Take Action Against S373 Today! USARK

[Southern_Boa_Gurl]

Take Action Against S373 Today!

Senator Bill Nelson of Florida has Proposed a FEDERAL BAN on ALL  Pythons. S373 is a Very Simple Bill that calls for no Appropriations (funding). That makes it Dangerous because it would be so easy to pass without any real consideration. We must take Action NOW to try and STOP this Bill from passing as written.

What it is:

•   http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:s373is.txt.pdfS373 is a Federal Ban that would effect ALL pythons in EVERY State.
•   This Bill is an effort to bypass the established process of 'Rule Change' to the Injurious Wildlife List of the Lacey Act that was initiated by the South Florida Water Management District last year. This process is moving into it's second year and is ongoing.  USARK warned last April at the 'Herp Summit' in Chicago that a political move was afoot to go around the normal 'Rule Change' process. Although ridiculed by some as "Not Possible", S373 proves that prediction true.
•   This is an issue regarding Burmese Pythons living feral in South Florida. No other species. No where else. Other pythons have nothing to do with feral populations of Burmese Pythons in South Florida. 
•   S373 has been moved into the Water & Wildlife Sub- Committee. It will be heard there and if given a favorable rating move back to the full Environment & Public Works Committee. (see contact info below)

What it isn't:
•   This is NOT HR669 the other Federal Bill that we have been campaigning against.
•   There is NO Scientific Evidence to support the premise that passing S373 will have any impact whatsoever on the Burmese Python situation that is confined to the Southern tip of Florida.
•   There is absolutely NO Evidence of any kind to support that this is a problem anywhere outside of South Florida.

What USARK is doing:
•   USARK is working with Scientists on the ground in South Florida and throughout the SE to understand the real dynamics of what has occurred with the Burmese Python.  Not the hype but the Hard Facts. During their annual conference, http://www.separc.org , South Eastern Partners in Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (SE PARC) established an Invasive Species Task Force to look into these questions. ALL of the Best Minds on the Subject from all the top universities and government agencies were on hand. Dr. Warren Booth, PhD Invasive Species Biologist & Andrew Wyatt, both of USARK, played a leadership role in the formation of the Task Force.
•   Shawn Heflick is leading USARK's participation in a PBS Documentary arranged by Tom Crutchfield/ Shawn Heflick and Hosted by Nigel Marven to publicize the truth behind the Burmese Python & other potential Invasive Herps in South Florida.
•   USARK is not only working chest deep in the Everglades, but we are actively working to influence key personnel in the US House and Senate, as well as the National Park Service and the US Fish & Wildlife Service.  From the Everglades to Washington DC we are working hard on behalf of our community and industry to assure that if any legislation is passed, it will be fair and in the best interests of the Herp Community. We have No other conflicting allegiances.
•   USARK has introduced State Legislation including Non- Release & Escape Prevention provisions providing safety measures at the State level.

What Can You Do Today to STOP S373?•   Join USARK's Reptile Nation ( http://usark.org/join.php  )!! There is Strength in Numbers... Protect Your Rights!
•   Call, write, email & fax the Sponsor and the Sub-Committee for S373.  (contact info & sample letter below)
•   Be Polite & Professional.  If you can't do this don't bother because it will damage our efforts.
•   ***Forward this to everyone on your email list, post it on every forum/ social networking site.
•   When you have finished with the steps above, send an email to  senate373@yahoo.com with 'No on S373' in the Subject Line so that USARK can track the number of responses.

Sample Letter (cut & paste):

Subject: NO on S373  I oppose S373 as written.
The Burmese Python issue is a South Florida issue not a National one. There is No credible evidence to show that these animals can exist north of Lake Okeechobee. Many different species of Pythons have been imported into the US over the last 50 years. The only pythons that have been established have been Burmese Pythons, but only in South Florida; no where else. No evidence exists anywhere to suggest that Banning all Pythons will have any positive impact on the effected area in the southern tip of Florida.  Banning all pythons nationwide would have a devastating effect on an already troubled economy. It would destroy thousands of hardworking American families and small businesses. Not just the breeders and dealers but hobbyists, dry goods, equipment manufacturers, food providers, shippers, trade shows, hotels and restaurants. To overlook the crushing blow this would have to an entire segment of the economy is irresponsible.

(add what S373 would mean to you and your family)

Sincerely, 
(signature line)     


Contacts:

Senator Bill Nelson   716 Senate Hart Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
email form at: http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Phone: 202-224-5274 Fax: 202-228-2183   

Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI Hart Senate Office Building, Room 502, Washington, D.C. 20510
email form at: http://whitehouse.senate.gov/contact/
phone: 202-224-2921Fax: 202-228-6362

Tom Udall, D-NM B40D Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
email form at: http://tomudall.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm
phone: (202) 224-6621

Jeff Merkley, D-Ore SDB-40B Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
email form at: http://merkley.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm
phone: (202) 228-3997fax: 202-2283997

Mike Crapo, Ranking Member, R-Idaho 239 Dirksen Senate Building, Washington, DC 20510
email form at: http://crapo.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
phone: (202) 224-6142fax: 202-228-1375

John Barrasso, R-WY 307 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
email form at: http://barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.ContactForm
phone: (202) 224-6441 tollfree: (866) 235-9553

Lamar Alexander, R-TN 455 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
email form at: http://alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
phone: (202) 224-4944fax: 202-228-3398

[Kricket_150]

  I would also suggest sending this to your states congressmen/senators, not just the ones on the list. The more noise we make, the better.

[hamhouke]

I think we should attack this on the grassroots level too.  Of course we should all write and write often our reps, state and federal.  We should also take the message to all the other boards and to all our local reptile shows.  This is going to have to go viral within our community for anyone to hear us.  I think two additional things can/should be done.

1.  Find your local reptile show / herp group.  Ask if you can be present to pass out fliers at the door, or (even better) put up an informational booth.  Talk to all the local breeders/sellers at the show and urge them to fill out the python survey at PIJAC.org and take the message to their business associates.  Have everyone write all of their reps, and the reps that are pushing this agenda even if they are not from your state.  As this is a national ban, it invites national comment.

2.  Start emailing online herp vendors to make them aware, and ask them to publicize the efforts of USARK and PIJAC on their websites too.  Let us get a web link for this campaign on every herp related website.


I like the idea of using the Don't Tread On Me flag to get attention for the cause.  Here it is, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gadsden_flag.svg

[hamhouke]

OK, I am creating a flier now and am going to contact the KC reptile show and see if I can come pass them out.  I will also talk to the vendors in attendance and see if they will ship out fliers with thier shipments and post a sign in thier shops.  I may not have time to pull it off by the show but at some point I would like to have a booth at the show.

I will post the flier tomorrow when I get it finished.  I know that some of you have suggested this stuff before, I just wanted to put all those good ideas in one place

[Southern_Boa_Gurl]

Edf on here has created a flier as well.  I can email it to you if you'd like.

[hamhouke]

Sounds great, I'd love to see it!

Thanks.

[hamhouke]

I got it.  Thanks.  I will take it along too.

Here is the attention grabber flier I made.  There isn't a lot of info on it, except where to find out more.  It's just for getting the attention of people as they pass rapidly by you

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A153bk/PythonBanFlier/

I plan on printing it on yellow paper, as the flag background is yellow and it is a bright but not hard to stand color.

[Southern_Boa_Gurl]

That flier is awesome!!

[hamhouke]

Glad you like!  Please use it, share it, pass them out, whatever you want.  It is designed to be cut in half so you get 2 tall fliers out of each letter-sized paper.

[hamhouke]

If anyone is interested, here is the email I sent my local show.  Short and sweet.  If we all hit our local shows, it would be a great way to get people motivated to oppose the ban.  I think educating vendors is key on this.  The Lacey Act weighs economic impact more heavily than it does owners' opinions.  Both are very important, but this is Congress after all   "Show me the money!"  Vendors are more likely to act since they have some real skin in the game.  I want to spend at least as much time talking to them as I do other visitors to the show.  Ideally, I would like to get them to commit to writing Congress and posting fliers at their stores if they have a brick and mortar store.  If I can get them to ship a flier with all of their on-line orders, that would rock hard.  For my local stores, I am going to try to visit each one with a durable, rigid counter display and other materials they can have for the foot traffic crowd.  If you want to do the same in your area, I will certainly make my materials available.  Just don't forget to contact YOUR officeholders in all of this "organizing"!

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Hello,

My name is Anthony Stanley.  I am sure you are aware of the efforts by several senators and Representatives to impose national bans on all python species by amending the Lacey Act to include them without the scientific review process already present in the act.  If these bills pass, they will outlaw the sale, breeding, importation, trading, and movement across state lines of all python species.  Boas and anacondas are under similar pressure in a house bill under consideration.

The impact to our community would be swift and destructive.  I would like the opportunity to pass out fliers at the March 15th show to bring attention to these efforts and encourage hobbyists, vendors, and others interested in the reptile pet industry to take action to defeat the ban.

I have linked the flier I wish to hand out below for your review.

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A153bk/PythonBanFlier/

I also plan to bring additional materials from the websites listed on the flier for inspection by any interested parties.

Thank you for your consideration,


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