b rickard,

You are part of the problem. Why?

"I understand there will be disagreement with this, but I don't care because over the past twenty years of being in this hobby I am completely convinced that unless you take a hard look and firm stand some hobbyist and collectors will just keep doing what they have been doing to line their own pockets with no concern for our native plants and animals. This has gone on long enough."

You don't care. You have made up your mind and now it is closed. You will support horrible regulations to have any regulation. And that in itself is wrong. What the academics and conservation orgs do is scare regulatory agencies by playing "fast and loose" with the facts to push an agenda. Then the regulatory agencies pass knee jerk banning regulations. The reg agencies already don't want to deal with herps because most of them are good ole boy hunter and fishermen who got into the profession because they like bass, trout, deer, quail and turkeys and don't like herps. And the acacdemics REALLY want all harvest stopped if they can help it.

Do you keep turtles? Do you catch, breed and sell turtles? My guess is you don't. To many "herpers" are willing to beleive the agenda and support the taking away of other people's rights. Hell, what does it matter? You don't keep turtles. It isn't going to affect you. What do you keep? Well, whatever it is they will be coming for you next. Let's see you stand up and holler and scream then. Don't expect the turtle folks to come to your rescue. You sold them out.

There are workable solutions. And that is the ONLY thing we should be supporting. But we should fight every single regulation. That's right! Even the ones we all agree should be put in place. It is a slippery slope and that is a fact. The workable solutions are bag limits. No ban on possession numbers. No ban on sales. The collectors need to be licensed and monitored IN THE FIELD. They need to keep detailed records of their activities. But, again, nothing will replace wardens in the field. They SAY it is to stop the export of turtles to China for food but that is not what ends up happening. Ban the export of adults? What happens if a smart turtle collector/breeder wants to captive produce food turtles and ship them out? Which is what we should be encouraging. Face it, bans are wrong, wrong wrong.

Nobody on this forum has ever preached NO regulation. Although many common species certainly are of little concern when it comes to harvest. I realize that some need regulation. What happened in Texas is that the turtle dealers, collectors and breeders got screwed while the food turtle folks are still in business. They whole arguement by TPWD and academia was to get regs to stop the trade to China. They used this excuse and then screwed the collector, breeder and dealer. We can not stand for this, period, end of story. You can't even breed and sell CB turtles in Texas and that is utterly ridiculous. And by the way box and map turtles are not usually eaten.

The bottom line is that, you, and others like you, need to join USARK and PIJAC and fight for common sense and fair regulations not radical banning agendas. There are conservation minded win/win solutions but when you join with the agenda pushers you are just as bad if not worse then they are. Because you know better.

BTW: I don't keep or breed turtles. What is right is right and what is fair is fair. I will stand up for any herper who is being railroaded out of their Constitutional rights while still conserving wild populations. And you can take that to the bank.

Welkerii
El Paso, TX

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