Hello everyone, Though it's still very early in the legislative year, it's important to go ahead and write to both of your State Representatives now. Why? In light of the power crisis (no pun intended), I'm afraid that we must start early in our letter writing campaign in order to get the attention of our representatives. However, unlike the power crisis, the ferret problem is an easy problem to fix. We must remind our legislators that the ferret issue is an issue that deserves their attention. Remind them that ferrets are legal in every other state on the continent. Remind them that as a domesticated pet, it should be in the hands of a wildlife agency. Remind them that the Department of Fish and Game's own study revealed that, unlike the dog, cat, horse, goat, pig, sheep or burro, no documented feral populations of ferrets have occurred anywhere in the United States. Clearly the ferret is a terrific pet for the environment. Let your representatives know that this is an issue that has not been dealt with fairly. Two ferret legalization/amnesty bills have passed all Assembly and Senate committees by huge margins. They passed both Assembly floor votes by virtual landslides. The ferret bill was killed in the last two legislative sessions by a single State Senator who did not allow it a hearing in his committee. That's simply not right. It's not democratic, it's autocratic. This issue deserves to be heard but whether your representatives pay attention to it or not depends entirely upon you! I'm asking each of you to write a short, one page letter to both of your State Representatives, your State Assemblyman and State Senator, asking him or her to help ensure that ferret-owning Californians are decriminalized for doing something citizens in 48 other states can do with impunity. You must include your name and address on your letter or e-mail for it to have any value at all. I can assure you that nothing bad will happen to you if you write and include your address. No one will come to your home. A search warrant is essential for that to happen and no judge would issue a search warrant for someone who has written in about a bad law (you don't own any ferrets and would never put that in a letter). I can also assure you that absolutely nothing good will happen if you don't write! If you don't know your two State representatives (you have one State Senator and one State Assemblymember that represent you in Sacramento on state issues) please go to our website, http://www.ferretnews.org and click on Know Your Local Representative. From there, it's easy. All you have to do is to enter your zip code. You can also call us at (650) 851-3750, or e-mail us your address so a ferret legalization packet to be sent to you in the mail. You should also visit http://ferrets.go.cc/ and download the ferret legalization poster. Simply fill in the bottom portion of the poster with the information you've been given about the names and addresses of your representatives. You can then distribute the poster to neighborhood pet stores and veterinarians so that others can write in as well. Ask friends and family members to support you by writing to their California representatives. I know if we all work together on this issue we can win but it's up to you this year. Jeanne Carley Californians for Ferret Legalization 410 Mountain Home Road Woodside, CA 94062 (650) 851-3750 www.ferretnews.org e-mail [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 3305]