Ernie EisonIf the ESA worked there should be less species on its list from year to year. The fact that there are always more, and more of them being upgraded, only shows that, like every bureaucracy, wildlife protection is self-aggrandizing and self-generating. Like the 300 billion dollar a year drug war (an amount far greater than the GNPs of the nations that supply the drugs) it depends on the existence of a drug problem for its own economically parasitic existence.
Wouldn't it make more sense to stop looking at this from a species standpoint, and start looking at it from a wilderness standpoint? To start drawing lines on maps (as Costa Rica has done) instead of on meaningless lists in space; to save hundreds of species in one whack now and forever rather than sitting back waiting to put a new name on a wall calendar for a few scientists to ponder pensively? To get out of the Police Business and get into the Park Business? To get rid of a system that does not work and get into one that does? And to take the money that supports the failed system and put it into land acquisition where it can have real value?
Every nickel given to the ESA is a nickel wasted. We need an EHA (an Endangered Habitat Act), not a cumbersome and useless ESA. We should be protecting biological life zones, and within these life zones humanity should be encouraged to interact, not shut out behind legal barriers so that these zones can have no useful reason for their existence.
Try suggesting this to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the rest of their police factions and you'll just scare the hell of them. "But what will happen to us?" they whine. Have them report next day for duty as Park Guards. They can still keep their badges and guns.
Having already "misplaced" $45 million of sportsmen's money, chased through three congressional hearings and faced with impending legislation about misuse of another $500 million, the USFWS is grabbing for every straw they can to justify an already precarious existence in the Endangered Species business (Miniter, Outdoor Life, March 2000). As Miniter notes:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has changed from an agency mostly concerned with game management and sport fishing to an agency that's wielding the extraordinary power of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As a result, the USFWS now has to care for snails, butterflies, cacti and every other flora and fauna in the U.S.... The ESA, which was passed in 1973, has brought the USFWS a barrage of lawsuits and pressure from environmental groups to do everything from protect the prairie dog as endangered, to saving spotted owls and finger-sized snail darters. This has made it a very political agency.... Through the ESA, the USFWS can stop development in Seattle because of dwindling salmon populations or introduce aggressive species (like wolves) into an ecosystem despite vehement local objection.... All this has to some extent shifted the agency's goals, but also its personnel. At one time the service was made up primarily of biologists who were also hunters [read that "field experience," my brackets];
Below a statement from Louie Porrus. For those who don't know who Louie is, click the link and find out. , http://www.internationalherpetologicals ... ras-award/
I'm proud to say that I was part of that great push to kill what would be the first of many insane proposals I would see in my life time. At a young age I was privy to many things as to how the endangered species business works.
......................................................................................................................................L: To be candid, the laws were pretty horrible and eventually they became a nightmare. The '69 Endangered Species Act was a telltale sign of things to come, but it was the '73 version that knocked dealers like Chase out of business. Chase hung in there for a while and moved to smaller quarters, but things were never the same. In '75, the CITES treaty came into effect, and about that time a number of states, including Florida, had issued new legislation. The mid '70s were also a time when humaniac groups were making a concerted effort to outlaw zoos and prohibit animal ownership, and the feeling in the trade was that laws were no longer being enacted to regulate, but to prohibit. The real shocker came in March of '77, when proposed regulations under the Injurious Act appeared in the Federal Register. In addition to all the recent legislation, the proposed regulations were so prohibitive that they threatened to put us out of business. The regulations would have made it illegal for dealers to import venomous snakes, as well as many salamanders, newts and other amphibians. Since CITES had recently come into effect and many countries had yet to establish permit systems, imports for specialty dealers like The Shed had slowed dramatically. In essence, besides trying to sustain our livelihood, we were representing an entire portion of the animal industry. So we took it upon ourselves to write a detailed letter explaining the ramifications of the proposal, to which we attached petition forms, and we mailed it to all our customers and to every herp society and organization we could think of. We also mailed the letter to countless politicians, like senators, representatives, congressmen, even the President. We raised enough commotion that people took our petitions to the streets, and it's interesting that even people in Canada got into the act! Although other groups voiced their concerns, I don't believe that any efforts were as organized or as emotional as ours, and with the amount of public outrage we elicited, I can't help but think that The Shed played a major role in the final outcome. Even before the results were made public, a Fish and Wildlife Service agent confided in me, unofficially of course, that no wildlife proposal in history had ever been defeated as soundly or effectively.
The community service part :
Currently there are approximately 291 venomous reptile licenses, for both native and exotic species, in the state of Florida. This survey will be used to help FWC understand the feeling of the general public regarding venomous reptiles being kept by zoos, commercial entities and private individuals in the state of Florida. Click the link to take the survey
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VR-Rule
Deadline July 27! Open to in-state and out-of-state residents.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is currently rewriting Florida's venomous reptile keeping regulations. A group of professionals and stakeholders has been chosen to assist in this task. This group is the Venomous Reptile Technical Assistance Group (VRTAG). USARK holds a seat at this table.
At this point, it is unclear if FWC will follow the suggestions of the VRTAG. While the VRTAG should be wholly utilized by FWC staff to help grasp venomous reptile biology and husbandry, the animals are still very misunderstood. Lifetimes of experience (some VRTAG members holding decades of knowledge) cannot be properly absorbed in a couple meetings, especially if VRTAG voices are not met with open minds.
Now, without sharing their plan to do so with the VRTAG or asking for their input, FWC has released a public opinion survey of only 6 questions with no background information. And now, following the escape of two snakes by irresponsible keepers who did not have appropriate caging or secondary containment (as presented by the VRTAG), the entirety of the venomous keeping community is being punished.
Please take the survey (can be taken in 2 minutes or less) and realize that it is no easy feat to meet the requirements for the venomous reptile license in Florida. The survey does not mention 20 pages of regulations, proof of experience, FWC inspections and all the other criteria before anyone can obtain a license to legally have these species of venomous snakes and lizards. Even "personal use" keepers with one snake must follow the same regulations, get the same inspections, and surpass the same barriers as zoos and large venom labs.
Florida already has the most exhaustive venomous regulation in the U.S. Now, additional regulation and even a ban are in talks. While we do hope FWC will listen to the science-based, common-sense recommendations of the VRTAG which will properly address all issues, we're quite unsure why they are requesting large amounts of skewed data from an uneducated general public. USARK