Hello Friend,
Action Alert
Next Tuesday the
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee of the Maine Legislature
will hear public comment on a bill to update the state’s
list of endangered and threatened species.
Please
join Maine Audubon in encouraging the committee to support the
bill. The bill would add 14 animals to the list,
including New England cottontail, least bittern, Barrow’s
goldeneye, and short-eared owl.
There are Two
Ways You Can Help
Attend
the hearing next Tuesday or contact members of the IFW
Committee and ask them to support LD
366, An Act to Make Additions and Deletions to the List
of State Endangered and Threatened Species.
Legislators need
to hear from you that the endangered species list is a proven
and effective management tool to protect Maine’s rarest
species. The list must be kept up to date with the best
available information.
To Attend
the Hearing
The hearing is at
1 p.m. on Tuesday, February 13 in Room 206 of the Cross State
Office Building in Augusta, 111 Sewall Street, Augusta, ME
04330. (Click
here for directions.)
To Send
Comments to the Committee Chairmen
If you
can’t attend the hearing, please send comments in support
by February 15 to:
Senator Bruce
Bryant, Chair, SenBruce.Bryant@legislature.maine.gov
or
Represenatative
Troy Jackson, Chair, RepTroy.Jackson@legislature.maine.gov
Mailing
address:
Committee on
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
100 State House
Station
Augusta, ME
04333-0100
What’s at Stake
Getting these 14
new species on Maine’s endangered and threatened species
list is the first step to protecting them.
Based on
scientific data about the health of a species’ population,
the list:
- helps
businesses, landowners, government agencies, and others know
which wildlife is rare and vulnerable in Maine. It can help
eliminate uncertainties, costly petitions, and legal action.
- provides a
reason for landowners to work cooperatively with the state, and
creates opportunities for positive public education about Maine
wildlife for Maine residents and visitors.
- allows the
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to develop
management and recovery plans for listed species and review
projects that might affect them, assuring negative impacts are
avoided or minimized wherever possible.
By helping to
protect species at risk, the list also can help protect rare
habitat.
For More
Information
Visit
our Web site, call (207) 781-2330, ext. 219, or e-mail activist@maineaudubon.org.
Thank you
for your actions.
******************************************
Maine Audubon's
grassroots action network provides timely updates on wildlife
conservation issues for which citizen action is particularly
important. E-alerts are produced by Maine Audubon. To subscribe
or unsubscribe or for more information, contact Stephanie Cox,
grassroots coordinator, at activist@maineaudubon.org
or (207) 781-2330, ext. 219.
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