Posted on 08/10/2007 3:32:51 PM PDT by neverdem
Fund for Animals claim violations of National Environmental Policy Act
The Quota Goose Hunts scheduled on the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, Duck River Bottoms Unit for Resident Geese has bee canceled.
The scheduled "non-quota hunt" will continue.
A news release issued by the Department of the Interior and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service said, "The Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge has just learned that the new quota hunt for resident Canada geese in the Duck River Bottoms must be canceled due to a pending lawsuit by Fund for Animals. In 2003 Fund for Animals sued the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service alleging that the Service did not meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act in opening hunt programs at 37 refuges across the nation. That lawsuit is still pending, and processes associated with it are the cause for the quota hunt cancellation. More information on the lawsuit is available HERE.
However, the opportunity still exists in Duck River Bottoms for non-quota hunting for resident Canada goose. The non-quota hunt will be held September 1 through September 7, 2007. Unlike the quota hunt that has been canceled, the non-quota hunt will not be limited to designated hunt areas or zones in the Duck River Bottoms
Hunters who purchased a $12.50 annual hunt permit specifically for the quota goose hunt on the Duck River Bottoms are encouraged to contact the Paris Headquarters Office at 731-642-2091 if they would like to obtain a refund. Hunters who intend to hunt non-quota for resident Canada goose, or any other species later in the year (deer, wild turkey, raccoon, and squirrel) are still required to obtain a $12.50 refuge annual hunt permit.
Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge has been providing hunting opportunities to the public for 44 years. The first hunt was in 1963 for white-tail deer. Since then the refuge has expanded its hunting opportunities to also include wild turkey, raccoon, and squirrel. In 2005 the refuge opened a resident Canada goose hunt. Currently the refuge provides public hunting opportunities that are enjoyed by nearly 2,000 hunters.
In both the National Wildlife Refuge System Administrative Act and the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act, Congress expressly recognized the legitimacy of recreational hunting on units of the refuge system. Nationwide wildlife refuges offer opportunities for visitors to hunt, fish, watch wildlife, take photographs, and participate in environmental and interpretive programs when these activities are compatible with wildlife conservation programs. In recent years more than two million refuge visitors participated in regulated hunts for deer, waterfowl, and other game species.
The Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge regrets any inconvenience caused to hunters due to this cancellation of its quota hunt for resident Canada goose. For questions or to discuss this change, please contact the refuge office at 731-642-2091."
Protect the geese! They haven’t bred enough to populate every park and golf course yet.
http://www.fundforanimals.org/
PETA kooks who refer to pet owners as “guardians”, want to criminalize all hunting, and want legal equivalence between animals and humans.
Put homing beacons for the geese on their yards and I bet they would change their mind real fast. What a bunch of idiots. Time for farmers to sue them for preventing the population control of the geese for the millions of dollars in crop damage each year.
I’ll have to shoot some extra geese this fall just to keep nature in balance.
Liberals sometimes seem a pale, humorless lot, creeping about in the back halls of the justice system, suing anyone who appears to be having more fun than they are.
In my opinion, Ducks Unlimited does more for the propagation of geese and other waterfowl than any other single conservation group. Most hunters and fishermen are real conservationists.
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