Reptile & Amphibian Forums

April 21, 2009

We need common sense laws not knee jerk reactions. Our rights are being thrown out every time we turn around these days. We are tax paying descent people and we deserve to not be treated as less than that. To make choices based on prejudice and misinformation is not wise. We are all Americans trying to enjoy and appreciate our rights as such. Let’s all defend our rights together and not be divided by fears and lack of understanding. Let’s remember how we got here and how our great country over came the harsh doctrine of a mother country that opposed our freedom. When you vote you must adhere to the responsibility to protect that which is the USA. We are all brethren under our flag. Vote for our freedoms, not against our differences.

Kyle Stevens

-response-

Dear Mr. Stevens,

Thank you for contacting me about invasive species. I appreciate your comments and am grateful that you took the time to contact me.

Non-native animal species upset our ecosystems and cause damage to the environment. In addition to some other measures, the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act (H.R. 669) would establish a risk assessment process and would prohibit the following actions: importation or transportation between states of nonnative species that are not included in the list of approved species; permit violations; and possession, purchase, sale, barter, release, or breeding of such species.

This bill has been referred to the Committee on Natural Resources. While I do not serve on this committee, I will keep your views in mind should this legislation come to the full House of Representatives for our consideration.

If you have any additional questions regarding this or other issues, please do not hesitate to contact my office. You can sign up for my newsletter and find more information on my views and what I am working on in Congress by visiting my official website at www.house.gov/himes .

Sincerely,

Jim Himes
Member of Congress

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Proud supporter of USARK and 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

Jim Himes wrote;
"Non-native animal species upset our ecosystems and cause damage to the environment. In addition to some other measures, the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act (H.R. 669) would establish a risk assessment process and would prohibit the following actions: importation or transportation between states of nonnative species that are not included in the list of approved species; permit violations; and possession, purchase, sale, barter, release, or breeding of such species."

I would argue that Jim reasons on wrong premises, and therefore reaches absurd conclusions. I fail to see how poison frogs can have a negative impact on US most of US and especially Alaska, yet are targeted by HR669.

HR669 has the potential to decimate captive dartfrog populations in America. Some of the dartfrog speciesin american vivariums are severely threatened species. Some of the species we as a society keep in vivarium are already extinct in the wild. Do we not have moral a duty to cultivate in vivarium what we as a species have already extinct in the wild?
Vivariumculture is not a cure against extinctions. We are able to propagate almost any reptile or amphibian but maintaining responsible gene pools comes at a great cost. The responsible vivarium keeper will gladly pay to sustain his animals but the herpetocultural society of the world is not yet ready to cope with the extinction wave that has hit herptilian species in the blink of the past decade. In the next decade with certainty many more species will go extinct. We have already started to Identify some of them, those are our cashcows.

The animal rights industry and the pet industry have one thing in common, their history is paved with dead animals. In the future our industries will be paved with extinct species.
Implore congressmenn to make exeption to HR669 in regard to Extinct in the wild species.

But then, what about nearly extinct species?
Does a species need to be extinct in the wild to merit development of a reserve population in captivity?
I say, Congressmen who support HR669 support extinction of species!
2008 was termed year of the frog by the herpetological scientific community, yet in 2009 even US congressmen push endangered amphibian captive populations in the US toward extinction.

What says Jim Himes in reflect of this?

Regards
obeligz