation — the wolves killing cows on their grazing grounds, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, which has strict rules against killing them in all but the rarest circumstances.
The ranchers who keep losing cattle to wolves, and the residents of Eastern Oregon who rely on the economy created by the cattle industry, have long argued the state of Oregon should loosen the rules.
And for the first time, starting last year, the state allowed for just that. But when four wolves from the Harl Butte Pack of northeastern Oregon were killed, environmentalists decried the wolf killings as unnecessary and cruel.
Still, ranchers here hope it’s just the start.
by Priscilla Feral
The “Draw of Bows” (Jan. 20, Conn. Post) highlighted one person’s morbid fascination with shooting arrows into deer following personal tragedies – explaining she and her spouse were at peace when they lured deer with corn, and then killed them. Afterward, they post Instagram photos of holding bloody dead deer.
Frankly, that’s horrifying.
Although a volunteer with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) claims that “if people ever lose the desire to hunt, then (they) won’t be human anymore” that spurious argument is out-of-touch with what’s happening in Connecticut and across the country.
DEEP profits from hunter licensing and federal excise taxes on weapons and ammunition, which drives their arguments, but hunting has lost its appeal in our state for two decades – mirroring a country wide trend.
Fewer than one percent of Connecticut residents hunt. Nationwide, hunting has declined 16 percent since 2011 to 11.5 million, or 5 percent of U.S. residents, while wildlife-watching has increased to 86 million, or 35 percent of U.S. residents who observe and photograph birds, deer and other wildlife as opposed to shooting them to death.
Without new generations becoming licensed hunters, state agencies will be forced to talk about more than the interests of a shrinking minority who chase deer with bows and rifles.
Since it’s no longer acceptable to call hunting recreation, hunters invent social benefits to excuse the bloodletting. We hear about the need to defend wildflowers from over-browsing. We hear about heading off collisions between automobiles and deer. We’re told hunters feed the hungry. We hear that hunters protect our communities from Lyme disease.
There are substantive common sense arguments to show that limits to food and sheltering foliage causes animal populations to limit themselves. In truth, nature is being managed to death and it’s time for communities to call for ceasefires.
Let’s stop DEEP from catering to less than one percent of those who just like making wildlife dead.
Priscilla Feral
Darien
The writer is president of Friends of Animals.
That was the dire warning Thursday from the atomic scientists who run the metaphorical Doomsday Clock — and who have moved the hands 30 seconds closer to midnight, which represents the moment when the world could be annihilated by nuclear war.
“The world is not only more dangerous now than it was a year ago, it is as threatening as it has been since World War II,” Lawrence Krauss and Robert Rosner wrote in The Washington Post. “In fact, the Doomsday Clock is as…
View original post 584 more words
Raising money to protect the feared sea creatures can be a challenge
Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett CollectionPresident Donald Trump’s reported death wish for sharks has been a lifeline for charities that protect them.
Shark-related nonprofits have been receiving a steady stream of donations in the wake of Trump reportedly telling adult film actress Stormy Daniels, “I donate to all these charities and I would never donate to any charity that helps sharks. I hope all the sharks die.” Trump’s comments came to light in an In Touch Weekly interviewwith Daniels, who reportedly had a fling with Trump in 2006. Daniels said Trump was “obsessed” with sharks and “terrified” of them.
Since Trump’s strong anti-shark stance became public late last week, donations have poured in at the nonprofits Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, their leaders told MarketWatch.
“It’s actually more dangerous to play golf than it is to go swimming in the ocean with sharks.”
“We have been receiving donations in Trump’s name since the story was published,” said Cynthia Wilgren, chief executive officer and co-founder of Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, based in Chatham, Mass. Most of the money has come from first-time donors, she added. “It can certainly be a challenge to raise money for a species that most people fear,” Wilgren said.
Captain Paul Watson, founder of the Burbank, Calif. based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, said his group had received “quite a few” donations from benefactors who specifically mentioned Trump’s comments.
He and his fellow conservationists consider Trump’s comments “ignorant,” Watson said, but they’ve had a positive effect. “Anything that focuses attention on the plight of sharks worldwide is valuable, so I guess in that way the president did good service,” Watson said.
His group sends boats across the world to catch poachers who illegally kill sea animals. Some 75 million sharks a year are killed, often when their fins are cut off and they are tossed back into the ocean, Watson said. When their fins are removed, sharks are unable to swim effectively, so they sink down to the bottom and die or get eaten by other predators. Sharks are also killed to make shark leather shoes and belts, and for shark liver oil, which is used as a dietary supplement and in beauty products such as lipstick, according to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
The popular image of sharks as super predators is unfair, Watson said. While hundreds of millions of people swim in oceans every year, sharks kill only about five people a year around the world, Watson said. “It’s actually more dangerous to play golf than it is to go swimming in the ocean with sharks,” Watson said. “Quite a few more die from lightning strikes and bee stings while playing golf than from sharks.”
Don’t miss: Trump may hate sharks, but these animals cause more deaths each year
Sharks are a critical part of ocean ecosystems and their fate is closely tied to the health of oceans as a whole. If they go extinct, humans wouldn’t be too far behind, Watson claimed.
The president’s hatred of sharks pre-dates his time in office, according to his Twitter history. Back in 2013 he said he’s not a fan of the animals. In November 2017, Trump drew the ire of conservationists after eating shark fin soup during a visit to Vietnam.
Shark charities and other nonprofits face an uncertain future under Trump’s new tax law. Some estimate that charities could see a $13 to $20 billion drop in donations because of changes in the tax code.
JAN 17, 2018 — There are renewed calls on the Irish Government to end fur farming as Norway this week announces that a total ban will come into affect.
Norway’s government has pledged to shut down all of the country’s 250+ fur farms by 2025, becoming the 14th European nation to phase out fur farming.
Meanwhile in Ireland, where just three fur farms remain, the government has so far refused to take action to stop this vile industry. Please join us in renewing an appeal to Agriculture Minister Michael Creed and the Irish Government to put in place a fur farming ban.
Watch our video footage of mink caged on Ireland’s largest fur farm in Laois
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvX1O9GvsQ4
ACTION ALERT
Demand a ban on fur farming in Ireland. Contact Prime Minister Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Agriculture Minister Michael Creed now.
Email “Ban fur farming NOW” to Leo.Varadkar@oir.ie, michael.creed@oir.ie, taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, AnimalHealthAndWelfareAct@agriculture.gov.ie
Tel: +353 (0)1 6194000 (Leo Varadkar)
Tel: 01-607 2000 or LoCall 1890-200510 (Michael Creed)
Tweet: @campaignforleo @creedcnw Ban fur farming NOW
Comment on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/campaignforleo/
https://www.facebook.com/michaelcreedtd
“Norway pledges to shut down all fox and mink fur farms by 2025” – Read the Independent UK report
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/norway-fur-farm-ban-close-deadline-20225-mink-fox-animal-rights-erna-solberg-a8162196.html
http://www.bvconservation.org/
Stephen Capra
We are living through one of the most difficult periods in conservation history, in a country led by a madman, supported by people that see life through authoritarian rule. The rhetoric and constant stream of nausea created by this leader and his Republican accomplices and excusers isdesigned to keep one off balance, fatigued and scared.
Ignorance and fear are driving a wedge across our nation and people seem more willing than ever to throw away the environment in pursuit of living wages. This has been the turning point for the conservative movement and the crystallization of their efforts to destroy unions, social safety nets and common sense regulation of industry. We are developing a nation of workers, who will work anyway, on any terms, to survive. Nothing has had more direct impact on conservation and protection of species than the destruction of the middle-class that began in earnest during the Reagan years.
We need a society once again that is based in justice and fairness, we need corporations that are forced by rule of law to pay real wages and benefits to all that work for them and we must understand that a stock market built on mergers and acquisitions and returns to shareholders is not good for the environment, because it is killing our middle-class.
Last week I ran into our junior Senator Martin Heinrich, Martin has always been and remains a strong supporter of the environmental causes such as wilderness and monument protections and has been a friend for more than 18 years. When I ran into him I made a proposal, which he said he would give real thought to.
I told him that under the Obama Administration, Republicans continued to introduce legislation no matter if it could pass because they believed in putting down markers and growing their base with legislation that they supported.
In that vein, I suggested that he introduce a package of legislation that was designed to enhance our middle-class and to support a real vision for environmental protection. No half steps, a real vision, something to inspire those who believe in protections for environment and security and jobs for workers across the country, because we cannot continue to see them as separate causes.
The environmental community often brings in different voices when they need support for wilderness or other conservation measures, but the link now is vital and must be reciprocal.
We must support minimum wages and job training and we must demand a real social safety net that is expanded, not chopped. In the conservation realm, we must introduce legislation that is inspiring and designed to capture our nation’s imagination.
Here are a few suggestions, humbly put forth:
To do this and to improve the plight of all Americans Congress must move to end the tax cut imposed by Republicans this past December and more taxes must be placed directly on the top 1%.
Increase spending for birth control her at home and internationally.
Stop all the giveaways to corporate America and force them to return monies to American shores.
More taxes must be placed directly on the fossil-fuel industry and that of Power companies that continue to use coal in their power generation.
We must put a direct tax on the use of plastics, plastic bags and the companies that create them, largely funded by the oil and gas industry.
The passage of a real HealthCare legislation (likely single payer), that will reduce the costs of healthcare for all Americans, while ensuring quality care for all. That will save money and create real equality.
Reducing the endless spending on the military, while investing in dialogue, diplomacy and respecting all nations. That common sense element will give us the money to protect our environment, here and abroad.
Finally, we must remove the control of Congress from complete Republican control.
More than anything we must understand the urgency of saving our environment and the strong need to end all the noise and distraction that is the toxic nature of this President and Congress.
We may not get it all, but my hope is that Senator Heinrich and the Democrats in Congress are prepared to be BOLD. It begins with a real vision and the strength to carry it forward.
If we do not act soon, it will simply be too late for this planet. We have no choice, we must be BOLD.
Exposing the Big Game 