Just forwarding an ACTION ALERT from one of the local wildlife rehabbers... MA ---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- Subject: Legislative action for lead use needed! From: "Terese Evans" Date: Tue, January 19, 2010 9:06 am To: -------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE READ THE BELOW FROM MARK POKRAS, WE HAVE A GOOD CHANCE TO GET LEAD AMMUNITION AND FISHING GEAR OFF THE MARKET. PLEASE SEND THE LETTERS THANKS Norma Campbell Injured & Orphaned Wildlife Campbell, Ca Small Mammal Specialty "If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them something more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it." - President Lyndon B. Johnson, on the signing of the Wilderness Act of 1964 The following is a message from Mark Pokras... he has worked for many, many years on the lead contaminating our environment. Now is a chance to step up and help make this a healthier place for all species... but especially so many of the wild animals we serve. Please take a moment to read this for all of our sake. Thanks!! HELP on the Pb issue!! We have a wonderful opportunity to change the face of US policy on Pb for fishing and hunting gear...but a very short window for action. The Dept of Interior and USEPA are considering rules that would require the replacement of Pb fishing and hunting gear with non-toxic alternatives. Discussions are going on NOW and decisions may well be made in late Jan or early Feb. As you would expect, the fishing and hunting lobbies are aligning against this in a big way and have started a letter writing campaign. They have scheduled a meeting with the head of Dept of Interior (Ken Salazar) for Jan 26th to lobby their side. It is VERY important that our information is heard in this debate. I am going to try to go to DC in the next week or so to meet with officials in various offices and if anyone from your organizations could join me, that would be terrific (of course I have no funds for this...). So the time is NOW to try and generate a letter writing campaign to show that there IS widespread support for such a ban. Letter or emails should be in your original words...not just form letters and should stress several elements (add your own, too!!). Letters should be from the heart and could certainly contain scientific citations, websites, or your experiences with lead poisoned people and animals. Note that Pres. Obama strongly supported legislation to protect children from Pb poisoning when he was a senator. Here are a few points to consider including: 1. that there is LOTS of GOOD scientific evidence to show that lead has significant health effects on people, domestic animals and wildlife -- both acute and chronic 2. that alternatives DO exist for Pb hunting and fishing gear and that they are not prohibitively expensive 3. that hunters and anglers have always been thought of as active conservationists and that there is an important role for them in making this change -- to protect health, to protect the environment and to protect the resources that we all cherish. PLEASE write to: Barack Obama, President The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Ken Salazar, Secretary Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington DC 20240 Copies of these letters can be sent to your own senators and representatives and anyone else you know in these federal agencies. PLEASE distribute this email widely and let's see if we can't change Pb use in this country in a big way! Many thanks! Mark ************ Mark A. Pokras, DVM Wildlife Clinic & Center for Conservation Medicine Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine 200 Westboro Rd. N. Grafton, MA 01536-1895 USA E: [log in to unmask]> -- Terese Evans [log in to unmask] Black Hawk Wildlife Rehab Project www.bhwildliferehab.com "The love for all living creatures is the most notable attribute of man." Charles Darwin - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/