> From: Mary Jo <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: American Ferret Assn. membership > >Well, I go to the page only to be hit in the face about being a >California ferret fan. As a ferret lover that resides in a ferret >free zone of California or Hawaii we are charged a nice little "extra" >33% higher fee than the other ferret lovers in the rest of the USA!! Hi Mary Jo Please don't be offended by the extra charge to CA and HI as this is offered as a courtesy and not as a punishment. Let me explain. All AFA materials go out standard bulk mail ( like the AFR, alerts, and renewal notices etc) and this means we need to provide our full name etc as part of the USPS requirements for this class of mail. Also the AFR (American Ferret Report), that is our quarterly publication, is not in wrapper so it shows a beautiful ferret on the cover. Members living in CA cannot legally own their pets at this time and many do not want that ownership to be made public so we offer to mail members in CA their AFR first class in a plain wrapper. This does cost the AFA significantly more than the standard bulk rate. If you live in CA and don't mind getting AFA materials identifying ferrets are being our "business" you are more than welcome to pay the regular $30 membership and receive materials as such. So the price difference is not to punish CA ferret owners but to cover the extra postage costs for materials that will have to go first class mail. If you have any other questions or concerns please don't hesitate to ask. We are hoping our upcoming veterinary symposium will bring more awareness of the plight of ferrets in the state of California. With new legislation in the works it couldn't come at a better time. Sincerely Tara Palaski AFA Office [Posted in FML issue 4897]