Stop Unethical Hunting Practices in Alaska - PETITIONS & PUBLIC COMMENTS DUE JULY 23

Ryan Zinke wants to allow extreme hunting methods in Alaska including hunting and trapping of bears, wolves, and other animals, baiting bears with bacon and donuts, wolf pups in their dens, and blinding hibernating bear cubs with bright spotlights and shooting swimming caribou from motor boats. Please leave a public comment and sign and share all of the petitions. 

PUBLIC COMMENTS:

Submit your personalized public comment HERE before July 23. 

TALKING POINTS (taken from Humane Society of the United States and Project Coyote):

• I oppose the National Park Service's plan to repeal the 2015 rule which bans the killing of wolf and coyote families in their dens, the killing of hibernate bears and cubs in their dens while using artificial light, baiting of black and grizzly bears, shooting swimming caribou from motor boats and using dogs to hunt black bears. 
• The practices outlawed by the 2015 rule are widely considered to be unethical and inhumane. They are also inconsistent with the Service's statutory conservation mandate. Consequently, the Service must not repeal this law. 
• Native carnivores play a critical role in our ecosystem. They should be treated humanely and the important role that these animals play in balancing a healthy ecosystem should be acknowledged. 
• The original rule was carefully deliberated and was based on the best available science. It was written after extensive public input. It should not be reversed.
• The rule only prohibits practices in national preserves which is less than 6% of Alaska. This is not an unreasonable limitation on Alaskans access to hunting.
• Baiting of bears is a dangerous practice. It can sicken bears, exposing them and other wildlife to human foods that can be deadly to them. This can also increase the likelihood of parasite transmission of other disease. It is not uncommon for adult or larger bears to prey on cubs or smaller bears at bait sites. Moreover, hunters usually stock bait sites for a month or longer prior to the commencement of hunting season to ensure that bears get used to coming. This eliminates any notion of "fair chase" hunting. Finally, baiting can be dangerous to other humans if hikers or unaware hunters accidentally come across a bait site as brown bears are known to aggressively protect a food source. 
• For the foregoing reasons, please keep these prohibitions in place. 

PETITIONS:
** UPDATED JULY 21

Animal Welfare Institute Friends of the Earth

Sierra Club

Daily Kos

Care2

NPCA

MoveOn.Org

Center for Biological Diversity 

Born Free

Endangered Species Coalition

Wilderness Watch

Force Change
Defenders
Animal Welfare Institute
EarthJustice
Alaska Wild
Wilderness Watch
NRDC

Celebrate Endangered Species Day

Celebrate Endangered Species by asking your Members of Congress to protect the Endangered Species Act which is under threat by a hostile Congress continually introducing bills, riders, poison pills and the like to undermine this important bill.

Please take 5 minutes this week to contact your representatives in Congress and ask them protect this law!

CALL: Find your Senators (contact information here) and your Representatives (contact information here). Call and tell the staff member who answers the phone that you are concerned about the Farm Bill and other pending legislation that threatens to undermine the Endangered Species Act and you would like your Member of Congress to commit to vote NO on all such legislation and to fight to protect the Endangered Species Act. 

EMAIL:  Email your Senators (contact information here) and your Representatives (contact information here) with the following script or write your own - 

Please vote NO on any legislation that undermines that Endangered Species Act or delists any particular species.  In particular, please watch out of bills, riders and poison pills that preclude judicial review for delisted species. These sorts of bills and riders weaken the Endangered Species Act and are at odds with the best available science. This Act has allowed us to protect biodiversity at a time when more and more plants and animals are going extinct every day. It is critically important to keep the Endangered Species Act strong and intact. 

TWEET:

Please fight to protect the Endangered Species Act! Reject riders, poison pills and any bills that undermine or weaken it. As we face the 6th mass extinction, we need the ESA strong and intact! #wildlife #EndangeredSpeciesDay #EndangeredSpeciesAct

Retweet with Comment our tweet (above) and tag your senators (find their Twitter IDs here) and your Representatives (find their Twitter IDs here). If should look like this:

FACEBOOK: Leave a comment on the Facebook pages for your Members of Congress asking them to vote NO on any legislation that undermines the Endangered Species Act or delists any particular species.

RESISTBOT: Text 504-09 and type RESIST. The ResistBot will convert your texts to faxes to your Senators and representative. Please send a text to "Congress" and use the script above under "email" or write something in your own words. 

PETITIONS: Sign and share

Endangered Species Coalition
EarthJustice (Farm Bill targeting ESA)
Animal Welfare Institute (Farm Bill targeting ESA)
NRDC (Farm Bill targeting ESA)
WildEarth Guardians (Farm Bill targeting ESA)

PUBLIC COMMENTS: #SaveStumpy and the Wild Horses of Muddy Creek DUE MAY 20

Speak out for Stumpy and the wild horses of Muddy Creek! BLM is planning to round up these horses to make way for cattle. Please submit your public comments BY MAY 20 .

EMAIL YOUR PUBLIC COMMENTS: blm_ut_pr_whb@blm.gov.  Write: 'Muddy Creek Wild Horse Gather Plan EA' in the subject line

WHAT TO SAY:

- 210,000 acres were lost when BLM merged Sinbad and Muddy Creek HMAs in 2008. Those 210,000 acres should be returned to wild horses. 

- Follow §4710.5 of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burro Act of 1971, which pertains to the closure of (legally designated) wild horse and burro herd area for livestock grazing. It states in part that, "if necessary to provide habitat for wild horses and burros from disease, harassment or injury, the authorized officer may close appropriate areas of the public lands to grazing use by all or a particular kind of livestock." Grazing on public lands is a privilege, not a right. 

- Follow advice from geneticist Dr. Gus Cothran regarding maintaining genetic viability. Managing wild horses at low population levels leaves them vulnerable to a long range loss of genetic diversity. Per geneticist, Gus Cothran, the minimum wild horse and burro herd size is 150-200 animals. The AML recommendation of 75-125 will destroy the herd over time.

- There should be no roundups or use of PZP until BLM proves that there is overpopulation of wild horses.

- How many cattle are on the public lands at issue? If only 195 wild horses are allowed on 283,400 acres? Will only a similar number of cattle be permitted? How does BLM ensure that ranchers accurately report the correct number of livestock?

- There should be an absolute ban on removing horses between foaling season which is between March and June.


SIGN AND SHARE THESE PETITIONS:

American Wild Horse Campaign

SPREAD THE WORD ON SOCIAL MEDIA: 

TWITTER: Retweet this account: Freedom4Horses
INSTAGRAM: DontDelistGrizzlies