A TEAM EFFORT! Yesterdays victory for the bears of southwestern Oregon was one of the best examples Ive seen of groups and individuals coming together from across Oregon to make a difference. Led by The Humane Society of the United States, Predator Defense, and Cascadia Wildlands, this campaign demonstrated to Oregons wildlife managers that Oregonians who care about protecting wildlife from cruel and unsporting hunting methods are demanding to be heard. In addition to the work of this coalition of groups, there was also remarkable work by individual advocates who organized, wrote, and spoke up. Emily Johnson had the thankless job of herding cats, keeping the effort organized and coordinating the communication among the groups. Emily really kept the organizations focused and moving forward. Kathryn Bricker provided invaluable expertise on bear management and biology, as did black bear coexistence guru Steve Searles, whose proven methods in Mammoth Lakes I hope will someday be emulated in communities across Oregon. One volunteer stands apart in her dedication to this cause. My amazing friend and comrade-in-arms, Debbie Catalina, added an integral piece of insight, analysis, and instinct to this effort. Debbie did the hard work of really studying the issue of Spring bear hunting, learning about bear biology and ecology, all the while keeping current with the political evolution of the issue over the past few months. She wrote a powerful op ed for the Medford Mail-Tribune, spoke with television and newspaper reporters, and offered important oral testimony to the Commission. If I could, I would clone Debbie and put one of her in every county across the state! Debbie, you are a warrior and a true champion, and I am so grateful to have you on the side of compassion and kindness. As for myself, none of my advocacy on this issue would have been possible without the behind-the scenes help I received from my colleague, Wendy Keefover, who composed all the technical information in the written comments I submitted to the Commission. Her grasp of all the issues related to wild carnivore conservation and protection is breathtaking, and I hope The HSUS realizes just how lucky we are to have her as one of ours. And finally, to ALL of you advocates out there who took the time to write emails and letters to the Commission and the Governor - well, youre the ones who mattered the very most. During their deliberations, the commissioners repeatedly referred to the overwhelming weight of the hundreds of written comments they received in opposition to the Siskiyou-Plus Spring bear hunt. Our opponents offered nothing - not a single comment - to support it. When the Commission saw how strongly the public felt about this issue, I believe they knew they really only had one option available. The battle to stop the Siskiyou-Plus Spring bear hunt is merely the opening skirmish in a much broader battle to start building bigger and more meaningful protections for Oregons bears, and indeed all of Oregons predators. For too long our wild carnivores have borne the brunt of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlifes hostility, which is manifested in the form of policies that allow hunters and trappers to subject these animals to cruel and inhumane hunting and trapping methods that are prohibited for other game species. So, lets savor this win, but not for long - our opponents are now angry and motivated, and will be planning a sophisticated and well-funded strategy to defeat us. If you havent already, make sure to like Debbies FB page, Be Smart About Oregons Bears, and start paying attention to ODFWs meeting agendas. The more informed we are, the better advocates we will be. Onward!
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 18:04:47 +0000
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