Fwd: [BIRDHAWK] Hawk and owl hunting
BlkVulture@aol.com
Fri, 19 Feb 1999 21:39:22 EST
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Hello all,
Sorry if this is overkill. I know many of us are on many lists. But, I
picked this up off of Birdhawk and thought it was worthy of posting.
Todd Day
Jeffersonton, VA
BlkVulture@aol.com
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Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 16:08:24 -0500
Reply-To: Scott Weidensaul <sweidnsl@POTTSVILLE.INFI.NET>
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From: Scott Weidensaul <sweidnsl@POTTSVILLE.INFI.NET>
Subject: [BIRDHAWK] Hawk and owl hunting
To: BIRDHAWK@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
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Folks,
My apologies to those who may have already received information (via PA
BIRDS and elsewhere) on this issue. Next Thursday, Feb. 25, the
Pennsylvania Game Commission will hold a special meeting to consider a
proposal offered by board president Vernon Shaffer that seeks to remove
protection on red-tailed hawks and great horned owls at two large wildlife
management areas, Middle Creek and Blue Marsh. The proposal is contained in
a plan to restore ring-necked pheasant populations in these two locations.
Shaffer has, in fact, already written to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
petitioning them to rescind federal protection on these two species, and it
appears he may have majority support among his fellow commissioners for the
plan.
While it is unlikely that the USFWS will grant this request, this is a
terribly damaging development -- the image of the president of the state's
wildlife agency blaming raptors for the decline in small game, and calling
for an open season on them. This is also a reversal of the Game
Commission's excellent record over the past 20 years on raptor protection
issues, and sends an extremely disturbing message to the public as a whole.
(It is worth noting that this proposal did not originate with the staff of
the PGC, and most are privately appalled by Shaffer's actions. However,
under state law the eight-man board of appointed commissioners runs the
show, not the staff.)
It is essential that the conservation and birding community send a very
strong, unmistakable message that this kind of behavior is unacceptable.
For those in the area, I would urge you to attend the meeting, at 4 p.m. in
the PGC's headquarters, 2001 Elmerton Ave. in Harrisburg. (If you need
directions, drop me a line.) If you wish to speak at the meeting, I suggest
you call executive director Donald Madl's office at (717) 787-4250 and ask
to be put on the speakers' list. Those who cannot attend should write a
letter of protest; perhaps the fastest way would be to fax it to Mr. Madl's
office at (717) 772-0502.
Scott Weidensaul
You read it right. What Shaffer wants is an open season on great horned
owls and red-tailed hawks at those two locations, coupled with massive
stocking programs, to bolster ring-necked pheasant populations.
It's unlikely he could succeed in this; all hawks and owls are protected
under federal statute, and the only way they can be legally killed or
trapped is with a federal depredation permit -- the sort issued on occasion
to someone having trouble with a marauding owl at a gamebird hatchery, for
instance. There is no way I can foresee that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service is going to approve this kind of 19th century, buckshot approach.
That doesn't mean we should ignore Shaffer's hare-brained proposal,
however. In recent years, many of the more progressive policies and
attitudes at the PGC have been reversed, thanks to what I consider some
very poor appointments to the PGC board by Govs. Casey and Ridge, and weak
leadership by the top administrators. Shaffer, however, is the worst of the
worst, a fact that became clear during my years covering the agency for the
Harrisburg paper.
Every wildlife manager and biologist agrees that the major cause for the
decline in pheasant populations is massive habitat and land-use changes
over the last 40 years, especially development, "clean farming" techniques
that remove cover, and increased chemical use that reduces insect and weed
seed abundance.
Conservationists of all stripes -- birders, hunters and everyone else --
needs to send a _very_ clear message in this case. If you can be at the
meeting (4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, in PGC headquarters at 2001 Elmerton
Ave. in Harrisburg), then be there. Otherwise, I urge you to send a letter
to PGC executive director Donald Madl, Penna. Game Commission, 2001
Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg Pa. 17110-9797, or call his office at (717)
787-4250.
Scott Weidensaul
sweidnsl@pottsville.infi.net
Schuylkill Haven, Pa.
---------
Here's the text from today's press release. What's interesting, I think,
is that even the public information office seems to be distancing
themselves from Shaffer's proposal:
"The Pennsylvania Game Commission will hold a special meeting February 25
at its Harrisburg headquarters to consider a proposal being advanced by
Commission President Vernon Shaffer to close two state game lands to
ring-necked pheasant hunting and dog training for two years.
Shaffer's proposed plan intends to determine whether changes in sporting
activities, pheasant stockings and predator management can spur pheasant
recoveries in Berks County's State Game Lands 280, near Reading, and SGL
46, which includes the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lebanon and
Lancaster counties. Shaffer is forwarding his plan for the consideration of
both fellow commissioners and agency staff.
The proposal will be discussed in detail and considered for proposed
rulemaking at the February 25 public meeting, which will begin at 4 p.m. in
the auditorium of the PGC's Harrisburg headquarters.
Details of Commissioner Shaffer's plan include releasing 1,000 game farm
pheasants and about 50 wild pheasants from the Midwest, on each SGL study
area. The proposal also looks to reduce stress on the released birds by
banning pheasant hunting and dog training on the release areas and removing
protection on certain avian predators.
The Game Commission has been wrestling with the state's pheasant decline
for some time. As recently as the early 1970s, the state's wild pheasant
population topped a million birds. Today, it's a fraction of that. Most
wildlife managers agree the decline was caused by land-use and agricultural
technology changes, habitat loss and increased use of herbicides and
pesticides. Some people attribute the decline to increasing numbers of
predators.
The Game Commission has experimented with pheasant recovery projects on
several study areas over the last decade. Biologists concluded from that
work the problem with pheasants -- both ring-necked pheasants and Sichuans
-- in Pennsylvania was a lack of large blocks of quality habitat. About the
only change that could cause a pheasant resurgence, according to
biologists, would be large-scale habitat improvement and set-aside projects
on private land.
Commissioner Shaffer's plan aims to determine if there's something more
the Game Commission can or should be doing for pheasants. It could serve as
another chapter in the agency's running history with the ring-necked
pheasant. It's a relationship that began in 1915 and seems likely to
continue for some time."
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For other Audubon lists, visit <http://www.audubon.org/listserv/>.
------
Scott Weidensaul
sweidnsl@pottsville.infi.net
778 Schwartz Valley Rd.
Schuylkill Haven, Pa. 17972 USA
TEL: (570) 739-2874
FAX: (570) 739-4573
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