Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Reptile Nation,

I know that we are facing dangerous and confusing times for the Reptile Community. Our end is upon us if we don't take decisive action to save ourselves. We have the power to decide our own future if we will only wake up and do what needs to be done!!

Thank you to those of you who have taken it upon yourself to take action. I know it has been frustrating. Congress is not set up to be reached by email. We have experienced broken links, constituent filters, blocks and deletions. But our opponents at HSUS lobbying for the bill have faced the same setbacks; although they have shown up in much larger numbers. As for the groups opposing the bill, USARK has generated the most contacts according to congressional staffers. But we must do much better or we will fail.

I just returned from a trip to Capitol Hill. Our lobbyist Tom Wolfe set up meetings with both sides of the Congressional Subcommittee considering HR669. We also did drop in visits to subcommittee member offices to make our case. Support was split down party lines. The Republicans support us and the Democrats oppose us. The Democrat side can win with a straight party line vote. The good news is that since meeting with USARK the Ranking Republican Rep Harry Brown, SC contacted me and has made this bill a priority. He has given us precise instructions on how to most effectively contact the subcommittee.

The Reptile Community must wake up or all will be lost. This is a huge mailing list. Yet only a few are taking action to contact the subcommittee. If everyone on this list did their part we would avalanche the subcommittee and make our point. We could kill HR669. We need to get off our lazy asses and start writing and calling the subcommittee members. The Hearing is on the 23rd of this month. That is all the time we have to save ourselves from being completely destroyed... and make no mistake, if HR669 passes the Reptile Community will be decimated overnight.

Rep Brown's office suggests we focus on direct contact with subcommittee members. That means written letters followed up by phone calls. They are telling us that email and fax are the least effective way to contact members... they get lost and deleted. We need to call and write. They are also saying to send the letters directly to our lobbyist and have him deliver them in mass to the subcommittee members. If you are focusing on other activities STOP until after you complete this important task. Start calling and writing. The Key is IN MASS!!! It has greater impact that way. The time is now to fight for your life. We must convince several Democrats to oppose HR669 to prevail.

This is what we need to do:

1. Write a letter to each member of the subcommittee. Click this link http://www.usark.org/uploads/hr669sample.pdf for the sample letter from our archive and names and phone numbers for committee members.
2. Label each envelope w/ the committee members name and your name and return address.
3. Put all these letters in a large manila envelope and send to: Tom Wolfe, 6246 Lee Hwy, Arlington, VA 22205
4. Call each member of the subcommittee- you will be speaking with staff. Let them know you Oppose HR669. Be civil, but tell them how this will effect you and your family.
5. Check where members are from. If any of the members are your district representatives, or are from your state, make sure they know you are their constituent.

If we are not annihilated by HR669 be prepared to do this over and over again. From now on political action will be needed regularly to maintain our rights. Please post this letter on every forum and social networking site you can think of.

Sincerely,

AndrewWyatt
President USARK

Here is the link:

Sample Letter Link:

Video showing how to copy and paste Link:

Every single person you know that is willing to sign a letter should send a letter. Your spouse, adult children, friends, mother in law. Each letter carries weight. You write and print up the letters and take them to the adults you know who will support you and have them sign them.

YOU already signed a petition. Great. Your letter is 1000 times more important than your petition signature. You support USARK and or PIJAC, perfect! But right now your letter is more important.

Now sit down and write or copy and paste your letters. There are 21 individual members of this committee and they need to hear from each and every one of us. You need to write your letter and have them addressed to the individual sub committee member AND sign it. Just to be clear; you must send 21 individual letters each one addressed to the different committee members. Not one letter addressed to 21 people.

All of the letters you write and your wife writes and your friends write and your neighbor writes and your customers write, can all be shipped to one address in one box. Ship all your individual letters to the following:

Tom Wolfe,
6246 Lee Hwy,
Arlington, VA 22205

Each of the letters NEEDS to have not only a signature but the name and address of the person signing the letter on it too. I suggest you write or copy and paste the letter and include the name and address of the people you know who will sign them. Then print them up, take them to your friends and have them sign all 21 letters.

Each letter must only have one name, address and signature.

Tom will hand deliver these letters to the various members in congress.

This must be done in the next few days. All these letter need to get to Tom Wolfe a few days before the April 23rd hearing date. If you are in California and you UPS your box of letters, Tom will not get those letters for more than a week after you ship them. Do NOT wait! You cannot assume someone else is taking care of this. YOU are responsible. No excuses! Do it!
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

Guys,

First of all, thanks for all your hard work and effort.

I just need clarification on one thing. Do people need to
put each individual (stamped?) letter in its own envelope, with each addressed to the individual committee member? Or can we just send copies of the letter (not in an envelope) to Tom? I'm writing letters for myself and four other family members, so I'm trying to figure out the best way to do it. So far I printed out 105 letters (5 family members x 21 committee members), but I don't know if I need to get 105 envelopes to put them all in and address. Can I just sort them into stacks per committee member (without putting them in envelopes) and send them to Tom?

Thanks,
Ed

Hello Ed,

The way I read it is that you put each single letter into its own envelope with just the committee members name and your (or your family members) return address and no stamp. And put all the letters into the bigger envelope and mail it to Tom.

What will probably happen is that Tom will sort all the letters by committee member and go delivery them in one huge pile to each member. You see how this will work? If everyone who keeps herps writes letters Tom will be delivering piles and piles of letters to each member. Hopefully this will get our point across.

Welkerii
El Paso, TX

Thanks, but I'm just trying to make 100% sure I do the easiest thing for everyone and that my letters get to the committee members. Jeff said the letters will be hand delivered, so I'm just curious if it's necessary to put each letter in its
own envelope. And if that's necessary, how do people address
the envelopes? (Just the commmittee member's name? Full mailing
address? Return address??)

Thanks!
Ed

>>Hello Ed,
>>
>>The way I read it is that you put each single letter into its own envelope with just the committee members name and your (or your family members) return address and no stamp. And put all the letters into the bigger envelope and mail it to Tom.
>>
>>What will probably happen is that Tom will sort all the letters by committee member and go delivery them in one huge pile to each member. You see how this will work? If everyone who keeps herps writes letters Tom will be delivering piles and piles of letters to each member. Hopefully this will get our point across.
>>
>>Welkerii
>>El Paso, TX

Mike you are reading it exactly the way I intended it!
-----
Andrew Wyatt
President USARK

An Envelope is not necessary if you send them to Tom. He will be hand delivering thousands of letters to the members of the committee. I will be shipping a box of letter that I am going to get many people to sign. One signature or at most a husband and wife signature per letter, but each individual can send 21 letters. One to each member of the committee. Each one should be addressed to the committee member that will be receiving it.

More info to follow hopefully later today to make this as simple as possible.
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

Sample Letter: cut & paste to mail

Subject: No on HR669

Dear Committee Member,

Please oppose HR669. It is a fundamentally flawed Bill written by a radical environmentalist group that seeks to end the ownership and trade of all non-native animals. There is not a shred of scientific evidence to justify the destruction of a Reptile Industry that leads the world in producing and exporting high quality captive bred reptiles. With the stroke of a pen thousands of small American family businesses would be bankrupted overnight. With no quantifiable benefits, what could be the justification to destroy a viable sector of the American economy in a time of hardship?

What will the additional drain on taxpayer dollars be to grow USFWS at unprecedented levels in order to destroy American small business? These are not the "To big to fail" corporate titans, but small family businesses with their entire net worth wrapped up in their Reptile breeding projects and ancillary supporting businesses. A 3 billion dollar a year industry would be wiped out by HR669. Thousands of American families would suffer losing everything.

Trade in Reptiles and ancillary businesses is estimated to be a 3 billion dollar a year industry.
More than 9 million Reptiles are exported from the US annually.
More than 11 million Reptiles are kept as pets in the US. That means 1 in 25 households have 1 or more Reptiles.
The US accounts for 82% of the worldwide trade in Reptiles.
At least 500,000 Americans would be negatively impacted by HR669. Thousands of small family businesses would be destroyed.
There are approximately 4 million boas & pythons, as well as more than 7 million geckos, lizards turtles & other Reptiles in captivity in the US today.
The United States Association of Reptile Keepers Opposes HR669.
Please oppose HR669! The costs to American Families would be enormous. The benefits are both questionable and non quantifiable. NO ON HR669.

Sincerely,

Madeleine Z. Bordallo (Ch)(NP-Guam)
427 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-5301
202/225-1188 (Washington Tel. #)
202/226-0341 (Washington Fax #)
120 Father Duenas Ave., Suite 107
Hagatna, GUAM 96910
671/477-4272 (District Tel. #)
671/477-2587 (District Fax #)
http://www.house.gov/bordallo/IMA/issue.htm

Henry Brown (R-SC) Ranking Republican
103 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-3176 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-3407 (Washington Fax #)
1800 North Oak Street, Suite C
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
843/445-6459 (District Tel. #)
843/445-6418 (District Fax #)
5900 Core Avenue, Suite 401
North Charleston, SC 29406
843/747-4175 (District Tel. #)
843/747-4711 (District Fax #)
http://brown.house.gov/Contact/index.html

Lois Capps (D-CA)
1110 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-3601 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-5632 (Washington Fax #)
2675 N. Ventura Road, Suite 105
Port Hueneme, CA 93041
805/985-6807 (District Tel. #)
805/985-6875 (District Fax #)
301 E Carrillo Street, Suite A
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805/730-1710 (District Tel. #)
805/730-9153 (District Fax #)
http://www.house.gov/capps/contact/send_an_email.shtml

William Cassidy (R-LA)
506 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-3901 (District Tel. #)
202/225-7313 (District Fax #)
5555 Hilton Avenue, Suite 100
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
225/929-7711 (District Tel. #)
225/929-7688 (District Fax #)
http://cassidy.house.gov/contact/index.shtml

Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)
1032 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-7751 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-5629 (Washington Fax #)
51 South University Ave., Suite 319
Provo, UT 84601
801/851-2500 (District Tel. #)
801/851-2509 (District Fax #)
https://forms.house.gov/chaffetz/contactform.shtml

Donna M. Christensen (NP-Virgin Islands)
1510 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-1790 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-5517 (Washington Fax #)
Nisky Business Center
Second Floor, Suite 207
St. Croix, VIRGIN ISLANDS 00802
340/778-4408 (District Tel. #)
340/778-8033 (District Fax #)
P.O. Box 5980
Sunny Isle Shopping Center, Space 25
St. Croix, VIRGIN ISLANDS 00823
340/778-5900 (District Tel. #)
340/778-5111 (District Fax #)
http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Diana L. DeGette (D-CO)
2335 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-4431 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-5657 (Washington Fax #)
600 Grant Street, Suite 202
Denver, CO 80203
303/844-4988 (District Tel. #)
303/844-4996 (District Fax #)
http://www.house.gov/formdegette/zip_auth.htm

Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (NP – American Samoa)
2422 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-8577 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-8757 (Washington Fax #)
P.O. Box, Drawer X
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA 96799
684/633-1372 (District Tel. #)
684/633-2680 (District Fax #)
faleomavaega@mail.house.gov

Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
240 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-2635 (Washington Tel. #)
202/226-4386 (Washington Fax #)
1640 South Stapley, Suite 215
Mesa, AZ 85204
480/833-0092 (District Tel. #)
480/833-6314 (District Fax #)
jeff.flake@mail.house.gov

John Fleming (R-LA)
1023 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-2777 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-8039 (Washington Fax #)
6425 Youree Drive, Suite 350
Shreveport, LA 71105
318/798-2254 (District Tel. #)
318/798-2063 (District Fax #)
Southgate Plaza Shopping Center
1606 Fifth Street
Leesville, LA 71446
337/238-0778 (District Tel. #)
337/238-0566 (District Fax #)
https://forms.house.gov/fleming/contactform.shtml

Doc Hastings (R-WA)
1203 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-4704
202/225-5816 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-3251 (Washington Fax #)
2715 St. Andrews Loop, Suite D
Pasco, WA 99301
509/543-9396 (District Tel. #)
509/545-1972 (District Fax #)
302 East Chestnut Street
Yakima, WA 98901
509/452-3243 (District Tel. #)
509/452-3438 (District Fax #)
http://hastings.house.gov/ContactForm.aspx

Dale E. Kildee (D-MI)
2107 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-3611 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-6393 (Washington Fax #)
432 N. Saginaw Street, Suite 410
Bay City, MI 48708
989/891-0990 (District Tel. #)
989/891-0994 (District Fax #)
515 N. Washington Avenue, Suite 401
Saginaw, MI 48607
989/755-8904 (District Tel. #)
989/755-8908 (District Fax #)
dkildee@mail.house.gov

Ronald James Kind (D-WI)
1406 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-5506 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-5739 (Washington Fax #)
205 Fifth Ave. South, Suite 400
La Crosse, WI 54601
608/782-2558 (District Tel. #)
608/782-4588 (District Fax #)
131 South Barstow Street, Suite 301
Eau Claire, WI 54701
715/831-9214 (District Tel. #)
715/831-9272 (District Fax #)
ron.kind@mail.house.gov

Frank M. Kratovil, Jr. (D-MD)
314 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-5311 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-0254 (Washington Fax #)
102 Turpins Lane
Centreville, MD 21617
443/262-9136 (District Tel. #)
443/262-9713 (District Fax #)
https://forms.house.gov/kratovil/contactform.shtml

Douglas L. Lamborn (R-CO)
437 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-4422 (Washington Tel. #)
202/226-2638 (Washington Fax #)
415 Main Street
Buena Vista, CO 81211
719/520-0055 (District Tel. #)
719/520-0840 (District Fax #)
1271 Kelly Johnson Blvd., Suite 110
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
719/520-0055 (District Tel. #)
719/520-0840 (District Fax #)
http://lamborn.house.gov/ZipAuth.aspx

Frank J. Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ)
237 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-3006
202/225-4671 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-9665 (Washington Fax #)
67/69 Church Street, Kilmer Square
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
732/249-8892 (District Tel. #)
732/249-1335 (District Fax #)
504 Broadway
Long Branch, NJ 07740
732/571-1140 (District Tel. #)
732/870-3890 (District Fax #)
http://www.house.gov/pallone/contact.shtml

Pedro R. Pierluisi (NP-Puerto Rico)
1218 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-2615 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-2154 (Washington Fax #)
250 Calle Fortaleza Old
San Juan, PUERTO RICO 00901
787/723-6333 (District Tel. #)
787/723-6333 (District Fax #)
https://forms.house.gov/pierluisi/contactform.shtml

Nick Joe Rahall, II (D-WV)
2307 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-3452 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-9061 (Washington Fax #)
601 Federal Street, Room 1005
Bluefield, WV 24701
304/325-6222 (District Tel. #)
304/325-0552 (District Fax #)
301 Prince Street
Beckley, WV 25801
304/252-5000 (District Tel. #)
304/252-9803 (District Fax #)
http://www.rahall.house.gov/?sectionid=9§iontree=9

Gregorio Sablan (I- Mariana Islands)
423 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-2646 (Washington Tel. #)
https://forms.house.gov/sablan/contactform.shtml

Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH)
1330 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-5456 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-5822 (Washington Fax #)
33 Lowell Street
Manchester, NH 03101
603/641-9536 (District Tel. #)
603/641-9561 (District Fax #)
104 Washington Street
Dover, NH 03820
603/743-4813 (District Tel. #)
603/743-5956 (District Fax #)
http://forms.house.gov/sheaporter/webform/issue_subscribe.htm

Robert J. Wittman (R-VA)
1123 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-4261 (Washington Tel. #)
3504 Plank Road, Suite 203
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
540/548-1086 (District Tel. #)
4904-B George Washington Memorial Hwy.
Yorktown, VA 23692
757/874-6687 (District Tel. #)
https://forms.house.gov/wittman/IMA/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm

Donald E. Young (R-AK)
2111 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202/225-5765 (Washington Tel. #)
202/225-0425 (Washington Fax #)
101 12th Avenue, #10
Fairbanks, AK 99701-6275
907/456-0210 (District Tel. #)
907/456-0279 (District Fax #)
Peterson Tower Building
510 L Street, Suite 580
Anchorage, AK 99501-1954
907/271-5978 (District Tel. #)
907/271-5950 (District Fax #)
don.young@mail.house.gov
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

Thank you. This helps make it easier. I think that people need a simple efficient method or they just get bogged down and give up. I am not an expert at legislation and I am sure most people feel the same way.

Quick question. If it passed the house vote what happens next? A friend of mine said that it still has to pass the senate vote and get signed by Pres. Obama?

THX

This bill has not even made it through the sub committee yet. It has been in a sub committee whose responsibility it is to research and take testimony about it. On April 23rd, there will be a sub committee meeting. The letter NEEDS to be in the hands of the sub committee members before they go in to that meeting. We MUST be heard! Then if the sub committee votes to move forward with this legislation, it goes on to the committee level. Then the committee proceeds as it wishes. If it gets past that point, it may be in large part because Herpers do not stand up! The process takes a while to work it's way through. The farther through the process it goes, the more momentum it builds up and the more difficult it is to stop! This is why you MUST act right now!

Write your letters! Make your calls! Be heard!

The more forcefully we shut down this would be bill, the more likely we can make it go away and NOT come back! This is your responsibility and mine! None of you have less time to devote to this than I do! None of you have any less time to work on this than ANY of us who are doing everything we possibly can to make this go away!

I will have more and better information later today.
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

Sending out 315 letters on Monday. I will not see my hobby die like primate people are seing now (HR 80--I don't believe primates are suitable pets, but I will never throw another pet enthusiast under the bus--I opposed that one too, but obviously I didn't speak up enough). Together we can beat this.

sent my letters out Monday, feels good, try it,,,,,,,,,,,,, we have to push and push hard,,,,,,,,,,, make phone calls and emails also................

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Proud supporter of Kingsnake.com
“We stand together or we fall apart”

Kyle
www.royalvariations.com

"be safe, be happy and dont let anyone make you afraid"
David Coverdale