https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2...osing-state-ban-pos/

Ryan Burns / Yesterday @ 4:04 p.m. / Local Government

Supervisors to Consider Letter Opposing a State Ban on Possessing African Hunting Trophies Such As Rhino Horns, Elephant Tusks and Lion Pelts



Should Humboldt County residents be allowed to mount Cecil the lion‘s stuffed carcass in their living rooms? Should we be able to own elephant-foot trash cans and rhino horn carvings? Taxidermied hippo heads and zebra-skin rugs?

The county’s Fish & Game Advisory Commission thinks so. The 15-member group has drafted a letter to California Senator Mike McGuire opposing the Iconic African Species Protection Act (SB 1487), a bill working its way through the state legislature that would make it illegal to possess certain African animals and their body parts.

First District Supervisor Rex Bohn placed the letter on the agenda for Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting for discussion. The letter urges McGuire not to support the proposed legislation because many of the species identified in the bill aren’t endangered, and in places where they are endangered “strict conservation and management practices are currently in force.”

The letter also claims that trophy hunting actually helps to preserve wildlife populations in Africa.

“The significant funds that hunters pay, including Californians, to hunt non-endangered African species help support anti-poaching activities in Africa, according to concession managers from those countries,” the letter says.

This is a frequent matter of debate, one that pits hunters and firearms groups against conservationists and animal-rights organizations. Advocates say revenues from big game trophy hunting in Africa, where the going rate for a 14-day elephant hunt is about $80,000, according to one guide, go toward conservation programs and discourage poaching in Africa.

Critics dispute those claims. For example, in the wake of the public outcry over the 2015 killing of Cecil, an iconic South African lion gunned down by an American dentist, the Democratic staff of the House Natural Resources Committee issued a report saying trophy hunting revenues frequently get diverted thanks to rampant government corruption and poorly managed wildlife programs. On the whole, the report says, “the evidence shows that trophy hunting is having negative impacts across sub-Saharan Africa.

The arguments were recently rekindled after the Trump administration partially overturned an Obama-era policy banning elephant trophy imports from Zimbabwe and Tanzania. News outlets including the L.A. Times, National Geographic, CNN and USA Today have all explored the question of whether trophy hunting can actually protect animal species.

Senator Henry Stern (D-Canoga Park), the legislator who introduced the Iconic Species Protection Act, said, “There is actually more money for poor African nations and for conservation with these iconic species in the wild.”

Stern’s office quoted renowned scientist Jane Goodall, who spoke out in favor of the bill. “Study after study reveals that the purported economic benefits to communities, promised job creation, and alleged conservation benefits from trophy hunting never materialize,” Goodall said. “In passing the Iconic African Species Protection Act, California will be setting an example that can be championed in state legislatures across the country.”

The “iconic” species identified in the bill include the African elephant, African lion, leopard, black rhinoceros, white rhinoceros, plains and mountain zebra, Jentink’s duiker, hippopotamus and striped hyena.

Would the Lost Coast zebras be banned? It doesn’t appear so. The text of SB 1487 notes that the prohibition wouldn’t apply to artifacts or animals “possessed for wholly noncommercial purposes” and in the state before January 1, 2019.

While the Fish & Game Advisory Commission letter doesn’t cite any specific sources, it says “many concession managers living In Africa” believe the future of certain African animal species will be bleaker if they lose the money offered by big game hunters.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to discuss the matter at Tuesday’s meeting, though it’s not clear how the issue is relevant to the mission of Fish & Game Advisory Commission. The stated purpose of the commission, according to the county’s charter documents, is “to serve in an advisory capacity to the Board of Supervisors in all matters concerning fish and wildlife within the County of Humboldt.”

A voicemail message left this morning for Bohn had not been returned by the time this post was published.

I just love the wording of this article!

“Stuffed Cecil...”

Be nice if we could eject CA from the USA (along with a few other dingbat states).

BH63

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
Be nice if we could eject CA from the USA (along with a few other dingbat states).

BH63

AMEN

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
Be nice if we could eject CA from the USA (along with a few other dingbat states).

BH63

Don’t worry. Geology/seismology will solve that problem. All the experts say it’s not a matter of “if” but a matter of “when”.

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
Be nice if we could eject CA from the USA (along with a few other dingbat states).

BH63

CA is nice. If we could eject most of the people it would be a lot nicer.

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
Be nice if we could eject CA from the USA (along with a few other dingbat states).

BH63

NO! Then they'll all move to Colorado and bring their politics wth them.

Oh, wait. They already have...

Not to mention ID,Montana, Wyoming.

The state I live in is an embarrassment.

https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2...nd-defending-trophy/



Ryan Burns / Yesterday @ noon / Local Government

Supervisors Decide Not to Take a Stand Defending Trophy Hunting of Iconic African Animals



A number of local men got up at today’s Board of Supervisors meeting to argue in defense of trophy hunting in Africa, but after some discussion the board decided not to send a letter to Senator Mike McGuire opposing the Iconic African Species Protection Act (SB 1487), a state bill that would outlaw possessing parts of such animals as African lions, elephants, black rhinos and giraffes, among others.

First District Supervisor Rex Bohn seemed almost apologetic about bringing the matter forward, explaining that he’d been asked to do so by the county’s 15-member Fish & Game Advisory Commission.

He also said there are just too many bills being introduced in the state legislature and he didn’t know how this one might be funded. And he also spoke in defense of the letter’s argument, saying he knows people who have gone hunting in Africa and claiming the money these hunters spend supports poor villagers.

But really he just did it for the Fish & Game Advisory Commission. “Out of respect to their volunteer time I put this on the agenda,” Bohn said.

Public comment was almost entirely in defense of African exotic animal hunting. Phil Grunert, a senior member of the Fish & Game Advisory Commission, explained that the African continent is huge and has been divided into several nations, each with their own regulations. Professional hunters pick the most viable populations and give the leftovers to local villagers, he said.

“I would estimate about 30 percent of animal you harvest goes to the local tribe,” Grunert said, adding, “The poverty is unbelievable.”

John Sapper of Fortuna said, “This [bill] would prohibit trophies from animals that aren’t even endangered,” and he argued that revenues from pricey exotic-animal hunting finance anti-poaching efforts in Africa.

Jim Redd said he took his family to South Africa about a decade ago and “saw firsthand all the good hunting over there does.” Redd said “100 percent” of the meat from animals killed during hunts went toward feeding poor people. “They do a very good job controlling what’s important over there. I just think we don’t have any business telling them how to manage their game.”

Some studies dispute these claims, as we noted yesterday. World Animal Protection, an international animal-rights nonprofit, says, “Trophy hunting causes immense suffering and fuels the demand for wild animal products.”

A 2016 Congressional report noted, “In assessing the flow of trophy hunting revenue to conservation efforts, we found many troubling examples of funds either being diverted from their purpose or not being dedicated to conservation in the first place.”

When the matter came back to the board for discussion, Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson said the Fish & Game Advisory Commission’s letter seemed “a bit colonial” in its framework, and he suggested that the matter was outside the commission’s purview, which is to advise the board on “all matters concerning fish and wildlife within the County of Humboldt.”

Second District Supervisor Estelle Fennell said that with all due respect to local hunters she could not support the letter. The state bill is not about hunting; it’s about trophies, and Fennell said it’s not such “a burning issue” here in Humboldt County that it justifies sending a letter to our state legislator. As for the argument that hunting animals helps to protect them, Fennell said that “makes about as much sense as a screen door in a submarine.”

Fifth District Supervisor Ryan Sundberg said Humboldt County’s position on the matter probably won’t make much of a difference (McGuire has been steadfast in his support of the bill), and he’d rather not “polarize our community” by taking a position on such a controversial issue.

Thus, with Fourth District Supervisor Virginia Bass absent, Bohn was the only supervisor in favor of sending the letter. Seeing the lack of support he didn’t even bother to make a motion, and the board moved on.

Once again, gutless stupidity reigns supreme in CA government.

http://www.latimes.com/opinion...-20180620-story.html



Here's one way to protect endangered species: Don't let their trophy heads and skins into California


By THE TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD
JUN 20, 2018 | 4:05 AM

Here's one way to protect endangered species: Don't let their trophy heads and skins into California


A bill in the California Senate would prohibit the possession of trophies — including heads, parts or skin — of some of the most captivating and exotic animals in Africa. The bill, SB 1487, would cover the possession of 11 species considered endangered, threatened or vulnerable.

The state of California can't stop a misguided African government from allowing the hunting of endangered animals in its country. Nor can it stop the U.S. government from permitting the importation of these trophies. But it can discourage such hunting by barring hunters from bringing new trophies to California and keeping them in their homes or elsewhere. This bill would mean no new elephant heads mounted on walls should it be approved.


Sponsored by Social Compassion in Legislation and introduced by Sen. Henry Stern (D-Canoga Park), the bill affects trophies of African elephants, lions, leopards and giraffes, as well as the black rhinoceros and the white rhinoceros, among other species. Most of those are listed as endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The status of the giraffe is under review by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

U.S. laws already in place govern the sale of the trophies from various animals; this bill is only about possession.

The measure would allow anyone in possession of such trophies before Jan. 1, 2019, to keep them. It would also allow trophies to pass through California, as long as they aren’t here longer than 30 days. A passel of hunting organizations has opposed the bill.


Of course, there are laws and treaties in effect worldwide that seek — with mixed results — to preserve species facing threats. Some African countries, for instance, ban the hunting of certain species.

But enough hunting takes place to make conservationists and animal welfare advocates worry for the future survival of these animals. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulates the importation of animal trophies, imposing various conditions on permits, in order to conserve species. But conservationists and advocates disagree strongly with some of the agency’s decisions. Last year, the agency stirred an outcry — even from President Trump — when it said it would lift a ban on the importation of elephant and lion trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia. Since then, the agency has decided to allow imports on a case-by-case basis. That’s troubling to many conservationists.

Hunters also argue that the huge fees they pay to hunt in these African countries go toward conservation efforts — and therefore they are actually helping preserve species. That assertion has fallen under attack by various conservation groups, which contend that hunting groups have overestimated the amount contributed to African government conservation funds.

This bill allows California to play its part in trying to protect these vulnerable animals from extinction.

Idiotic. The more time I spend in LA for work the more I see how totally screwed up and misguided that state is. They got huge problems and this is what they come up with?

If it wasn't for the family farm I would leave this POS state.

quote:

Originally posted by gunny:
If it wasn't for the family farm I would leave this POS state.

gunny;

That is exactly my situation!

Best regards, D. Nelson

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
http://www.latimes.com/opinion...-20180620-story.html



Here's one way to protect endangered species: Don't let their trophy heads and skins into California


By THE TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD
JUN 20, 2018 | 4:05 AM

Here's one way to protect endangered species: Don't let their trophy heads and skins into California


A bill in the California Senate would prohibit the possession of trophies — including heads, parts or skin — of some of the most captivating and exotic animals in Africa. The bill, SB 1487, would cover the possession of 11 species considered endangered, threatened or vulnerable.

The state of California can't stop a misguided African government from allowing the hunting of endangered animals in its country. Nor can it stop the U.S. government from permitting the importation of these trophies. But it can discourage such hunting by barring hunters from bringing new trophies to California and keeping them in their homes or elsewhere. This bill would mean no new elephant heads mounted on walls should it be approved.


Sponsored by Social Compassion in Legislation and introduced by Sen. Henry Stern (D-Canoga Park), the bill affects trophies of African elephants, lions, leopards and giraffes, as well as the black rhinoceros and the white rhinoceros, among other species. Most of those are listed as endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The status of the giraffe is under review by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

U.S. laws already in place govern the sale of the trophies from various animals; this bill is only about possession.

The measure would allow anyone in possession of such trophies before Jan. 1, 2019, to keep them. It would also allow trophies to pass through California, as long as they aren’t here longer than 30 days. A passel of hunting organizations has opposed the bill.


Of course, there are laws and treaties in effect worldwide that seek — with mixed results — to preserve species facing threats. Some African countries, for instance, ban the hunting of certain species.

But enough hunting takes place to make conservationists and animal welfare advocates worry for the future survival of these animals. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulates the importation of animal trophies, imposing various conditions on permits, in order to conserve species. But conservationists and advocates disagree strongly with some of the agency’s decisions. Last year, the agency stirred an outcry — even from President Trump — when it said it would lift a ban on the importation of elephant and lion trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia. Since then, the agency has decided to allow imports on a case-by-case basis. That’s troubling to many conservationists.

Hunters also argue that the huge fees they pay to hunt in these African countries go toward conservation efforts — and therefore they are actually helping preserve species. That assertion has fallen under attack by various conservation groups, which contend that hunting groups have overestimated the amount contributed to African government conservation funds.

This bill allows California to play its part in trying to protect these vulnerable animals from extinction.

...and Botswana is reconsidering elephant hunting!

Regards, Darin

My home state leaders are so stupid. This is just like the lead ban for the stupid condors which should have gone extinct like the dodo birds. Cant shoot mountain lions anymore and now the mountain lions have hit our deer herds pretty good and the lions have become flat land lions as there are sightings in Pacific Grove, Carmel, and one was walking across the ballfield in King City.

How does that split California into 3 states look? Seems like an improvement to me, but I'm just looking at it from afar.

Jeremy

The bill was heard today by the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks & Wildlife. I spoke on behalf of the California Waterfowl Association in opposition to the bill. There were 4 or 5 others who also opposed the bill. Approximately 30 people, nearly all women in their 20's & 30's, voiced support for the measure. It passed out of Committee by a straight party line vote, 8-4.

Significantly, the main speaker who gave extensive testimony in opposition was none other than John Jackson of Conservation Force. I did not know that he had joined the fight and was pleasantly surprised when I realized who was giving the bulk of the testimony. The next committee hearing is this Thursday, in the judiciary committee and I'm going to try to be there again. Mr. Jackson indicated that he was going to try to stay in town to give further testimony as well. We're trying like hell, but some of the Democrats don't even try to hide their disdain and contempt for hunters. The acting chair of the meeting was openly hostile and shut me down when I attempted to get the fact that Botswana's parliament had just voted to resume regulated hunting on the record. He actually had the sergeant at arms take the microphone away and demand that I return to my seat.

If this bill is passed into law, it is going to be litigated by our side. Mr. Jackson defeated a similar law in New Jersey and believes we will have a strong case in California.

quote:

Originally posted by farbedo:
How does that split California into 3 states look? Seems like an improvement to me, but I'm just looking at it from afar.

Jeremy

The 3-state split, as proposed, is a terrible solution for republicans and conservatives. It envisions 3 new state where Democrat registrations heavily outnumber Republican registrations in all 3 states. While many Republicans believe California should be broken up, they believe different border lines need to be drawn to more equitably balance the new states, especially Northern California.

Thanks for taking the time and effort to advocate for hunters with the committee.

quote:

Originally posted by DLS:
The bill was heard today by the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks & Wildlife. I spoke on behalf of the California Waterfowl Association in opposition to the bill. There were 4 or 5 others who also opposed the bill. Approximately 30 people, nearly all women in their 20's & 30's, voiced support for the measure. It passed out of Committee by a straight party line vote, 8-4.

Significantly, the main speaker who gave extensive testimony in opposition was none other than John Jackson of Conservation Force. I did not know that he had joined the fight and was pleasantly surprised when I realized who was giving the bulk of the testimony. The next committee hearing is this Thursday, in the judiciary committee and I'm going to try to be there again. Mr. Jackson indicated that he was going to try to stay in town to give further testimony as well. We're trying like hell, but some of the Democrats don't even try to hide their disdain and contempt for hunters. The acting chair of the meeting was openly hostile and shut me down when I attempted to get the fact that Botswana's parliament had just voted to resume regulated hunting on the record. He actually had the sergeant at arms take the microphone away and demand that I return to my seat.

If this bill is passed into law, it is going to be litigated by our side. Mr. Jackson defeated a similar law in New Jersey and believes we will have a strong case in California.

DLS,

Thanks for your efforts.

Todd

Update...

The bill will next be heard in the assembly appropriations committee in mid-August. We now have some good ammunition for whichever elected officials (I refuse to call them leaders) have an open mind. Bill Gaines is a local lobbyist and he's brought John Jackson into the debate. Between the two of them (probably mostly John Jackson) they've obtained letters from the ministers of wildlife in Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, all in opposition to the bill. The letters are well written and make the case for regulated sport hunting as part of their conservation strategy.

I'm in the process of writing every member of the appropriations committee and enclosing those letters as supporting evidence of the efficacy of sport hunting in Africa.

I'll post a further update as we get closer to the next hearing.

quote:

Originally posted by DLS:
Update...

The bill will next be heard in the assembly appropriations committee in mid-August. We now have some good ammunition for whichever elected officials (I refuse to call them leaders) have an open mind. Bill Gaines is a local lobbyist and he's brought John Jackson into the debate. Between the two of them (probably mostly John Jackson) they've obtained letters from the ministers of wildlife in Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, all in opposition to the bill. The letters are well written and make the case for regulated sport hunting as part of their conservation strategy.

I'm in the process of writing every member of the appropriations committee and enclosing those letters as supporting evidence of the efficacy of sport hunting in Africa.

I'll post a further update as we get closer to the next hearing.

Thanks for keeping us posted

quote:

Originally posted by DLS:
Update...

The bill will next be heard in the assembly appropriations committee in mid-August. We now have some good ammunition for whichever elected officials (I refuse to call them leaders) have an open mind. Bill Gaines is a local lobbyist and he's brought John Jackson into the debate. Between the two of them (probably mostly John Jackson) they've obtained letters from the ministers of wildlife in Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, all in opposition to the bill. The letters are well written and make the case for regulated sport hunting as part of their conservation strategy.

I'm in the process of writing every member of the appropriations committee and enclosing those letters as supporting evidence of the efficacy of sport hunting in Africa.

I'll post a further update as we get closer to the next hearing.

Do you really think logic and sound scientific reasoning and facts have a damn thing to do with the shit that comes out of Sacramento?? Please wake up and smell the manure.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:

quote:

Originally posted by DLS:
Update...

The bill will next be heard in the assembly appropriations committee in mid-August. We now have some good ammunition for whichever elected officials (I refuse to call them leaders) have an open mind. Bill Gaines is a local lobbyist and he's brought John Jackson into the debate. Between the two of them (probably mostly John Jackson) they've obtained letters from the ministers of wildlife in Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, all in opposition to the bill. The letters are well written and make the case for regulated sport hunting as part of their conservation strategy.

I'm in the process of writing every member of the appropriations committee and enclosing those letters as supporting evidence of the efficacy of sport hunting in Africa.

I'll post a further update as we get closer to the next hearing.

Do you really think logic and sound scientific reasoning and facts have a damn thing to do with the shit that comes out of Sacramento?? Please wake up and smell the manure.

No, Jerry, I really don't. But, I'll be damned if we are just gonna roll over and give up without a fight.