I got a response from the Sierra Club on my earlier letter.  Here is their
response.  And my followup response:
 
>From: [log in to unmask]
>Dear Ms. Burkard:
>
>Thank you for your recent comments about Sierra Club California's
>opposition to AB 363 (Goldsmith), which would permit the ownership of
>domestic ferrets as pets.  I am sorry to hear of your disapproval of our
>position.  Our position on this issue, like all the positions that the
>Sierra Club takes on legislative issues, was carefully considered by a
>committee of volunteer member activists.
>
>The Sierra Club believes that California cannot take the risk that a feral
>population of a non-native species could become established in this state.
>California has the highest number of endangered species in the continental
>United States, and the Sierra Club opposes any measure that would weaken
>protection of native wildlife.  Though AB 363 calls for all ferrets to be
>spayed or neutered, that would be difficult to regulate; and even
>individual ferrets could have an impact on biodiversity.  California has
>strong public policy restricting the import of non-native species, and the
>legalization of ferrets would set a dangerous precedent for weakening that
>policy.  The Sierra Club spends a lot of time trying to repair the damage
>done by non-native species in fragile ecosystems, and we feel that, where
>possible, we must try to prevent any further such damage.
>
>Sierra Club California's policies are created by the California Legislative
>Committee, a group of volunteer activists, under the guidance of local
>chapters, regional groups, and the statewide Conservation Committee.  The
>Club's positions are extensively reviewed and discussed and democratically
>decided upon, but they cannot always reflect the opinions of every member.
>
>I will forward your concerns to the California Legislative Committee.
>Thank you again for communicating your view.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Megan Mullin
>Legislative Aide
>Sierra Club California
 
My response:
 
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: California Legislative Alert #97-5
>
>Thank you for your reply and thank you for forwarding on my concerns.  I
>sincerely hope that the Sierra Club will reconsider their position on the
>legalization of ferrets.
>
>If your organization is truly concerned about non-neutered ferrets and the
>possibility that they may establish wild populations, I would think you
>would support AB 363 which does call for the neutering and spaying of
>ferrets.
>
>There are many thousands of ferret owners currently in California.
>Regardless of whether AB 363 passes or is defeated, there will still be
>thousands of ferret owners in California.  With ferrets growing more popular
>as companion animals every day, the numbers of ferret owners will increase
>in California just as they are in other parts of the country.  These ferret
>owners, rightly or wrongly, will go out of state to buy ferrets and then
>will "smuggle" them back into California.  These animals may or may not be
>fixed.  May or may not be vaccinated or any number of other things.
>
>If ferrets were legally sold in California, I'm sure much, if not all, of
>this smuggling would stop.  This would help to insure that the pet ferrets
>in California would not be able to reproduce, would be vaccinated, etc.  I
>think this is a definite improvement over what is the current status of
>ferrets in California.
>
>Thanks again for your response.
 
-kim
 
Kimberly Burkard     |             _    Everything I needed to know in life,
Eastman Kodak Company|      _____C .._. I learned from my ferret:
Rochester, New York  | ____/     \___/  Frolic and dance for joy often, have
[log in to unmask]    |<____/\_---\_\    no fear or worries, and enjoy life.
[Posted in FML issue 1951]