American Ferret Association Guidelines and talking points for
contacting legislators regarding H.R. 669, the Nonnative Wildlife
Invasion Prevention Act

A contact list of Members of Congress who are on the Committee
On Natural Resources Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans, and
Wildlife follows at the bottom of this document on page three.

1. Talking points - mention these when you make contact with
legislators in order to reinforce your position. AFA's opposition to
the bill is contingent upon ferrets being added to the list of exempt
animals. We are therefore simply asking at this time that the bill be
amended to do that rather than asking that the bill be voted down
outright.

a. Ferrets are not wildlife and thus should not be subject to the
provisions of this bill. The domesticated nature of mustela putorius
furo has been established over many years and acknowledged by the
American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Museum of Natural
History, the ASPCA, the Humane Society of the United States, numerous
state departments of wildlife, conservation, natural resources, or
fish and game, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the
International Species Information System.

b. In addition, the Humane Society of the United States, a prominent
supporter of HR 669, has agreed to ask that ferrets be added to the
exemption list in section 14(5)(D) of the bill.

c. Requiring the Secretary of the Interior to make a determination that
ferrets are "common and clearly domesticated," in the language of the
bill, is unnecessary and a waste of Federal resources since that has
already been conclusively determined.

d. As a visit to the ferret aisle of any chain pet store will
demonstrate, ferrets are clearly a well-accepted and "mainstream"
household companion animal that is now found throughout the United
States with no harm resulting to native flora or fauna.

e. Numerous state, county, and municipal codes and ordinances
throughout the United States either list ferrets along with dogs and
cats as permitted domestic animals or specifically exclude them from
lists of prohibited wildlife that include family mustelidae. For
example, Monroe County, Florida -- home to Everglades National Park
and Key West as well as three national wildlife refuges and a national
deer refuge, and arguably one of the most ecologically sensitive
localities in the United States -- specifically lists ferrets within
its definition of "domesticated companion animals."

f. Animals -- such as ferrets -- that are obviously domesticated
household pets and not potentially dangerous wildlife should, for
reasons of simple fairness, be specifically excluded from the bill's
provisions just as dogs, cats, rabbits, and goldfish are.

2. Guidelines - "rules of the road" when communicating with Members
of Congress

a. BE POLITE AND RESPECTFUL. Address the person on the envelope or
at the top of the fax/email as "The Honorable John Smith" and in the
salutation as "Dear Representative Smith" or "Dear Congresswoman
Jones." Do not let your emotions or passions determine how you
communicate. Coming across as angry, snarky, or rude will damage our
cause and get you nowhere. Put yourself in the other person's position
and imagine how you would react to receiving what amounts to enormous
quantities of hate mail on a daily basis.

b. If you live in one of the subcommittee members' districts, it is
critical that you make sure to contact that person for sure, even if
you don't contact the entire committee, and identify yourself as his
or her constituent.

c. Madeleine Bordallo of Guam is chair of the subcommittee. If you can
only contact one person, and you are not a constituent of anyone on the
subcommittee, contact her. Note that representatives from Guam, Virgin
Islands, Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia
vote in committee but cannot vote on the House floor.

d. Let the facts speak for themselves. Try not to overwhelm the person
with emotional opinions. Use the talking points above to support your
position.

e. Keep whatever you write concise, brief, and to the point. Do not
exceed one page.

f. Personally written letters are always the best way of communicating
with Congress. Unfortunately, "snail mail" is stilled scanned for
anthrax in Washington. Either mail your letter to one of the
Congressperson's home district offices, or fax your letter. Email
would be the last choice. It's more convenient and takes less time,
but for exactly those reasons has less impact.

g. Communicate NOW while you're thinking about it. Time is of the
essence.

h. Tell as many friends, family members, and other ferret enthusiasts
as you can about this bill, AFA's position on the bill, and the need
to let the subcommittee members know that HR 669 must be amended to
exclude ferrets from restrictions on nonnative wildlife species.

i. Finally, please send a short email thanking the Humane Society of
the United States for acting on our behalf to Beth Preiss, Director,
HSUS Exotic Pets Campaign, at [log in to unmask]

THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING OUT ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO CANNOT.

The subcommittee meeting is at 10:00am on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
in room 1324, Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill in
Washington, D.C. It is open to the public. If you live in the
Washington area, please join AFA legislative affairs director David
Gaines at this meeting to show your support for ferrets.

Vickie McKimmey

Just a Business of Ferrets
www.jbferret.com
American Ferret Association
Director of Shows and Special Events
www.ferret.org
Author of Ferrets: An Animal Planet Pet Care Library Series Book

[Posted in FML 6309]