Bob was suggesting some things to work on at a National level.  With some
discussion of the national groups I'll make some points:
 
Unfortunately what we have now is several basically regional groups acting
as if they were THE Natinoal group but none really is.  AFA, FURO, LIFE,
LOS, NAFA and STAR* (alphabetical not politically ordered) are all groups
that are larger than merely local.  Most of them do not get along with each
other.  Right now LIFE and LOS are co-operating.  All have claims to
working for the 'rights' of ferrets.  Most are run by the same person that
founded them.  None have real elections for the top leadership - I think
some might eventually.  Most grew out of the ashes of the IFA
(International Ferret Association) that was the followers of George Harmon.
George seems to have vanished.
 
I am or have been a member of all of these that I can join.  I really wish
they would be able to co-operate more than they do now.
 
American Ferret Association:
AFA takes individual members and has clubs in many parts of the country
associated with it.  It is based in Ferederick Maryland.  Sally Heber is
the Preseident.  It has associated clubs and sanctioned shows in
Maryland, New York, Minnesota and some others in with less solid a
connection.
 
Ferret Unity and Registration Organization:
FURO is now run by John Armishaw in North Carolina.  Unfortunately it is
not a growing organization.  It only has one sanctioned show this year in
New Jersey.  It may not last much longer and hopefully it will not take a
lot of information when it goes.  Fara Shimbo did a lot of good writing
but once she no longer ran the group it seems to have shrunk.
 
League of Independant Ferret Enthusiasts:
LIFE does not have individual members it only has club or shelter members.
Currently it is based in Burke Virginia.  The strongest presence is in
Pennsylvania with other shelters and clubs in New York, Virginia, Florida
and New Jersy.  I'm sure their are others.  It is run by Ann Davis.
 
Legion Of Superferrets:
LOS has recently grown by adding many chapters.  I'm not aware of how it
is organized now.  I think Rose Smith is still the head honcho of the
National organization.
 
North American Ferret Association:
NAFA is based in Dale City Virginia and has its strongest presence in Texas
and Colorado with recent growth in Michighan and Indiana.  It is run by
Chuck Scaggs.
 
Shelters That Adopt and Rescue:
STAR* is the organization of shelters that was put together mostly by Pam
Grant.  She is located in Annandale Virginia
 
AFA, FURO, LIFE, and NAFA grew directly out of problems with the IFA.
 
The AFA, LIFE, NAFA and STAR* are all headquartered within an hours drive
of each other.  They all USED to get along (sort of).  What we do NOT need
is yet another national organization that can't get along with these
groups.  All spend a reasonable portion of their 'incomes' on politically
motivated (positive for ferrets I mean) causes such as legalization.  I
personally will not announce my support or lack there of for any of these
groups in this public forum.  It is not what BIG wants nor would it be
productive to open a real chance for them to blast eah other on this list.
Hopefully BIG would allow them to clarify anything I said.  No harm was
intended to any of them.
 
The IFA, FURO and NAFA all have registration processes.  But there is no
cross registration.  It is also closed to those who could actually use it -
breeders and vets.
 
Several breeders in this area are working on real database registrations.  I
am involved in this directly.  I am enterring all information I can on any
ferret I can.  Right now I am gathering information from ferret show
catalogs.  Pedigree information, medical, genetic, color, birth, death date
and cause, owner possibly to include address and anything else that anyone
decides is needed.  Eventually this will become a publically accessible
database.  Since charging for registration has not worked for FURO or NAFA
at a really national level I'm not expecting to charge for such.  THis is so
important to us breeders that I am trying not to jeopordize it by any
restrictions on what ferrets can be included.  I will accept any information
from anyone who wants their ferret registered.  Restrictions on data
searches will be on a basis of reasonable privacy.  I won't let anyone try
to decide who has too many ferrets or who doesn't care for their ferrets by
the list.  The intentions are to let us track possible genetic clues to any
of the diseases and other maladies affecting ferrets.
 
How I can make it useful to vets will be up to them.  If their is someway
to track this that assures reasonable privacy to their clients but creates
a database of problems I would love to work on it.  If it requires a
seperate database with different tracking informatio thats fine with me.
 
The intention is to a be acomputer accessable list - free online.  With
charges to almost cover costs for 'pretty prints' of pedigrees or off
line dumps.  This is not intended to be a profit source for anyone.
 
I will compose a basic form at some point for registration that will be
freely available.  I will accept information anytime anyone wants to give
it to me.
 
I hadn't wanted to make this early an announcement of this but it seemed
the time for other reasons.
 
bill killian
[Posted in FML issue 1371]