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FWS Draft List of non-native Birds to be removed from migratory treaty

From:

Karen Morley

Reply-To:

Maryland Birds & Birding

Date:

Fri, 7 Jan 2005 11:49:02 -0800

From an article in Greenwire todayFWS lists non-native species for removal from migratory treaty
PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Fish and Wildlife Service has drawn up a list of 113 birds it is proposing to exclude from protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. 

As required by the 2004 Migratory Bird Treaty Reform Act (H.R. 4114) passed by Congress in the omnibus appropriations bill, FWS will now expressly exclude non-native birds from protection under the law (E&E Daily, April 23, 2004). 

While for 80 years FWS has operated as if the law applied only to native birds, the D.C. Circuit Court ruled in 2001 that the non-native mute swan in the Chesapeake Bay was protected under the migratory bird treaty with Canada and Mexico. 

Maryland wanted to cull mute swan populations to help the recovery of the bay's submerged native grasses but animal rights groups sued. Now that Congress has clarified the law, FWS is developing a list of birds not covered under the act, including the mute swan. 

Of the 113 species on the draft list, 19 are known to have established self-sustaining, breeding populations in the states, including the Eurasian collared dove, rock pigeon and mute swan. The service will accept comments on the list until Feb. 3. 

You can read the Federal Register notice at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/multidb.cgi   You want Vol. 70, No. 2, pp 372-377 published on January 4, 2005

 





 









		
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