Ojai Wildlife League

This is the letter sent to FGC by a statewide coalition of groups, listed at the end.

Please don’t forget to write your letters to the CA Fish and Game Commission by April 15.  EVERY LETTER COUNTS.  Their email address is fgc@fgc.ca.gov

March 13, 2010

California Fish and Game Commission

1416 Ninth Street

P.O. Box 944209

Sacramento, CA 94244-2090

Via email: fgc@fgc.ca.gov, Director@dfg.ca.gov, eloft@dfg.ca.gov

Dear California Fish and Game Commission:

March 13, 2010

California Fish and Game Commission

1416 Ninth Street

P.O. Box 944209

Sacramento, CA 94244-2090

Via email: fgc@fgc.ca.gov, Director@dfg.ca.gov, eloft@dfg.ca.gov

Dear California Fish and Game Commission:

We, the undersigned organizations representing more than three million Californians,

oppose the California Department of Fish and Game’s (CDFG) proposals to expand

black bear hunting. The agency recently unveiled plans to: allow an unlimited number

of bears to be killed across California during the hunting season; permit the use of hightech

global positioning equipment and “tip switches” on hound collars to make it easy

to locate and kill a bear; open the first-ever bear hunting season in San Luis Obispo

county and expand the hunts in Modoc and Lassen counties; and significantly expand

the hound training season, allowing hounds to harass bears nearly all year long. We

urge you to reject these proposals because they are scientifically indefensible,

unnecessary, and environmentally harmful. Specifically, we contend the Commission

should oppose CDFG’s plans for the following reasons:

• The agency has not demonstrated any need for these regulatory changes other

than to placate hunting interests, nor does the CDFG provide sufficient

information to assess the detrimental effects these changes may have on bears.

According to CDFG data, the number of bears killed legally by hunters has steadily

increased well beyond the agency’s own 1,700 annual season limit. Yet, the CDFG

has yet to analyze how these dramatic increases have affected state and local bear

populations, behavior, social structure, reproduction, and cubs. Increasing the quota

or eliminating the cap altogether will further stress the state’s bear population and

put some local populations at risk.

There is no guarantee that expanding hunting into San Luis Obispo, Lassen, or

Modoc counties will not adversely impact the black bear population in those

counties. The CDFG has not conducted specific research in these counties to

determine the size, distribution, or demographics of the populations to assess

whether these local bear populations can withstand an increase in hunting activity.

• An expansion of bear hunting will place additional pressures on bears, who face a

host of threats from poaching, habitat alteration, human encroachment into wildlife

areas, aggressive government lethal control programs, and climate change.

• State wildlife officials have failed to assess the impacts of poaching. Illegal killing

of bears has increased world-wide, fueled by a booming market, for bear parts,

especially bear gallbladders used in traditional Asian medicine and bear paws,

considered a delicacy in soup. Bear gallbladders can go for $5,000 a pound.

Poaching of wildlife has become epidemic across the state. Violations rose from

6,538 in 2003 to 17,840 in 2007. The illegal sale of California wildlife and wildlife

parts generates an estimated $100 million a year, second only to the illegal drug

trade, according to CDFG officials. Yet, the state has just 358 game wardens

patrolling 300,000 square miles of land and water. It makes no sense to expand bear

hunting when state wildlife law enforcement capabilities are so crippled. Permitting

hunters to use GPS devices on hounds will only exacerbate poaching.

• Trophy hunting ignores the ecological value of bears. Apex species, such as bears,

cougars, and wolves, play critical roles in maintaining ecosystems. Black bears often

scavenge for food, playing an important role in recycling carrion. Bears also help

transport berry seeds. Along salmon spawning streams, bear scat and the remains of

fish carried into the woods contribute to the long-term nutrient cycle in old-growth

forest. Even cambium feeding by bears, which sometimes kills trees, creates widely

scattered snags that benefit other species of wildlife.

• Hound hunting of bears is unsporting, unethical, and environmentally harmful.

In California, bears can be legally chased by hounds, treed, and then shot by

hunters. Hounds have been known to pursue bears with cubs, increasing the risk

that cubs could be separated from their mothers, then orphaned. It is not

uncommon for hounds to maim bears, especially cubs, and even more common for

bears to maim or kill an entire pack of hounds. In addition, hounds may pursue

non-targeted animals, including imperiled species, putting additional stress on

those species. Allowing hunters to place GPS devices and tip switches on hounds

will inevitably make it much easier for hunters, as well as poachers, to kill more

bears.

• Hunting does not reduce conflicts with bears. Trophy hunters target the largest

bears who may look good on a wall or as a throw rug, not the young males who are

primarily responsible for conflicts. Furthermore, hunting takes place far from

homes, while so-called “problem bears” usually live in the urban-suburban

interface. Shooting bears at random is as effective at reducing conflicts as shooting

into a crowded room is at reducing crime. And using hunting as an aggressive and

expansive lethal control of bears ignores the root cause of bear-human conflicts.

Most encounters with bears are the result of irresponsible human behavior (e.g.

landowners who refuse to depose of garbage properly).

• Hunting of bears puts the public at risk. California is densely populated state and

many people recreate in bear country. Since hunting hounds are usually off-leash,

packs of hounds may trespass onto private land, harass companion, farm, and ranch

animals, and destroy private property. The presence of packs of hunting hounds

also disturbs the peace and tranquility of those who recreate in the backcountry.

We therefore urge you to reject the CDFG’s proposals to expand bear hunting in

California. Should you have any questions, please contact Brian Vincent at Big Wildlife,

604-618-1030 or Nicole Paquette, The Humane Society of the United States, 916-455-1479.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

This letter was signed by the following organizations:

Action for Animals * All Creatures * All for Animals * American Society for the Prevention of

Cruelty to Animals * Animal Commandos * Animal Emancipation * Animal Legal Defense Fund *

Animal Perspective * Animal Protection and Rescue League * Animal Rescue Team * BEAR League *

BEAR-WITH-US.org * Big Wildlife * C.A.R.E. * California Church IMPACT * California Federation

for Animal Legislation * Center for Biological Diversity * Chico For Animal Rights * Contra Costa

Humane Society * Empty Cages Collective * Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo *

Environmental Defense Center * EPIC- Environmental Protection Information Center * Food

Empowerment Project * Forests Forever * Fund for Animals Wildlife Center * Fund for Wild

Nature * Green Party of San Luis Obispo * Grizzly People * In Defense of Animals * In Gaia’s Hands,

Earth, & Animal Ministry * Kind Planet * Klamath Forest Alliance * Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands

Center * Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care * Last Chance for Animals Arizona * Latino Democrats of

Stanislaus County * League of Humane Voters – California Chapter * Luka’s List of Just Causes *

Marin Vegetarian Education Group * Mountain Lion Foundation * North County Humane Society *

Ocean Defenders Alliance * Ojai Wildlife League * Orange County People for Animals * Paw PAC *

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals * Return To Freedom, American Wild Horse Sanctuary *

San Francisco Vegetarian Society * Santa Cruz Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals *

Sierra Club – Kern-Kaweah Chapter * Sierra Club – Mineral King Group * Sierra Club – Mojave

Group, San Gorgonio Chapter * Sierra Club – Placer * Group Sierra Club – San Francisco Bay

Chapter * Sierra Club – Santa Lucia Chapter * The Humane Society of the United States * The Urban

Cat Project * United Animal Nations * Ventana Wilderness League * Wild in the City * Wildlife Care

of Ventura County

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