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this is the letter i will be mass-producing and having people sign at the ohio reptile show this weekend. i will personally deliver them to each of the senators' columbus offices some time next week.
copy and paste this letter into a word processor, and edit it as-needed.
print it. make copies.
have others sign it (with address) and deliver them in-person to your senator's local office! if that is not possible, fax them!
Please vote NO on S373, “The Python Ban.”
S373 (as well as the House version, HR2811) is seeking to add all 40 species from the genus Python to the Lacey Act. By the time this bill reaches the Senate floor, it will also likely include the “Big 9 Constrictors,” which would include, among others, the Boa constrictor.
By adding these animals to the Lacey Act, it would become a violation of federal law to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase these animals internationally or across state lines.
These bills are an attempt to halt the spread of the Burmese python in the Everglades, as well as prevent the establishment of other species of snakes. S373 and HR2811 are based on two studies released by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) that predict the spread of the Burmese python to the lower 1/3 of the US and classify the “Big 9 Constrictors” as “medium” to “high” risk for establishment.
Simply put, these USGS reports are bad science. In a recent letter to Congress (see attached), a group of independent biologists and herpetologists (including National Geographic’s Dr. Brady Barr) have criticized these USGS reports as “unscientific” and “not suitable as the basis for legislative or regulatory policies.” They go on to say, “its content is not based on best scientific practices, it has not gone through external peer-review, and it diverts attention away from the primary concern.”
Please consider the report published by researchers from the City University of New York in 1998 entitled: Claims of Potential Expansion throughout the U.S. by Invasive Python Species are Contradicted by Ecological Niche Models (summarized in attached news article). Using 19 factors, the researchers concluded that the Burmese pythons would be unable to survive - let alone thrive - outside of the Everglades National Park. The USGS report used only 2 factors. It is a gross overrepresentation of the facts.
Unfortunately, media hype and the general public’s unsubstantiated fear of snakes has contributed to the misconceptions about these amazing creatures, and made unfounded legislation like this easier to pass.
Please make no mistake; in an industry that thrives on online sales and large conventions attended by thousands of people from all over the nation, these bills will decimate a 3 billion dollar per year industry and render tens of thousands of hard working Americans out of work.
Ohio will not escape this fate. There are a number of medium sized businesses within the state that rely on the right to sell the beautiful animals they produce.
In summary, please vote NO on S373. This bill is NOT based on accurate science. The foundation for S373 (and HR2811) has been criticized by a group of well-known, independent scientists as being “drafted to support a predetermined policy.” They also say, “it is a misrepresentation to call the USGS document ‘scientific’”. There is scientific proof available that directly contradicts the claims made by proponents of the bill. It will put tens of thousands of people out of work - including many in Ohio - in an already struggling economy.
Respectfully,
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
copy and paste this letter into a word processor, and edit it as-needed.
print it. make copies.
have others sign it (with address) and deliver them in-person to your senator's local office! if that is not possible, fax them!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Senator Please vote NO on S373, “The Python Ban.”
S373 (as well as the House version, HR2811) is seeking to add all 40 species from the genus Python to the Lacey Act. By the time this bill reaches the Senate floor, it will also likely include the “Big 9 Constrictors,” which would include, among others, the Boa constrictor.
By adding these animals to the Lacey Act, it would become a violation of federal law to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase these animals internationally or across state lines.
These bills are an attempt to halt the spread of the Burmese python in the Everglades, as well as prevent the establishment of other species of snakes. S373 and HR2811 are based on two studies released by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) that predict the spread of the Burmese python to the lower 1/3 of the US and classify the “Big 9 Constrictors” as “medium” to “high” risk for establishment.
Simply put, these USGS reports are bad science. In a recent letter to Congress (see attached), a group of independent biologists and herpetologists (including National Geographic’s Dr. Brady Barr) have criticized these USGS reports as “unscientific” and “not suitable as the basis for legislative or regulatory policies.” They go on to say, “its content is not based on best scientific practices, it has not gone through external peer-review, and it diverts attention away from the primary concern.”
Please consider the report published by researchers from the City University of New York in 1998 entitled: Claims of Potential Expansion throughout the U.S. by Invasive Python Species are Contradicted by Ecological Niche Models (summarized in attached news article). Using 19 factors, the researchers concluded that the Burmese pythons would be unable to survive - let alone thrive - outside of the Everglades National Park. The USGS report used only 2 factors. It is a gross overrepresentation of the facts.
Unfortunately, media hype and the general public’s unsubstantiated fear of snakes has contributed to the misconceptions about these amazing creatures, and made unfounded legislation like this easier to pass.
Please make no mistake; in an industry that thrives on online sales and large conventions attended by thousands of people from all over the nation, these bills will decimate a 3 billion dollar per year industry and render tens of thousands of hard working Americans out of work.
Ohio will not escape this fate. There are a number of medium sized businesses within the state that rely on the right to sell the beautiful animals they produce.
In summary, please vote NO on S373. This bill is NOT based on accurate science. The foundation for S373 (and HR2811) has been criticized by a group of well-known, independent scientists as being “drafted to support a predetermined policy.” They also say, “it is a misrepresentation to call the USGS document ‘scientific’”. There is scientific proof available that directly contradicts the claims made by proponents of the bill. It will put tens of thousands of people out of work - including many in Ohio - in an already struggling economy.
Respectfully,
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
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