Please Read This. John Jackson is looking for a test case for a lawsuit against the recent , ruling banning ANY CITIES animal mount, or parts in your home if you live in New Jersey. If that is you, or if you know someone in NJ, please pass John's info. Republican Chris Christy passed this law.

Dear New Jersey resident,

New Jersey has a new law that makes it a criminal offense for residents of the state to import or possess lion, leopard, elephant or rhino trophies that have not already been imported before the date of passage. This anti hunting success is being touted as a model in other states so we are taking immediate measures in Federal District Court to challenge its legality and enjoin its enforcement. The law is preempted by the Endangered Species Act and the enhancement import permits issued for those trophies issued by the USFWS. There is case law on point and the FWS has recently said as much.

We need plaintiffs with the necessary interest to have standing t file suit. The representation is pro-bono. We need New Jersey residents who have one or more trophies awaiting import(at an out-of-state taxidermist or still in Africa) or have booked or planned a safaris to take one or more of the 4 listed species. This is urgent.

Please contact John Jackson or Regina Lennox at 504-837-1233 or JJW-NO@Att.NET.
--
John J. Jackson, III
CONSERVATION FORCE
3240 S. I-10 Service Road W., Suite 200
Metairie, Louisiana 70001
Tel: (504) 837-1233
Fax: (504) 837-1145
jjw-no@att.net
www.conservationforce.org

Thanks for sharing this Dave.

This does not apply to me, but I will keep it in mind if I cross paths with a fellow resident hunting the Big 5 sans Cape Buffalo.

On a related note, I called Coppersmith at JFK airport and mentioned this legislation, and the import agent did not sound like he was aware of it.

Doesn't Biebs live in NJ??

Yes, but I have no pending imports of any of the named species. It has to be filed on behalf of someone who will be "harmed" by the law.

Crazy, sad and fucked up

And Governor Christie could have vetoed the bill. Sometimes it is difficult to tell a Democrat apart from a Republican!
And they are all living high on our tax dollars!

quote:

Democrat apart from a Republican

I call them Republicrats.

And how great is it that he may be Trumps running mate....really makes me want to puke.

Democrats cannot lose this year . . . we have Democrats running against Democrats.

I can easily help you change that Jon

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Yes, but I have no pending imports of any of the named species. It has to be filed on behalf of someone who will be "harmed" by the law.

It hurts the taxidermist here also. I can not mount these pieces in state even for an out of state hunter. I believe the Garden State Taxidermist Association is involved with this suit also.

I don't know why anyone is voting this election, we loose either way it goes!

This country is getting more like Russia every day!
.............................................................................

http://www.courthousenews.com/...big-game-imports.htm



Monday, July 11, 2016Last Update: 1:33 PM PT
Hunters Fight New Jersey Ban on Big-Game Imports
By JULIE BAKER-DENNIS

TRENTON, N.J. (CN) — New Jersey residents should be allowed to import the body parts of African elephants, lions, leopards and black and white rhinoceros, a wildlife conservation group claims in court.
Conservation Force and seven other plaintiffs on Friday sued New Jersey State Attorney General Christopher Porrino and Bob Martin, commissioner of the state's Department of Environmental Protection, seeking to challenge a New Jersey law that prohibits residents from importing animal products and parts, among other actions.
Conservation Force works closely with safari-hunting operators that provide anti-poaching incentives to local communities near wildlife, including the African elephant, lion, leopard, and black and white rhinoceros, referred to collectively as the Big Four.
Plaintiff Vincent Spinella, a New Jersey resident and big-game hunter, intends to hunt elephant and Cape buffalo in South Africa next year
He looks forward to the opportunity but fears he will not be able to import an elephant trophy if the laws are enacted, according to the New Jersey Federal Court lawsuit.
Another big-game hunter, plaintiff Richard Nordling, intends to harvest a leopard with the $8,000 permit he bought for the Waterberg National Park. He hopes to be able to get his trophy from a taxidermist in Pennsylvania.
Although it is lawful to import traditional trophies of successful hunts under federal regulations and federal permits, New Jersey has attempted to outlaw the practice with two bills.
As the author and primary sponsor, New Jersey Sen. Ray Lesniak admitted that the bills are intended to "end trophy hunting," the complaint states. One of the bills has been signed into law, while another only becomes effective if New York passes a similar law.
Conservation Force, however, argues that disrupting the hunting of the African game animals is misguided.
The human population in these regions has quadrupled in the past 50 years, the complaint states, making competition for space between wildlife and humans a major issue.
The group says regulated tourist hunting directly addresses the discord between humans and wildlife.
According to the lawsuit, since hunting areas are more than five times the size of national parks, safari hunting generates millions of dollars to fund law enforcement operations, creates community incentives to reduce threats to wildlife, and sustains anti-poaching game scouts.
Rural communities also benefit because the big-game hunting industry provides thousands of jobs to local residents and offers protein-starved residents thousands of kilograms of game meat, the complaint states.
Conservation Force claims that safeguarding regulated tourist safari hunting will actually help recover the Big Four populations in Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and other range nations.
"The income is invested in the projects: buildings and electrifying schools and clinics, digging water holes, purchasing heavy equipment and vehicles, paying school tuition and pensions, and more," the lawsuit states. "Benefits from safari hunting improve rural livelihoods and living standards, thus incentivizing the people living alongside dangerous wildlife to conserve it instead of treating it as a threat and nuisance."
The complaint says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has repeatedly found "that licensed, regulated tourist safari hunting benefits the species in a measurable way."
Money brought in from tourist hunting funded about 80 percent of wildlife authority anti-poaching efforts in Zimbabwe and Tanzania, Conservation Force claims.
Southern and Eastern Africa have also reportedly relied on tourist safari hunting to maintain sustainable use-base conservation, since hunts in the area are the highest priced and bring in the most revenue and benefits.
In addition to providing a list of benefits hunting generates, Conservation Force also submitted academic papers, government statements and other articles supporting its assertions.
The group and the individual plaintiffs are represented by Brendan Judge with Connell Foley LLP in Roseland, N.J.
Porrino and Martin had not commented on the lawsuit by press time Monday.

Republican or Democrat makes no difference - first and foremost they are all politicians and subject to public opinion. That's democracy. There is little or nothing to be gained by complaining. If we gain the support of the majority of the public the politicians will inevitably follow, regardless of their party. We need to win the public debate.

quote:

Originally posted by crshelton:
And Governor Christie could have vetoed the bill. Sometimes it is difficult to tell a Democrat apart from a Republican!
And they are all living high on our tax dollars!

Christie could have vetoed it but general consensus was his veto would have been overturned and the original bill would have gone though. The original bill also included Cape Buffalo and there was no provision for transiting the state. Too many people in NJ looked at this and since they don't hunt Africa think it doesn't apply to them. The only real outcry came after the bill was on Christie's desk.

quote:

Originally posted by Milo Shanghai:
Republican or Democrat makes no difference - first and foremost they are all politicians and subject to public opinion. That's democracy. There is little or nothing to be gained by complaining. If we gain the support of the majority of the public the politicians will inevitably follow, regardless of their party. We need to win the public debate.

quote:

Originally posted by crshelton:
And Governor Christie could have vetoed the bill. Sometimes it is difficult to tell a Democrat apart from a Republican!
And they are all living high on our tax dollars!

http://www.huntingreport.com/w...te.cfm?articleid=785


Conservation Force and partners sue New Jersey to enjoin “Big Four” hunting trophy ban

(posted July 12, 2016)

Conservation Force, Garden State Taxidermist Association, five individual hunters residing in New Jersey, and a taxidermist residing and working in New Jersey filed suit on Friday against the New Jersey Attorney General and the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, to compel an end to New Jersey’s ban on the possession, import, export, transport, and processing of hunting trophies of the African “Big Four” (elephant, leopard, lion, and black and white rhinoceros). The plaintiffs allege that the ban is preempted by Section 6(f) of the Endangered Species Act and infringes their rights to import and subsequently possess Big Four hunting trophies as authorized by federal permits and regulations, the Endangered Species Act, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The trophy ban was first introduced by State Senator Ray Lesniak, a vocal animal rights advocate. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie initially vetoed the bill in May, but suggested revisions to the legislature which, if adopted, would allow Christie to sign the bill. Both houses adopted Christie’s suggestions and passed the bill. Christie signed it into law on June 1.

Plaintiffs allege that incentives generated from licensed, regulated hunting in Southern and Eastern Africa are responsible for protecting most habitat, providing most operating revenue for range state wildlife departments, underwriting the three primary levels of anti-poaching, and contributing most of the benefits for rural people in marginalized areas. Chrissie Jackson, the corporate Secretary of Conservation Force stated, “licensed, regulated hunting of big game animals in Africa has provided a proven advantage to their recovery. The hunting countries generally have the largest populations of the Big Four, their prey base, and habitat. And the millions of dollars in conservation investment expended on-the-ground by Conservation Force comes from U.S. big game hunters in Africa for Big Four species.”

Plaintiffs allege that the New Jersey ban on Big Four hunting trophies is void under the Endangered Species Act, which preempts any state law that prohibits what is authorized by the Act itself or by its implementing regulations. Plaintiffs also allege that permits issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service created federally protected rights and privileges for individual holders, and the New Jersey law improperly deprives the plaintiffs of their rights, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

Plaintiffs seek a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the law. They submitted evidence to demonstrate irreparable injury to the individual hunters’ interests in possessing trophies legally acquired in licensed, regulated hunts and irreparable damage to the state’s taxidermy industry from having a substantial part of their business declared illegal. Plaintiffs also demonstrated how the ban threatens Conservation Force’s initiatives, its members’ interests in protecting and recovering the Big Four, and the overall conservation systems of range states. The ban discourages New Jersey hunters from participating in safaris, thereby reducing the major source of sustainable funding for these species.

John J. Jackson, III, President of Conservation Force, stated: “The law is misguided. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses federal import permitting as a conservation tool. It only issues a permit when it finds the hunting ‘enhances the survival’ of the Big Four in Africa. New Jersey’s ban robs the Big Four of this essential enhancement.” Jackson warned this suit may be followed by another suit under the Endangered Species Act.

The suit is pending in the District of New Jersey. Plaintiffs are represented by Connell Foley LLP. For more information, contact John Jackson at (504) 837-1233 or jjj@conservationforce.org.

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http://www.njspotlight.com/sto...ade-in-animal-parts/



HUNTING ADVOCATES TARGET ‘CECIL THE LION’ LAW AIMED AT ANIMAL-PARTS TRADE

JOE TYRRELL | AUGUST 5, 2016

Plaintiffs say the law, named after lion shot by Minnesota dentist, is preempted by federal legislation


A new law has put New Jersey squarely in the crosshairs of national and international debates over how to protect threatened and endangered species that are also the traditional quarry of big-game hunters.

A prominent hunting group sued the state after Gov. Chris Christie signed a pair of bills on June 1 broadly aimed at curtailing the killing of endangered species and limiting the possession, transport, import or export, sale or offer for sale, and shipment of their carcasses or parts in New Jersey.

The suit by Conservation Force of Metairie, La., argues that this would interfere with federally permitted hunting, related business, and even the possession of legally obtained animal trophies. In a legal brief defending the new law, the state Attorney General's Office argues that the suit is premature and that enforcement may be less sweeping than opponents fear and supporters hope.

As outlined, the state's legal approach might irritate some hunting interests while leaving leopard skins, rhino heads, and stuffed Cape buffalo adorning dens and family rooms around New Jersey.

The legislation earned the nickname the "Cecil the Lion Act" after an iconic Zimbabwe lion, the subject of scientific study, who was killed last year by an American trophy hunter under questionable circumstances.

It is actually two bills. One, S977, strengthened state regulation of the trophy animal trade to allow it to bar trophies of species "threatened with extinction due to the trafficking of their parts and products." That applies to a growing list of creatures, from big cats and black rhinos to pangolins, those "scaly anteaters," and markhor, mountain goats prized for their corkscrew horns. Proponents argue drastically declining wildlife populations require stronger protection, like the United States' almost complete ban on commercial trade in African elephant ivory that took effect last month.

The companion bill, S978, would extend the same provisions to facilities of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, but does not take effect unless also approved by New York legislators.

John Jackson, president of Conservation Force, said his group sued because the new law contradicts a system established under federal law and regulations and international treaties. Under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulates trophy hunting and has issued many permits for it, he noted.

Several New Jersey hunters and a prominent taxidermist joined as plaintiffs, arguing the state action will cause hardship by disrupting their permitted recreational activity and business. They argue their enthusiasm for hunting, and the sizeable permit fees they pay to pursue it, has provided the most reliable protection for wildlife habitats.

"Yet your Legislature approved these bills unanimously," Jackson marveled. "It's unbelievable that they would interfere in that way."

The lawsuit said the principal sponsor and author of the bills, state Sen. Ray Lesniak (D-Union), "openly admits that the bills are intended to 'end trophy hunting,' and posted a petition and website to advance this goal."

"They're right about that," Lesniak said. "That's exactly my intent."

As for their argument that the federal law supersedes any state law, Lesniak pointed to environmental claims. In the 1980s, chemical companies challenged New Jersey fines for pollution, Lesniak noted, saying they were preempted by the federal Superfund law, "and this is no different from that. We're saying that as public policy of the state, we don't want to contribute to the extinction of endangered species."

Across the state and nation, more people have become concerned about the major participation of Americans in trophy hunting and the animal parts trade, Lesniak said. In February, the Humane Society International estimated that more than 1.26 million trophies were brought into the United States in the decade 2005-2014.

Meanwhile, there are about 3,200 remaining wild tigers, just over 5,000 black rhinoceroses, 7,500 snow leopards, and perhaps 30,000 or fewer lions, according to Gary Knell, president and CEO of the National Geographic Society. All those numbers are down sharply, some more than 90 percent, from a century ago.

In their answer to the suit, Jason Stypinski and David Frankel, deputy attorneys general, provided some comfort for both sides in the dispute. They conceded the federal regulatory power that is the crux of Conservation Force's complaint.

"In this case, the State represents that it will not enforce the Act against any person who has a valid permit or exemption under the ESA or its implementing regulations, for the activity they have received express federal authorization to perform," they wrote.

But the language of the state law matters, said Regina Lennox, assistant director of legal programs at Conservation Force. The group did not sue Washington state after last year's successful referendum to bar trophy imports there, because its wording more specifically acknowledged federal permits and exemptions, she said.

"We wouldn't be suing New Jersey if the two bills allowed the acquisition of trophies that are authorized by federal law," Lennox said.

The bills had been tweaked to fit objections Christie outlined in a conditional veto in May. Sponsors agreed to drop a requirement that owners of hunting trophies register with the state Department of Environmental Protection and to clarify that federally permitted trophies can pass through New Jersey in transit. With those changes, "we can be confident that the body parts of endangered animals will no longer be welcome in New Jersey," Christie wrote.

With the changes suggested by Christie, New Jerseyans should not fear the confiscation of their previously obtained trophies, or new ones authorized by federal permits, according to the deputy attorneys general.

But Stypinski and Frankel also pointed to Congress' intent to limit the preemption of state statutes by the Endangered Species Act. The state has some leeway to restrict future trophy trading not specifically covered by federal law or regulation, they wrote.

For example, they noted differences in the way some animals are classified, or not, under the Endangered Species Act and the international treaty addressing the same issues, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna.

While the United States is a signatory to the 1973 treaty, referred to as CITES, its enforcement here depends on American law. The Endangered Species Act gives states power to write tougher rules for hunts or other trophy activity taking place without specific federal permits. So New Jersey could restrict sales or imports of animal trophies covered by CITES but not by the ESA, according to the state brief.

The dispute represents a collision in worldviews between those who see hunting as part of an American and global heritage, and those increasingly concerned about human impacts on the planet.

"New Jersey’s Legislature and governor do not understand that without licensed, regulated hunting to give value to dangerous game, species like leopard are considered dangerous vermin," plaintiff Richard Nordling said in court papers.

While he was on safari in Namibia in June, a manager at the cattle ranch where he stayed shot a leopard, without repercussions, because it had killed two calves, Nordling said. In contrast, he paid $8,000 for a permit, a fee intended to support anti-poaching efforts in the country's Waterberg National Park. His other spending also boosted the local economy, he added.

Nordling's hunt was unsuccessful, but he wanted the court to know that was "no fault of mine." A helicopter that was not supposed to be in the area spooked the animal he was tracking, he said. Because of that, Nordling hopes Namibian authorities will allow him to mount another safari, as his USWFS permit is good for a year, he said.

"These are horrible animals," Jackson said of Africa's "Big Five" game species: lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and Cape buffalo. "They destroy crops and kill livestock, they even kill people."

And there are more people all the time. The global human population has almost quadrupled since 1920. In sub-Saharan Africa, which had been sparsely populated, it has almost quadrupled since 1965, according to World Bank figures.

If anything, public policy should encourage more safari hunters because many African conservation programs remain seriously underfunded, said Jackson, a former criminal lawyer who converted his firm into Conservation Force to promote hunting interests.

"We pump tens of millions of dollars into Africa," through safari tourism and permit fees, Jackson said. "But it's never enough" to protect threatened habitat, he lamented, adding that governments should encourage more legal hunting to raise conservation revenue.

To Lesniak, effective conservation includes stopping the trade in animal parts, whether from safaris, poaching, or the demand for fetish items such as rhino horns and tiger penises in Asia. The killing of Cecil raised public awareness, he said.

The 13-year-old lion was the face of Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park, not only a tourist attraction but a subject of a long-term scientific study. Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer and two guides lured the lion out of the park onto land where wildlife is not protected. Palmer wounded Cecil using a crossbow, tracked him for 40 hours, and then killed him with a high-powered rifle.

Palmer and his guides then beheaded and skinned the lion, which was wearing a GPS collar as part of the study by the Oxford University Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. The researchers said Cecil was accustomed to their presence and to tourists taking photos and often allowed people to approach within 10 meters of him.

This is proposed legislature is so bizarre that I initially thought the post was a joke...

quote:

The lawsuit said the principal sponsor and author of the bills, state Sen. Ray Lesniak (D-Union), "openly admits that the bills are intended to 'end trophy hunting,' and posted a petition and website to advance this goal."

"They're right about that," Lesniak said. "That's exactly my intent."

Here lies the real problem! Lesniack is a flat out "animal rights" activist who could care less about conservation and only cares about furthering his agenda. Unfortunately the average hunter in NJ doesn't care either because it doesn't apply to them.


Quoted from the article:

"In this case, the State represents that it will not enforce the Act against any person who has a valid permit or exemption under the ESA or its implementing regulations, for the activity they have received express federal authorization to perform," they wrote.

Can someone explain what that means. I read it as: we wrote a law but we are not going to enforce it, really? It would be nice if it were true but is there any reason we should believe them? What a waste of time when the state has many more issues much more pressing to residents of the state of NJ. Politics at work,

Please see news regarding this case as of Aug 29


PRESS RELEASE
New Jersey cannot enforce preempted law against hunting trophies
August 29, 2016
On July 8, 2016, Conservation Force, the Garden State Taxidermist Association, a New Jersey taxidermist, and five New Jersey based hunters sued the state to compel an end to New Jersey’s ban on the import, possession, export, transport, and processing of hunting trophies of the African “Big Four” (elephant, leopard, lion, and rhinoceros). The plaintiffs alleged that the state’s ban was preempted by the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The applicable law is ESA Section 6(f): “Any State law or regulation which applies with respect to the importation or exportation of, or interstate or foreign commerce in, endangered species or threatened species is void to the extent that it may effectively ... (2) prohibit what is authorized pursuant to an exemption or permit provided for in this Act or in any regulation which implements this Act.” 16 U.S.C. § 1535(f).
On August 29, Judge Freda Wolfson of the U.S. federal court in Trenton entered an Order and Judgment against the State of New Jersey. The Order prohibits the enforcement of the ban against activities authorized by federal law, regulation, or permit. Hunters may continue to import, export, and possess federally authorized Big Four hunting trophies in the State.
According to John J. Jackson, III, President of Conservation Force, “no State can prohibit conduct the ESA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit. This case should be a lesson for other states considering similar laws. The plaintiffs fully support prohibitions against illegally trafficked wildlife. But we will fight any law banning legal hunting trophies. As the governments of Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe will tell you, licensed, regulated hunting is essential to the conservation programs in those countries. And it must be protected.”
Jackson added, “We are so elated to get through the case quickly, before the African conservation infrastructure was damaged too greatly and before other states followed this illegal example. This was a particularly egregious ban because federal import permits are based upon science-based enhancement findings, thus the obstruction of the imports would have denied the game species the intended enhancement for which there is no substitute. In short, the state law was the threat to the species.”
The plaintiffs were represented by John J. Jackson, III of Conservation Force and Brendan Judge of Connell Foley LLP. For more information, contact Regina Lennox or John J. Jackson at (504) 837-1233 or cf@conservationforce.org.
#####
3240 South I-10 Service Road, West, Suite 200 • Metairie, Louisiana 70001-6911, USA Telephone: (504) 837-1233 • Fax: (504) 837-1145 • Email: jjj@conservationforce.org http://www.conservationforce.org

About Conservation Force
Conservation Force is non-profit 501(c)(3) public foundation formed for purposes of conserving wildlife and wild places. Conservation Force is an international leader in the application of user- pay, sustainable use-based programs to enhance the survival and recovery of listed game species. Since 1997, Conservation Force and its partners have invested millions of dollars in elephant, rhino, and lion conservation, anti-poaching, and recovery programs for many other species. Conservation Force is based in Louisiana and has an international Board and staff, and projects around the world.

By the way, Christie is a RINO (Republican In Name Only)

GOOD NEWS

Hunters need to support http://www.conservationforce.org every dollar helps donate whatever you can.

Bitching and moaning here will get you nothing.


Arjun Reddy
www.huntersnetworks.com
30 Ivy Hill Road
Brewster, NY 10509
Tel: +1 845 259 3628

There ain't no Republican on East Coast

quote:

Originally posted by boarkiller:
There ain't no Republican on East Coast

There's a few but we are few and far between!

More RINOs in NJ than Africa

I have three BLM protesters mounted in my den. Does that count?