I just got off the phone with Megan Mullin in the California office of the
Sierra Club.  She explained to me the reasons that the club is taking a
stance against legalization of ferrets in CA: 1) fear of the animal going
feral and attacking endangered species, 2) the difficulty of enforcing the
spay/neuter provision of AB 363 and 3) "the Sierra Club has historically
held this position".
 
However, she did say that the Sierra Club's policy is set by a board of
volunteer activists, and that they will be reexamining their position on
this issue at their next meeting (at the end of May).  She said that she has
already heard from a lot of "ferret activists", and has received a lot of
information, and that she realizes that there isn't much actual evidence of
ferrets going feral in the past.  (She also said that this "doesn't
guarantee that some might not go feral in the future", and she said that
"California has the second largest endangered animal population of any state
in the U.S., second only to Hawaii").
 
Megan struck me as a nice, reasonable person, and it sounds like she has
been reading up on this issue, and listening to the information other people
have given her.  If you would like to call her and discuss this issue with
her, you can reach her at 916-557-1100, extension 102.
 
- Ela
 
    ___     ___
   (000)___(000)        Ela Heyn
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[Posted in FML issue 1918]