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Urgent Alert - May 1, 2007

You must take a stand on May 8th!

Public Hearing on LD 1635 - An Act to Prohibit Recreational Bear Trapping

The public hearing on LD 1635, An Act To Prohibit Recreational Bear Trapping, will be held on:

• Tuesday, May 8th
• 1:00 PM
• Augusta Civic Center - Androscoggin Room

This bill represents the beginning of the end for all trapping and bear hunting in Maine.

This bill was submitted by WAM, a Bangor-based animal protection group. WAM and other animal protection groups are going "all out" to get this bill passed. If they are successful, they plan to go after hunting bears with dogs and bear baiting.

WAM has recently stated publicly that they oppose all forms of recreational trapping. These same people, under another name, eliminated the coyote control program with threats of a lawsuit. WAM is currently working cooperatively with the Animal Protection Institute on the lawsuit filed in Bangor to eliminate all land trapping in areas frequented by eagles and lynx.

WAM is desperate for any kind of victory in their efforts to ban activities with which they don't agree. A victory on this bear trapping bill would build their confidence, increase their membership and generate the donations necessary to finance future attacks on hunting and trapping.

Make no mistake. WAM is trying to stop bear baiting. They have produced a short video and posted it for worldwide viewing on the extremely popular website, "YouTube". This video is most definitely about hunting, not trapping! You can view the video on the Kennebec Journal website using the link below.

We cannot let that happen! Sportsmen must defeat this bill.

We must fill the Civic Center on May 8th!

WAM has built a lot of momentum. They plan to put on a show of force at the Civic Center. It's going to take a lot of help from all our friends to defeat WAM and their deceptive bill. If we don't send a strong enough message on the 8th, our bear trapping will be gone and other activities that we enjoy will be in big trouble.

You must attend the hearing if at all possible. Skip Trask, MPGA's Legislative Liaison, plans to be there about noon to answer questions that any of you might have. If you're late, you might not get a seat!

The Maine Trappers Association will be passing out orange MTA decals to all those in opposition to the bill. They have more than 1000 decals, and they plan to use them all!

Other sportsmen's organizations are also calling on their members to attend the hearing, but trappers and guides have always turned up at these types of hearings in the greatest numbers, and we need for you to do it again.

Be Heard!

It would be great if some of you could come to the hearing prepared to say a few words about why this bill should be defeated. Explain how the bill will be detrimental to your outdoor activities, your heritage, or your business.

If you do speak, be very brief - two minutes is plenty. If a lot of people show up to testify, speakers may be instructed to limit their comments to a couple of minutes.

Supporters of the bill will probably get to speak first. Skip Trask will try to be the first to testify against the bill. He will speak officially for both the MTA and the Maine Professional Guides Association. At some point in the testimony he may ask you to stand up to express your opposition to the bill, so be prepared. When Skip is done testifying, the stage will be set for others to speak in opposition to the bill.

If you plan to speak, know what you're going to say ahead of time - write it down. The more people who testify, the better, but KEEP IT BRIEF. Long drawn out testimony irritates legislators, and they lose interest.

Also, the work session on this bill is scheduled for 1:00 PM on Thursday, May 10th, in the Fish & Wildlife Committee Room (Room 206), in the Burton Cross Office Building - the large grey building next to the State Capital Building. Although members of the public are allowed to attend and listen, work sessions do not provide the opportunity to additional public comments.

Thank you in advance for your help and support on this critical issue.

Our future is at stake!!

LD1635:

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

§ 12261. Trapping bear prohibited

1. Unlawful trapping of bear. Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person may not catch bear in a trap. A person who violates this subsection commits a Class E crime.

2. Research and public safety. The commissioner shall establish rules concerning bear trapping. These rules must provide for trapping bear only for purposes of scientific research, animal damage control or public safety. Rules established pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

Bill Summary: This bill abolishes the open season on trapping bears. It allows for the trapping of bear only for scientific research, animal damage control or public safety.

See WAM's bear hunting video.

Visit the MPGA Website for more news and info.