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THE ENDANGERED SPECIES RECOVERY ACT is still  pending.  The Senate version, S. 1180, would weaken wildlife protection measures.  Congressman George Miller's House bill HR 2351 would renew wildlife protection measures and protect biodiversity.  So far, the house bill has more sponsors but with the "wise use" contingent pushing its agenda, many more are needed.  Ask your Congressperson to sign on as a sponsor (Washington DC 20515) and your Senators (Washington DC 20510) to oppose the present Senate version and support HR 2351.

WHALES IN PERIL ON THE SEA Japan and Norway have always been reluctant participants in the moratorium on commercial whaling adopted by the majority of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) member nations.  While purporting to honor the moratorium, Japan has disingenuously engaged in killing whales for "research" purposes, whales whose body parts wound up in expensive restaurants or, more recently, in school lunch programs to cultivate a taste for whale flesh in young children.  Norway simply broke ranks (with the inexplicable blessing of Vice President Gore) and announced that her whaling fleet would resume killing the small minke whale whose numbers had not been depleted because their smaller size made them less profitable.
           IWC has always made provisions for aboriginal whaling by tribes whose existence was once at least partially dependent upon killing whales for sustenance.  Improvements in transportation have rendered this association less critical as evidenced by a Siberian tribe's business of selling whale carcasses to feed foxes on a fur farm, but Norway and Japan have seized this consideration for native tribes as an opportunity to reinstate the bad old days of whaling.  They encouraged the Makah trive of Washington to insist on the restoration of their whaling rights as granted by an 1855 treaty.  Nevermind that no Makah had killed a whale for 70 years; that whaling had never been an important occupation; and that whale meat tended to remain in their freezers indicating that it is not a favored food.  Nevertheless, Congressman Jack Metcalf, who attended the IWC meeting (at his own expense) to prevent this expansion of whaling, reports that the US and Russia, through back-door conniving, flouted an IWC ruling that no quotas would be granted without proof that whale meat was essential for nutritional subsistence.  The Makah were given four whales a year from the Siberian tribal quota under the excuse of "cultural subsistence".  The Makah success will encourage other tribes, egged on by Japan, to seek similar sanctions.
          Breach Marine Protection of the UK and Australians for Animals are suing US Government officials to cancel the Makah kill.  Donations toward court costs (estimated at $20,000) can be sent to Meyer and Glitzenstein, Suite 405, 1601 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20009.  Be sure to speciy "Donation to Makah Whaling Lawsuit".
          Worse yet, Ireland is proposing that coastal whaling (within the 200 mile and sometimes greater territorial limit) be resumed worldwide.  The Irish government has not been responsive to appeals to withdraw this proposal.  The Humane Society of the United States urges a massive appeal to the Irish Ambassador to the US.  The Honorable Sean O'Huiginn, 2234 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20008.
Phone: 202-462-3939        Fax:  202-232-5993.
          Whales further imperiled by US Navy which is testing low frequency sonar on hump back whales near Hawaii aiming sound waves with 50 times the volume of a 747 plane taking off in the direction of whales engaged in mating, birthing and nursing their young.  Local swimmers plan to surround the test vessels.
          Unprecedent strandings of Cuivier's beaked whales in Greece in 1996 coincided with low frequency sonar tests by a NATO research vessel.  A total of 12 whales were found along 38 km of shore in a two-day period (and a 13th decomposing farther away two weeks later).  This deep-diving species is not prone to stranding.  The average number found stranded is 1.4 per year, a strong indication that this was an unusual event. Also, mass strandings occur in one place, not spread out over 60 miles of coast.

Buffalo Nations rally to save Yellowstone herd members.  Last winter (1996-97) 1100 buffalo, half the Yellowstone herd, were killed because they migrated out of Yellowstone National Park in search of food. This year a federal judge decreed that 100 more may be killed.  Saddened by the loss of these animals, which used to number in the millions before Europeans deliberately and wantonly slaughtered them to destroy the life support of native American tribes,  today's native Americans and friends have set up an emergency communiction system to respond to calls from landowners about invading buffalo.  Members patrol the area along the park border on skis and snowmobiles. When a call is received, they go immediately to the scene and gently herd the buffalo back to land where they are not unwelcom. The group has also undertaken to help residents repair fencing damaged by buffalo.
          The problem is that ranchers fear that Montana will lose its "brucellosis free" certification if buffalo carry this disease organism onto their land.  It is curious that nothing is done about the elk who are much more susceptible to the disease than buffalo.  There is no record of buffalo ever having infected cows and one expert put the chances of this happening on a par with being struck by lightning.
         The Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) thinks otherwise. They baited and captured nine bulls and sent five of them to slaughter.  (Bulls do not carry the organism.)  A week later (January 29) DOL killed three cows and their calves.  Two of the cows wore radio collars to assist a study by park biologists.  Coret Mascio, 17, of New Hampshire was arrested for trying to stay between the animals and the DOL gunners.  The DOL claimed to be giving the dead bodies to native Americans, but "there were none present when the carcasses were taken to the city dump" according to an Internet posting on January 30.  Mike Mease was arrested and detained for trying to video tape this disposal.
This group is dependent on donations to keep going.  Buffalo Nations POBox 957 West Yellowstone MT 59759.  Tel 406-646-0070  Fax 0071 
email <buffalo@wildrockies.org>    http://www.wildrockies.org/bison

CORMORANTS TO BECOME LEGAL GAME? Many human fishers view cormorants as thieves who steal fish that belong to those who buy fishing licenses.  Reduced pollution in the Great Lakes, combined with the banquet provided by the increasing acreage of southern fish farms, has revived the dwindling population of double-crested cormorants to the extent that fishers are demanding remedial action.  As many fishers also hunt, they are campaigning to have the cormorants removed from their protected status as migratory birds.  One of the favorite fears expressed is that cormorants will deprive the sacred (to fishers) walleyes of food.  A survey of Lakes Superior and Erie, however, found that cormorants eat less than 1% of the prey fish biomass needed to support walleyes.   Fish farmers can get permission to shoot cormorants preying or "about to prey" on their fish when "scare" tactics become ineffective.  Unwanted nesting colonies can be discouraged by removing nesting materials and populations held down by addling or oiling the eggs.  It makes no sense to kill cormorants everywhere in order to remedy a few nuisance complaints.  Write to Paul Schmidt, Chief/ Office of Migratory Bird Management, USFWS, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington VA 22203 and encourage him to keep cormorants a protected species.

SPECIAL DEER KILLS  to reduce crop damage and deer-car accidents throughout eastern and central states show no sign of abatement.  The principle reason for the perceived overpopulation is the game management policy of killing more bucks than does so that more does wil survive the winter to produce more fawns in the spring.  Also, killing a buck with large antlers enhances a hunter's prestige and gets his picture in the paper.  Nevermind that the animal had nochance to fight back or dodge the bullet or arrow.  The problem is unlikely to go away until the deer herds are allowed to return to a normal 50-50 sex ratio.  Mitigative measures include trimming back roadside plant growth, installing reflectors to enable deer to see approaching headlights, reducing speed limits and installing fencing in trouble spots.  Supersonic deer whistles on cars have also been found to help deer avoid oncoming cars.  Deer contraception studies are in progress, but these are only practical in a limited area such as a park, or even better, an island.
TRAPPING INITIATIVE will be on the California ballot in November thanks  to volunteers who collected 725,000 signatures.

Summer 1998 "C-paper"