To: EasternCougar@fws.gov <EasternCougar@fws.gov>
Sent: Thu Mar 03 06:36:55 2011
Subject: eastern cougar
Dear USFWS,
I live and recreate within eastern cougar range. If you decide to list them formally extinct, which I disagree with, I want you to still have a recovery plan in place. Biological evidence indicates that young mt. lions can disperse very far from where they are born. There is still vacant habitat to support cougars in the east and there should still be legal protections in place for any cougars that potentially reach this area.
Due to their genetic similarity throughout North America I would advocate that there be a reintroduction of cougars from the midwest (like South Dakota). The Northeast needs an apex predator like the cougar. Don't give up on not restoring them even if the source population comes from the midwest or west of there. Please actively reintroduce them to suitable habitat such as Northern ME, NH, and VT.
Respectfully,
Jonathan Way, Ph.D.
89 Ebenezer Road
Osterville MA 02655
Please visit my WEBPAGE (http://www.easterncoyoteresearch.com/) where you can purchase my book Suburban Howls (http://www.easterncoyoteresearch.com/Store.html) and help create a wildlife watching refuge in the town of Barnstable (http://www.easterncoyoteresearch.com/supportECR.html)
______________________________________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark_McCollough@fws.gov [mailto:Mark_McCollough@fws.gov]
Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2011 8:07 AM
To: Meril, Rick
Subject: Re: Fw: eastern cougar
Rick - you are asking the right questions. Give me a call if you want to talk more. Mark
*****************************************************************
Mark McCollough, Ph.D. Endangered Species Specialist
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Maine Field Office
17 Godfrey Drive, Suite #2
Orono, ME 04473
Phone: (207) 866-3344 x115
Cell phone: 207 944-5709
Fax: (207) 866-3351
Email: mark_mccollough@fws.gov
__________________________________________________________________________________
From: Mark_McCollough@fws.gov
To: Helen McGinnis
Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2011 5:58 PM
Subject: Re: one more question for you
Helen - there is a process for listing or delisting species. It involves developing a proposal to delist, announcing this in the Federal Register, having a public comment period, and then developing a final rule that addresses public comments. Public hearings are possible, but I don't know at this time whether there will be hearings. I believe the public can request hearings. I also don't know when we will start the delisting process. That is up to our regional office. Hope this helps. Lots of phone inquiries from the media today.
Mark
________________________________________________________________________________
FROM HELEN MCGINNIS TO RICK MERIL
Subject: ALERT! Cougars need protection in Missouri. How you can help.
On January 2nd of this year, Jimmy McElwee was out coon hunting with his dogs in Ray County in the northwest part of the state. The dogs treed a cougar. McElwee shot and killed it. A friend told the MDC that he shot the cougar on his farm and that calves had been killed and a cow attacked previously. Later the farmer admitted he had lied so that McElwee would not be fined for killing the cougar. He hadn’t lost any cattle. Officials of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) should be aware that a treed cougar is not a threat to humans or dogs—that cougars instinctively take refuge in trees to avoid packs of wolves and dogs. Nonetheless, the MDC announced that neither man would be prosecuted.
On January 22nd, a group of about 90 Amish farmers were conducting a “predator hunt.” The men surrounded a farm in Macon County in northeast Missouri and walked toward the center of the property on the lookout for coyotes and other small predators. One man walked past a cedar tree, and a cougar appeared “out of nowhere” about 20 yards away. He shot the cat, and the cat ran past another hunter, who also shot it. The cougar lay down and was surrounded by about twelve men, who thought it was dead. “It popped up and was shot again and died.” The MDC announced that no one would be prosecuted.
Events leading to the lack of protection for cougars in Missouri go back to 2006. By January of that year, eight confirmations had been announced. A worried farmer in Boone County found one of his heifers dead. Her ears were gone, part of her nose was gone, and her whole front end was torn up. The MDC determined that a coyote was the likely culprit, but the harm had been done.
Between 1994 and the end of 2006, the Mountain Lion Response Team of the MDC had confirmed ten occurrences of cougars in the state. Two had been killed - http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/wildlife-sightings/mountain-lions/confirmed-sightings After a gap four years, five additional confirmations were announced between November 20101 and January 2011. Two of them were the killings described above.
In April 2006, we believe that a handful of worried farmers, backed by the powerful Farm Bureau, met with the Commission of the MDC. The cougar had been listed as a state endangered species in 1973. On April 7th, the commissioners voted to delist the cougar because no verified breeding population existed in the state. They further “adopted a policy that states ‘it is not desirable to allow the re-establishment of a mountain lion population in Missouri’ and corrected a portion of the Wildlife Code by removing the mountain lion from the list of ‘endangered species’ in Missouri. During its deliberations, the Commission considered human safety, risk to livestock, and the increasing incidence of mountain lions wandering into Missouri. This clarifies the Commission's determination that it is not desirable to re-establish a breeding population of mountain lions in Missouri.” (Delisting of the Mountain Lion as “Endangered in Missouri.” Information for staff regarding this action. Draft – April 7th, 11:15 AM)
Missouri’s Wildlife Code, 3 CSR 10-4.130(6), now states “Owner May Protect Property, Public Safety. Mountain lions may be killed without prior permission if they are attacking or killing livestock or domestic animals, or if they are threatening human safety. Any mountain lion killed under this rule must be reported immediately to an agent of the department and the intact mountain lion carcass, including pelt, must be surrendered to the agent within twenty-four (24) hours.”
The late Dave Hamilton, head of the Mountain Lion Response Team, promoted this policy. Throughout 2006 and into 2007, he continued to insist to skeptical conservationists that cougars were still protected in Missouri. His assurances wouldn’t be tested for more than four years. The first person who could have killed a cougar, in November 2010 in Platte County, chose to take photographs.
It is obvious that MDC is interpreting the Code to mean that any cougar, merely by existing, is a threat. Cougars have no protection in Missouri. If another is killed for any reason or no reason, the killers will not be prosecuted. The policy adopted by the MDC Commission in 2006 must be changed. It is unfortunate that a state like Missouri, with a presumably progressive wildlife department that depends partly on sales taxes from the general public and thus is not completely dependent on license fees and excise taxes paid by hunters for its funding, has adopted such an anti-predator policy.
What Can You Do? Send an email message to the MDC - http://mdc.mo.gov/contact-us/contact-form - letting them know that you want the current policy toward cougars to be changed. It should be illegal to kill cougars unless they are in the act of attacking livestock or are a clear threat to human safety. Pass this message on to people you know in Missouri.
Missouri cougars should be classified as game species with a closed season. Many of you who are reading this post are opposed to sport hunting of cougars. But being realistic, animals that are classified as game have a better chance of surviving in significant numbers that those that are not because state agencies are motivated to protect them. (See the article on excise taxes in the November 2010 issue of our newsletter - http://www.easterncougar.org/newltr_pdf/crfnew_Nov10.pdf , Pages 16-20.)
Two other species of large mammals are successfully recolonizing Missouri: black bears and bobcats. Bobcats are now managed as furbearers, and hunters and trappers take about 3,000 per year. Bears have recently been documented throughout the state, but most inhabit the southeastern portion - http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/wildlife-sightings/bears. The MDC is studying black bears and will almost certainly institute a bear hunting season when they feel it is appropriate.
An individual black bear may be more likely to damage crops and property than a cougar. (See http://mdc.mo.gov/landwater-care/wildlife-management/nuisance-animal-management/controlling-nuisance-mammals/controll-6 ) Predatory black bears have killed more people than cougars. But cougars are burdened with decades of folklore and misinformation that must be overcome if cougars are ever to recolonize the Midwest and East. It is up to agencies such as the MDC to educate the public on cougars—on the benefits of having them back on the landscape, where they will perform their ecosystem duty of regulating deer behavior and numbers.
Mark McCollough, Ph.D. Endangered Species Specialist
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Maine Field Office
17 Godfrey Drive, Suite #2
Orono, ME 04473
Phone: (207) 866-3344 x115
Cell phone: 207 944-5709
Fax: (207) 866-3351
Email: mark_mccollough@fws.gov
__________________________________________________________________________________
From: Mark_McCollough@fws.gov
To: Helen McGinnis
Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2011 5:58 PM
Subject: Re: one more question for you
Helen - there is a process for listing or delisting species. It involves developing a proposal to delist, announcing this in the Federal Register, having a public comment period, and then developing a final rule that addresses public comments. Public hearings are possible, but I don't know at this time whether there will be hearings. I believe the public can request hearings. I also don't know when we will start the delisting process. That is up to our regional office. Hope this helps. Lots of phone inquiries from the media today.
Mark
________________________________________________________________________________
FROM HELEN MCGINNIS TO RICK MERIL
Subject: ALERT! Cougars need protection in Missouri. How you can help.
On January 2nd of this year, Jimmy McElwee was out coon hunting with his dogs in Ray County in the northwest part of the state. The dogs treed a cougar. McElwee shot and killed it. A friend told the MDC that he shot the cougar on his farm and that calves had been killed and a cow attacked previously. Later the farmer admitted he had lied so that McElwee would not be fined for killing the cougar. He hadn’t lost any cattle. Officials of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) should be aware that a treed cougar is not a threat to humans or dogs—that cougars instinctively take refuge in trees to avoid packs of wolves and dogs. Nonetheless, the MDC announced that neither man would be prosecuted.
On January 22nd, a group of about 90 Amish farmers were conducting a “predator hunt.” The men surrounded a farm in Macon County in northeast Missouri and walked toward the center of the property on the lookout for coyotes and other small predators. One man walked past a cedar tree, and a cougar appeared “out of nowhere” about 20 yards away. He shot the cat, and the cat ran past another hunter, who also shot it. The cougar lay down and was surrounded by about twelve men, who thought it was dead. “It popped up and was shot again and died.” The MDC announced that no one would be prosecuted.
Events leading to the lack of protection for cougars in Missouri go back to 2006. By January of that year, eight confirmations had been announced. A worried farmer in Boone County found one of his heifers dead. Her ears were gone, part of her nose was gone, and her whole front end was torn up. The MDC determined that a coyote was the likely culprit, but the harm had been done.
Between 1994 and the end of 2006, the Mountain Lion Response Team of the MDC had confirmed ten occurrences of cougars in the state. Two had been killed - http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/wildlife-sightings/mountain-lions/confirmed-sightings After a gap four years, five additional confirmations were announced between November 20101 and January 2011. Two of them were the killings described above.
In April 2006, we believe that a handful of worried farmers, backed by the powerful Farm Bureau, met with the Commission of the MDC. The cougar had been listed as a state endangered species in 1973. On April 7th, the commissioners voted to delist the cougar because no verified breeding population existed in the state. They further “adopted a policy that states ‘it is not desirable to allow the re-establishment of a mountain lion population in Missouri’ and corrected a portion of the Wildlife Code by removing the mountain lion from the list of ‘endangered species’ in Missouri. During its deliberations, the Commission considered human safety, risk to livestock, and the increasing incidence of mountain lions wandering into Missouri. This clarifies the Commission's determination that it is not desirable to re-establish a breeding population of mountain lions in Missouri.” (Delisting of the Mountain Lion as “Endangered in Missouri.” Information for staff regarding this action. Draft – April 7th, 11:15 AM)
Missouri’s Wildlife Code, 3 CSR 10-4.130(6), now states “Owner May Protect Property, Public Safety. Mountain lions may be killed without prior permission if they are attacking or killing livestock or domestic animals, or if they are threatening human safety. Any mountain lion killed under this rule must be reported immediately to an agent of the department and the intact mountain lion carcass, including pelt, must be surrendered to the agent within twenty-four (24) hours.”
The late Dave Hamilton, head of the Mountain Lion Response Team, promoted this policy. Throughout 2006 and into 2007, he continued to insist to skeptical conservationists that cougars were still protected in Missouri. His assurances wouldn’t be tested for more than four years. The first person who could have killed a cougar, in November 2010 in Platte County, chose to take photographs.
It is obvious that MDC is interpreting the Code to mean that any cougar, merely by existing, is a threat. Cougars have no protection in Missouri. If another is killed for any reason or no reason, the killers will not be prosecuted. The policy adopted by the MDC Commission in 2006 must be changed. It is unfortunate that a state like Missouri, with a presumably progressive wildlife department that depends partly on sales taxes from the general public and thus is not completely dependent on license fees and excise taxes paid by hunters for its funding, has adopted such an anti-predator policy.
What Can You Do? Send an email message to the MDC - http://mdc.mo.gov/contact-us/contact-form - letting them know that you want the current policy toward cougars to be changed. It should be illegal to kill cougars unless they are in the act of attacking livestock or are a clear threat to human safety. Pass this message on to people you know in Missouri.
Missouri cougars should be classified as game species with a closed season. Many of you who are reading this post are opposed to sport hunting of cougars. But being realistic, animals that are classified as game have a better chance of surviving in significant numbers that those that are not because state agencies are motivated to protect them. (See the article on excise taxes in the November 2010 issue of our newsletter - http://www.easterncougar.org/newltr_pdf/crfnew_Nov10.pdf , Pages 16-20.)
Two other species of large mammals are successfully recolonizing Missouri: black bears and bobcats. Bobcats are now managed as furbearers, and hunters and trappers take about 3,000 per year. Bears have recently been documented throughout the state, but most inhabit the southeastern portion - http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/wildlife-sightings/bears. The MDC is studying black bears and will almost certainly institute a bear hunting season when they feel it is appropriate.
An individual black bear may be more likely to damage crops and property than a cougar. (See http://mdc.mo.gov/landwater-care/wildlife-management/nuisance-animal-management/controlling-nuisance-mammals/controll-6 ) Predatory black bears have killed more people than cougars. But cougars are burdened with decades of folklore and misinformation that must be overcome if cougars are ever to recolonize the Midwest and East. It is up to agencies such as the MDC to educate the public on cougars—on the benefits of having them back on the landscape, where they will perform their ecosystem duty of regulating deer behavior and numbers.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment