If you just weren't sure your letter about the need to protect the
prairie dogs and BFFs, go read
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_4593356

Last year it was my honor to participate in the annual BFF roundup in
South Dakota. I must say that it was a wonderful experience. What made
it more wonderful is that the two people who were in Meteetsee and
rescued the LAST 18 BFFs were there, too. One of them, now a Prairie
Wildlife Organization employee, said to me, "It is always about the
people. Sometimes the ferrets ought to win." What people don't realize
is that when one species disappears, the rest of them are also in
danger of following.

Please, write your congressman about the poisoning of the prairie dog
towns. Hey, write MY congressman! Write everyone you know with any
authority at all. Don't just sign a petition. Let's flood Washington,
South Dakota, Nebraska, newspapers, everyone with letters of support
for the prairie dogs and the BFFs.

Go to : http://action.defenders.org/prairiedogs (South Dakota and
Nebraska residents click here:
http://action.defenders.org/saveprairiedogs ) and write.
The action deadline was October 28, but this is an ongoing battle. If
you haven't sent your letter, do it now. I have included a letter
below. You can write to the US Forest Service at
[log in to unmask] Subject line: Prairie Dog
Supplement to Nebraska LRMP. Or, click here and Defenders of Wildlife
will send a letter on your behalf:
http://action.defenders.org/prairiedogs

Or send on your own by copying the message below, adding your name and
address, and emailing to:

And, it's not just about prairie dogs and BFFs. It's about all the
other animals that live there. After a long night on the active
prairie, walking outside into the warm sunshine, looking around and
seeing little families of critters sticking there heads out of their
holes for as far as the eye can see, is an amazing feeling. One I
want for my grandkids. Will there be anything left to see?

Due to the length of this, I have put a proposed letter below. You can
find the name of your congressman at
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ and the name of your senator at
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.
Let's win this one for the future.

Finally, permission to crosspost is granted.

You can get involved. Below is a sample letter to your congressman
or senator. You can find your senators' and representatives' contact
information at the links above.

If you live in South Dakota or Nebraska, your help is especially
important! Please call or email your senators and urge them to speak
out against the poisoning.

To call your senators: you can reach your senators via the Capitol
switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or at their local offices:
South Dakota Senators
Senator Tim Johnson (D): (605) 332-8896
Senator John Thune (R): (605) 334-9596
Nebraska Senators
E. Ben Nelson (D): (402) 441-4600
Charles Hagel (R): (308) 236-7602

Example: "My name is ______ and I live in ______. Please tell the
senator that I oppose the Forest Service's plan to allow prairie dog
poisoning across my National Grasslands with my tax dollars. Many
other animals will suffer as a result, including the endangered
black-footed ferret. Please stop this plan. Thank you."

To email your senators: click here and Defenders of Wildlife will send
a letter on your behalf: http://action.defenders.org/saveprairiedogs

Or send on your own by copying the following letter and emailing from
your senator's website:
South Dakota Senators
Senator Tim Johnson (D): http://johnson.senate.gov/emailform.cfm
Senator John Thune (R):
http://thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Email
Nebraska Senators
E. Ben Nelson (D): http://bennelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Charles Hagel (R): http://hagel.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home


***************************LETTER TEXT**************************

Dear Senator,

I am writing to you to state my strong objection to Nebraska National
Forest Supervisor Don Bright's proposal to once again amend the Forest
Plan to allow more poisoning of prairie dogs on my National Grasslands,
even in areas far from private land.

Prairie dogs play a crucial role in a healthy and vibrant grasslands
ecosystem. Already there may be too few prairie dogs in the National
Grasslands to sustain local populations of some of the animals that
depend on them, including burrowing owls, swift fox, and of course
endangered black-footed ferrets. More poisoning will only harm this
national treasure and the animals that live there.

The existing Nebraska National Forest Management Plan took 7 years and
millions of dollars to complete and is based on science and the input
of tens of thousands of citizens. The Forest Service has ignored all of
the plan's prairie dog management tools other than the use of poisons,
which have been spread across the land far in excess of the original
plan's intent and at tremendous cost to taxpayers.

There is no rational excuse for such a proposal. Wildlife management
should be based on science, not on politics, and there may be too few
prairie dogs already to sustain local populations of some of the
animals that depend on them, including burrowing owls, swift fox, and
of course endangered black-footed ferrets.

I particularly object to another costly plan (the third in four years!)
using my taxpayer dollars, instigated by a few aggrieved persons
dissatisfied with the outcome of the previous process. This is money
that could be better spent finding solutions and creating incentives
for prairie dog and black-footed ferret conservation. As Supervisor
Bright said in the press last year, "It's time to move on and implement
the forest plan." Rather than amend the plan again to allow even more
poisoning, reasonable options outlined in the existing plan must now be
implemented.

I urge you to request Supervisor Bright to terminate this unnecessary
and harmful planning process and instead implement the solutions found
within the existing Nebraska National Forest Management Plan.

Thank you for listening to my concerns.

Sincerely,


***************************END OF LETTER TEXT**************************


Thank you for all you do to protect our wildlife and wild places!

-- 
renee :)
It's amazing how much can be accomplished if nobody cares who gets the
credit!
Ferret Emergency Response, Rescue & Evacuation Team (F.E.R.R.E.T.)
http://www.ferretemergency.org
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org

[Posted in FML 5416]