Enviro's against killing bears again.

David Johnson · 12-06-2003, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Black bears are finding a friend in environmentalists.
Environmental activists are trying again to get a court order stopping federal animal control officers from killing black bears that strip the bark from young trees on private land.

A federal judge last May dismissed the original lawsuit, saying the environmental groups had not shown they had been harmed by the practice.

After assembling six declarations from hunters, hikers and landowners between Astoria and Brookings, environmentalists re-filed the lawsuit in federal court last week. No hearing date has been set.

They now say the killing restricts peoples' ability to see bears in the wild.

The lawsuit alleges that the agency should have gone through an environmental impact statement, rather than the less rigorous environmental analysis, to justify killing about 110 black bears each spring in western Oregon.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Isn't 110 bears just a drop in the bucket?

12-06-2003, 07:25 AM

Thanks Dave.

Get Bit · 12-06-2003, 10:12 AM

I think the court can justify a ruling on 4 simple facts:

1.Private Land

2.Private land often means no public access. No one from the public is missing anything.

3.Land Owner doesn't want to see bears on their property.

4.Bears cause damage to agricultural production

5.Bears need to be controlled. Case Dismissed! :grin:

Fish Hawk Adventures · 12-06-2003, 10:17 AM

Dave,
Why can't they just roll over and go away. I have helped and witnessed what a bear can do in the spring when they peel the trees. I saw a bear wipe out about 400 trees in a short time before he was resolved. There are more bears and cougars out there that the people should be worried more if there is no control on the population.

rockn'reel · 12-06-2003, 04:55 PM

The main problem is that these are predators. They were designed to be hidden. There is no shortage on Bears or Cougars, only that they don't want to be seen. When they stop the killing of these "poor,helpless creatures" we will start to see more of them...running through or neighborhoods, parks, stalking children (in fact isn't there a school that is on alert for a wildcat that has been seen on the premises). There are a ton of these animals out there if the environmentalists would spend more time in the forests instead of the courtroom they might actually get to see a few of them. Just my .02.

Washington Hunter · 12-06-2003, 05:31 PM

Idiots is what they are, but I'm not sure why the article is calling them environmentalists. An environmentalist would be somebody concerned with clean air and water, not whether or not bears should be killed.

wade · 12-06-2003, 06:25 PM

If there weren't bored souls out there hugging trees and protecting other helpless creatures we wouldn't have much at all in the way of natural resources to enjoy. These folks are needed to balance out the other fools and nuts that couldn't care less about what's out there.

Kevin

[ 12-06-2003, 07:26 PM: Message edited by: wade ]

12-06-2003, 06:53 PM

wade · 12-06-2003, 08:59 PM

[img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img]

skein · 12-07-2003, 08:05 AM

It has nothing to do with bears, just as the spotted owl had nothing to do with birds. They wanted logging stopped, so they used the owl. They want hunting stopped so they are using bears.

I wish they would protest the paving of 120 acres of habitat when someone decides to put in a new shopping center.

Skein

Flatfish · 12-07-2003, 10:48 AM

It is kinda funny to me that the people who outlawed the only efficient means of population control are now whining about a commercial pest operator( just like the Orkin man for bears) doing what the public can no longer do for itself.

If they had left a fair and humane system in place. They would not be here trying to save the world from itself today.

You made your bed, now get your head out of the sand and live with it.

Another great showing of our failed legal system at work.

Mark and the dog.

Gun Rod Bow · 12-07-2003, 09:27 PM

Another example of elitist extremists controlling the game. DO NOT fool yourself, these are not idiots, they know bears and cougars are on the increase.

The anti hunting groups have a strategy; by targeting reduction or elimination of hunting and trapping of predator species, it is an easier sell to the public to ban hunting of predators. Remember the TV adds for the bear and cougar law? Then they'll claim sport hunting is no longer needed because the prey species (read Deer and Elk) are needed to feed the predators.

When (not if) Wolves are established in Oregon, and each pack takes 40-50 elk and 20-30 deer a year, they will displace 10 times that many sport hunters. That's the math!

We are the minority here folks. The more urbanized and out of touch with nature people become, the more Finding Nemo, Bambie, Born Free etc.. people injest, the fewer hunters will be left.

Get organized and talk to non hunters about the role hunters have always played in conservation.

Thanks DJ

Hoosier Daddy · 12-08-2003, 08:01 AM

Probably setting myself up for a slamming here....
First, I'm for control of bears and cougars. We do and have done too much to our natural environment to NOT regulate it now. Second, I kind of think that damage to trees is a poor excuse for whacking them. I guess I lean towards that being a "cost of doing business", or at least it should be non-government folks doing the whacking -- I don't want to pay for animal control on private land (yes, I know I already do)....