Please read this as this is your chance to contribute to the stopping of wolves from wiping out Montana's big game.
Montana Legislators Need to Hear from YOU
Here is an urgent message that just went out.
Dear MSSA Friends,
What MSSA sees as its second most important bill of the 2009
session, our "Wolf Recovery Act" (to help Montana recover from
wolves) has been assigned a public hearing date before the Senate
Fish and Game Committee of Thursday, February 19th.
Because this bill is introduced by Senator Joe Balyeat (R-Bozeman)
it is a Senate Bill,
http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2009/billhtml/SB0183.htm . It will
go through the same process in the Senate that you've been
watching bills go through in the House - committee public hearing,
committee executive action, Second Reading and Third Reading. If
it survives those steps, it will go to the House for the same
process all over again.
MSSA's concern about wolves is that they are predictably laying
waste to hunting opportunities in Montana and are intended to put
an end to Montana's hunting heritage. We have lost any confidence
whatsoever in the theory that the state will obtain management
control over
wolves and that our fish and wildlife bureaucracy will, or will be
allowed to, move quickly to save most big game hunting in Montana.
SB 183 is clearly strong medicine when only strong medicine has a
chance to cure the disease. Hunting is dying because of wolves.
We need to save the patient.
SB 183 declares that wolves are NOT in compliance with Montana
wolf policy, revokes the fed-driven Montana Wolf Management Plan
and the
unauthorized joint management agreement between Montana FWP and
the feds, challenges federal authority to foist wolves on Montana,
sets
steps the feds must achieve to bring federal wolves into
compliance with Montana wolf policy, and establishes consequences
for whenever
wolves are NOT in compliance with Montana wolf policy.
You may access my full explanation of SB 183 from
http://www.progunleaders.org/Legis09/wolves.html.
SB 183 is coming up for public hearing this coming Thursday.
Fortunately, the Senate Fish and Game Committee meets at 3 PM. We
must PACK the Capitol with folks who care about big game hunting
in Montana and who are fed up with wolves and their disastrous
impact on hunting.
If you absolutely cannot be there, you MUST send messages of
support for SB 183 to the members of the Senate Fish and Game
Committee - these folks:
Barkus, Gregory (R) (Ch)
Brenden, John (R) (V Ch)
Balyeat, Joe (R)
Barrett, Debby (R)
Gallus, Steve (D)
Jent, Larry (D)
Schmidt, Trudi (D)
Shockley, Jim (R)
Tropila, Joseph (D)
You can find email addresses for many of them
http://www.leg.mt.gov/css/Sessions/61st/roster.asp?HouseID=0&SessionID=94,
or you can use the Online message form
http://www.leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/61st/legwebmessage.asp . OR,
you can call the message center at 444-4800 and leave a message.
You can absolutely go to the bank on the assumption that the wolf
lovers and enviro-wackos will fire up their message system in
attempt to persuade senators that SB 183 will is a VERY BAD bill.
They want a "natural" predator/prey relationship in Montana, code
words for NO MORE HUNTING (by people).
Probably the most effective argument they will use is the one Lucy
uses when she promises to hold the football for Charlie Brown.
"We promise," they'll say. "Just wait and wolves will get
delisted and everything will be OK," as they busily raise money
and plan for their next lawsuit to block any future delisting.
"SB 183 will actually prevent delisting," they'll claim.
Bull! Delisting won't happen - not in time to save our big game
herds. That's their plan. Every day of delay is a win for them,
while wolf populations explode and wolves turn Montana into a
biological desert - the worst ecological catastrophe in
generations.
So, I've done just about everything I can do by drafting SB 183
and getting it to this point. Now it's up to you to put on and
keep up enough pressure to get SB 183 passed.
Remember, be polite, be firm, and be brief. And, share this email
with all your friends who care about hunting in Montana.
Thanks,
Montana Shooting Sports AssocGary Marbut, presidentiation
http://www.mtssa.org/
author, Gun Laws of Montana
http://www.mtpublish.com/
In addition to the above, as mentioned befor, don't forget:
Wolf Planning Meeting & Protest
Planning Meeting:
Scotty's Bar, 2/16/09. 6:30 PM.
2205 US Hwy. 93
Kalispel
NOTE: Come with an appitite and try their Scotty's Burger. It
just may be the best burger you'll EVER HAVE! saveELK
