----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Jeff Miller <[log in to unmask]>
To: 'Jeff Miller' <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:51:58 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Georgia considering ban on freshwater turtle harvest - contact your legislators today!

The Georgia state legislature is considering a bill to ban commercial
collection of fresh water turtles in Georgia. The House Game, Fish and Parks
Committee will hold a meeting on the bill tomorrow, Tuesday, March 16, at 3
pm.

 

If you live in Georgia, please contact the Committee members today and also
alert your membership and conservation groups in Georgia to support a ban on
commercial harvest of freshwater turtles.

 

The Committee members are: Bob Lane, Cecily Hill, Jon Burns, Martin Scott,
Sean Jerguson, Tom McCall, Elly Dobbs, Roger Bruce, Sharon Beasley-Teague,
Glenn Baker, David Knight, and Al Williams. You can find contact info for
Georgia legislators here:
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/alpha.html

 

Find out more about our campaign to protect freshwater turtles from
overharvest:
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/southern_and_midwestern_freshwa
ter_turtles/index.html

 

A summary of regulatory actions by other southern states in the past year on
freshwater turtle harvest:

 

Florida: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted in June
2009 to ban almost all commercial harvest of freshwater turtles from public
and private waters in Florida. Turtle farms will have limited ability to
collect wild freshwater turtles for a few years to establish reproduction in
captivity. Individuals will be allowed to take one freshwater turtle per day
per person from the wild for noncommercial use. The Florida rule prohibits
taking any turtles from the wild, for commercial or personal purposes, that
are listed on Florida's imperiled species list, or species that look similar
to imperiled species, such as common snapping turtles and cooters.
Collecting freshwater turtle eggs is prohibited. The transport of more than
one turtle per day is prohibited.

 

Texas: In 2007, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department prohibited all
commercial harvest of turtles from public waters in Texas. It allowed
continued unlimited harvest of three native turtle species from the state's
private waters.

 

South Carolina: The South Carolina legislature passed a turtle harvest bill
in April 2009, the South Carolina Turtle Export Bill, which was signed by
the governor and is now law. The bill makes it unlawful to remove more than
10 turtles from the wild in South Carolina at one time and more than 20
turtles in one year, for nine native species. This is an improvement, but
because commercial harvest is still allowed and will likely not be well
monitored, it creates an avenue for illegal export of turtles from the
state.

 

Oklahoma: Oklahoma in 2008 enacted a three-year moratorium on commercial
harvest of turtles from public waters while studying the status of its wild
turtle populations, the effects of commercial harvest, and the potential
contamination of turtles sold as food.

 

Arkansas: In 2009 the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission voted to leave state
turtle harvest regulations unchanged, but will investigate concerns about
contaminants in turtles and the impact of harvests.

 

Kentucky: Kentucky's wildlife agency stated it will monitor commercial
harvest of three turtle species and review existing harvest restrictions to
determine if they provide adequate protection, and the state health
department has agreed to test turtles sold as food for contaminants.

 

Tennessee: In 2009 the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency voted against
changing state turtle harvest regulations.

 


***************************************

 

Jeff Miller

Conservation Advocate

Center for Biological Diversity

351 California Street, Suite 600

San Francisco, CA 94104

Phone: (415) 436-9682 x303

Fax: (415) 436-9683

Web site: www.biologicaldiversity.org
<file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/jmiller/Application%20Data/Microsoft/
Signatures/www.biologicaldiversity.org> 

 

At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human
beings is deeply linked to nature - to the existence in our world of a vast
diversity of wild plants and animals.  Because diversity has intrinsic
value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future
for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do
so through science, law, and creative media, with a focus on protecting the
lands, waters, and climate that species need to survive.  We want those who
come after us to inherit a world where the wild is still alive.

 

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