[mou] Feathers

[Chris Fagyal]

All,

Warning: I'm about to get on my soapbox here.

I'm of the opinion that if you need to "interpret" the law and use "common =
sense" to figure out who is doing something illegal and who isn't, then =
the law isn't very well written and should be re-visited.  Explain to me =
why it is any different if a 10 year old picks up a feather off the road =
than if a 35 year old does it?  Is it because of the age?  There is =
already way too much interpretation of laws going on and it is obvious the =
American Judicial system lacks enough common sense for us to rely on this =
ability to protect our natural world (see the criminal who won a lawsuit =
for cutting his arm on a glass window that he broke trying to burglarize a =
house and explain to me "common sense" and "interpret" with respect to the =
law)

Personally I am all for the Migratory Bird Act and any law that protects =
our wildlife as well as the habitat for our wildlife, both here and abroad =
(though a LOT more conservation efforts have to be done abroad.  See =
Brazil, or Malaysia, or Borneo, or Sumatra, or Thailand etc to get glaring =
examples of this.  I urge all of you who haven't birded abroad to do so.  =
Go see the devastation that is going on in this world.  How 70% of all of =
Sumatra's forests have been cleared for oil palm plantations.  The same is =
occuring all over Malaysia.   Or how 90% of the Atlantic Rainforests of =
Brazil are gone, and how the governor (incidentally the largest soybean =
grower in the state) of the Mato Grosso State in Brazil wants to reduce =
the size of the Cristalino Jungle Lodge preserve by 46% to plant soybeans.)=
.  So please don't believe my rhetorical questions above have anything to =
do with me disagreeing with the law.  I just think the law is obviously =
very poorly written if it requires this much banter.

Also explain to me why "game birds" (what a pathetically lame concept) are =
legal to have their feathers taken?  How does one designate a "game" bird, =
and why must we pick out things that should be shot?  What happens when we =
run out of things to shoot (if you don't think this will eventually happen =
you are severely deluded.  Just look at all of the vulnerable, endangered =
and critically endangered "game" birds in Birdlife Internationals Red =
Book)?  Does this mean it is "ok" to take feathers from other "game" birds =
across the world such as Crested Fireback, or Vietnamese Pheasant, or what =
about Himalayan Quail (critically endangered if you didn't know.  The =
other two are vulnerable or endangered)?  For those that aren't familiar =
with this list (you can see it on www.birdlife.net), there are over 2 =
pages (100+ species) on the list that one would consider "game" birds =
(peafowl, grouse, guans, pheasants, partriges, francolins,  peacock-pheasan=
ts, guineafowl, argus, etc).

So let's write a law that actually catches poachers, not one that requires =
"common sense" and "interpretation" to do so.  If you think picking up a =
blue jay or cardinal feather or what not here is bad, I recommend you =
visit Papua New Guinea where the natives shoot Birds of Paradise (Many of =
which are becoming vulnerable or endangered species now) regularily to =
adorn their customary headdresses.  Or how about on Bali, where the last =
census showed 14 pairs of the Bali Starling alive in the wild (An =
absolutely gorgeous white bird with a fabulous white crest and brilliant =
blue face/bill), hunted off for basically the same reasons (customary =
headdresses).  If we want to worry about feathers of birds, lets worry =
about the ones that really need the protection.

Off my soapbox for now,


Chris Fagyal
Senior Software Engineer
United Defense, L.P.
Fridley, MN
(763) 572-5320
chris.fagyal@udlp.com

>>> Sharon Stiteler <sharonks@mn.rr.com> 07/23/2003 18:47:28 PM >>>
Whenever I'm out with kids and feathers are spotted I always use it to
reinforce the phrase, "Take only pictures, leave only foot prints."  Some
animal is going to get way more use out of that feather than most people
will by having it collect dust on a shelf.

It's a law that's used to nail poachers, officers have enough sense not to
haul into jail every second grader across the country that takes home a =
blue
jay feather.


--=20
Sharon Stiteler
Uptown, Minneapolis
the official bird lady of www.neilgaiman.com=20

See the mouse incident at www.wildbirdstore.net/kare11.html=20




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