Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just got this reply:

Dear Mrs. Gibbs: Thank you for contacting me in regards to H.R. 669, the Nonnative Wildlife Prevention Act. I appreciate your input and the opportunity to respond. Introduced by Rep. Madeleine Bordallo, H.R. 669 would require the Secretary of the Interior to institute regulations establishing a process for assessing the risk of all nonnative wildlife species proposed for importation into the United States. It sets forth factors that must be considered, including the identity of the organism to the species level, the native range of the species, whether the species has caused harm to the economy, the environment, or other animal species or human health in similar ecosystems, and the likelihood of establishment or spread of the species in the United States. As the Representative of California's 41 Distict I am all too aware of the devastation an invasive species can bring to an ecosystem. One need only to look toward the Mojave and Santa Ana Rivers to see the impact invasive weeds have had on our water supply and riparian habitats. Currently, H.R. 669 is waiting further action in the House Committee on Natural Resources. Because I do not sit on this committee I will await their debate and subsequent report before making any final decisions on the legislation. Nevertheless, please be assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind as we move through the legislative process. Thank you again for reaching out to me. In the future do not hesitate to contact me on this or any other issue that may be on your mind. Sincerely, Jerry LewisMember of Congress
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Cheers,
Jessica
10.15 Ball Pythons; 8.9 Corn Snakes; 0.0.1 Green Tree Python
2.2 Jungle Carpet Pythons
1.0 Cay Caulker
1.0 Nic, 0.1 Tpos Nic
1.0 Hypo Het Albino BCI, 0.1 Albino BCI
0.0.1 BCC (almost 20 yrs old)
3.0 Crazy Dogs and 2.0 cats
Some Tropical Fish
...........and growing!

At the very least we need to give him credit for not outright dismissing your letter. Hopefully, he will stay true to his word and actually wait to make a final decision until he has all of the facts presented to him. However, from his reply to you it appears that we already have an uphill battle ahead of us to convince him otherwise.

Every letter counts, people. They might read a hundred letters that all appear to say the same thing, but your letter might (just might) be the one that has the proper wording that makes them (the legislators) see things from a different point of view.

How many times have you had (what seems like) everyone telling you the same thing and it never "clicked" until one person said the exact same message, but in a slightly different way? It's happened to all of us.

We don't know how many letters and phone calls it will take, but if ever there was a case where "more is not enough" this would be it. There is no harm in contacting your legislators and there is also nothing wrong with contacting the representatives and legislation from other states and localities. Let's show them that we can be a strong voice.

" Because I do not sit on this committee I will await their debate and subsequent report before making any final decisions on the legislation. "

Yes, and how much skewed data will the House Committee on Natural Resources be reviewing before issuing their "report " ?

I'm sure Pijac has the sense to point out that,

Most non-native species establish in areas where the decimation has already been done. Many of these areas had been radically altered beyond the point of restoration long before the invasive's. A major reason the invasive's were able to inhabit these places is because there was no or very little original habitat remaining to support the native wildlife. Invasive species that are better adapted generalist were able to survive where the more specialized native species had already been virtually if not fully eliminated.

That's one of the key elements that's " selectively " left out of the " scientific " reports. These guys have their own agenda and they like to paint a picture of a nasty foreign species invading a pristine ecosystem of natural plants and crystal clear water. When in fact the area their describing is a concrete desert with scattered patch's of trees and water laced with mercury and phosphorus compounds , shopping plazas , highways and polluted air.

If you want to use the everglades as an example out of the large number of invasive species that exist there, plants have probably done the most damage. Plants that were introduced by biologist along with the diversion of key water ways approved by the government for the sugar industry. Invasive's introduced by the pet trade didn't help but the everglades was well on it's way to being a radically altered toxic wasteland filled with invasive species a long time before.

Ernie Eison
WESTWOOD ACRES REPTILE FARM INC.