Hello everyone, Today I spoke with someone in the Senate Natural Resources Committee who told me that Assemblymember Mike Machado's bill AB 409 which dealt originally with the legal taking of an endangered species (in the course of normal business practices of a farmer or developer) has been changed to deal specifically with ferrets. It would prohibit the legislature from legalizaing ferrets and leave it solely to the Fish and Game Commission. The Commission could legalize ferrets only if it could determine that ferrets are not a threat to the environment of people. What this bill would do is enlarge DFG's jurisdiction to include ONE domesticated companion animal and to hold the ferret to a higher standard than any other domesticated pet. Meanwhile, YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO BE REPRESENTED IN THE LEGISLATURE ON THIS QUESTION WOULD BE SHUT OFF!!!! Do not sit back and tolerate this. Get on the phone, fax and e-mail now to your State Senator, especially if he or she is a member of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and voice your opposition. Also, contact Senator Tom Hayden's office immediately to let the chairman know that bill is simply intended to harm one segment of domesticated pet owners, those that own ferrets. Last I spoke with you I told you that there might be some alternative proposed to AB 363 but I was not told what it was. I cautioned you to keep in mind that nothing on AB 363 can be taken for granted, that a definite hearing was not something to be counted on, that we would have to fight every inch of the way. Well, sadly, not only is our current bill in jeopardy but any future ones as well if this bill is to pass. Don't let the opposition get away with this. This new language would effectively place a single domesticated pet in the hands of a wildlife agency and close off one avenue of redress for ferret lovers, the state legislature. It would of course also kill our bill AB 363, whose status is already in question. Ferret enthusiasts, each and every one of you needs to contact both your State Senator and State Assemblymember NOW, TODAY, and tell them to oppose this bill. It is their job to listen to your concerns and you have been wronged by a vicious and vindictive State Agency. To find out the name of your State Senator, please visit our website at http://www.ferretnews.org and enter your zip code. Contact your State Senator NOW! Senator Hayden's office number is: (916) 445-1353. Remember, he is chairman of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and has been a very big help to us but you should register your opposition to this bill. The Senate Natural Resources Committee's number is (916) 445-2802. Remember to be polite but sincere-- the staffers that take your calls are not the enemy and rudeness only hurts the issue further. Jeanne Carley Californians for Ferret Legalization (CFL) 410 Mountain Home Road Woodside, CA 94062 (650) 851-3750 <[log in to unmask]> http://www.ferretnews.org-- CFL Website CALIFORNIANS, YOU CAN FIND OUT YOUR STATE SENATOR BY VISITING THIS SITE!! CALL AND WRITE YOUR SENATOR AND GOV. WILSON--DON'T LET OUR BILL DIE! [Posted in FML issue 2348]