Gypsy News

News about the Rom/Roma/Gypsy along with environmental, wildlife and animal news and alerts.

Monday, April 2, 2007

Bears of Alaska with Tom Mangelsen

Bears of Alaska with Tom Mangelsen
Dates: Aug 13 - 18, 2007

Thomas D. Mangelsen announces his inaugural photo workshop - an exciting opportunity to photograph wild brown bears, eagles, and puffins at one of the premier locations in Alaska. Intended for the experienced wildlife photographer, the workshop will be held at a remote lodge in Lake Clark National Park with access only by airplane or boat. Limited to no more than 10 participants, this workshop offers the opportunity to photograph brown bears fishing for salmon with the world's most successful wildlife photographer. Workshop participants will be the only photographic group at the lodge and have the facilities almost completely dedicated to their workshop. Offering excellent meals, guides, and a remote location, this rustic Alaskan lodge photo experience is an opportunity to spend 5 days and 4 nights learning composition, lighting, exposure and digital processing techniques from Tom and his staff.

The workshop begins in Anchorage on August 13 at dinner with Tom. The next morning you will be flown by bush plane for a landing on the shores of Cook Inlet, where the lodge staff will transport you a short distance to the lodge. Grab your gear and it's off to look for your first photo opportunity! You'll spend 5 days and 4 nights filling your viewfinder with images of the Alaskan coastal plains and Mt Illiamna rising 10,016 feet to the west in the Aleutian Range. The lodge location puts you at the mouth of two rivers on the western shores of Cook Inlet, where the bears gather to fish for salmon. There is a shallow lake behind the lodge, where you may find loons, beavers, Trumpeter swans, and possibly Sandhill cranes.

All proceeds from this workshop will benefit The Cougar Fund, a nonprofit organization based in Jackson, WY. The mission of The Cougar Fund is to protect the cougar throughout the Americas. The Cougar Fund educates the public on the value of cougars in nature and promotes the gathering and application of sound science in their management. By advocating thriving populations of cougars, The Cougar Fund ensures that these beautiful, legendary creatures may exist in ways that enjoy long-lasting public support. (www.cougarfund.org) Each participant will receive a statement for tax deduction purposes from The Cougar Fund.

Thomas D. Mangelsen operates 16 Images of Nature galleries across the western United States, showcasing his images from 40 years of photographing wildlife in North America, Africa, South America, India, and Antarctica. In 2005, Tom was named one of the 100 most important people in photography by American Photo Magazine as well as being honored with Nikon's Legend Behind the Lens recognition. He has received an Honorary Fellowship from The Royal Photographic Society in 2002, named North American Nature Photographer Association's (NANPA) Outstanding Nature Photographer of the Year in 2000 and in 1994, Mangelsen received the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award. His work has also been published in leading magazines such as Audubon, Smithsonian, Nature's Best, National Geographic, Life, Wildlife Art, American Photo and National Wildlife. He has been featured on television programs from The Today Show and Good Morning America, to CNN's World News. He has published numerous books, including Images of Nature, Polar Dance, and his most recent - The Natural World.

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Saturday, March 24, 2007

COUGAR FUND ACTION ALERT - Nevada Cougar Bill

COUGAR FUND ACTION ALERT

STOP PROPSED NEVADA BILL A.B. 259

Bill A.B. 259 declares open season on cougars, with no restrictions
on how, when or how many cougars can be killed. This bill also
allows the hunting of cougars from an aircraft, the use of
spring guns, set gun or "other device for destruction"!

To learn more about Bill A.B. 259 and to check agenda updates for the
hearing on A.B. 259 click on the links below:

http://www.leg.state.nv.us/74th/Bills/AB/AB259.pdf
http://www.leg.state.nv.us/74th/reports/committeeindexAssembly.cfm?ID=10

Let the committee members know how preposterous this proposed bill is and that allowing for the open killing of any species is an antiquated and irresponsible way to manage a species - especially one that is "extinct" in the eastern United States! Demand that all changes made to the mountain lion management plan be based in peer-reviewed science!


YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE & STOP THIS BILL NOW!
A.B. 259 has been referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, Agriculture
and Mining - which is chaired by Jerry Claborn. This committee
meets at 1:30 PM on Mondays and Wednesdays in Room 3161

Send your letters to:

Assembly Members at this address:
c/o Nevada Assembly
401 S. Carson Street
Carson City, NV 89701

Natural Resources, Agriculture and Mining
Committee Members:

Jerry Claborn - Chair
Phone 775-684-8569
EMail jclaborn@asm.state.nv.us

Joseph Hogan - Vice Chair
Phone 775-684-8541
Email jhogan@asm.state.nv.us

Kelvin Atkinson
Phone 775-684-8577
EMail katkinson@asm.state.nv.us

David Bobzien
Phone 775-684-8559
EMail dbobzien@asm.state.nv.us

Ruben Kihuen
Phone 775-684-8553
EMail rkihuen@asm.state.nv.us

James Ohrenschall
Phone 775-684-8819
EMail johrenschall@asm.state.nv.us

Debbie Smith
Phone 775-684-8841
EMail dsmith@asm.state.nv.us

John Carpenter
Phone 775-684-8831
EMail jcarpenter@asm.state.nv.us

Pete Goicoechea
Phone 775-684-8573
EMail pgoicoechea@asm.state.nv.us

Tom Grady
Phone 775-684-8507
EMail tgrady@asm.state.nv.us

John Marvel
Phone 775-684-8851
EMail jmarvel@asm.state.nv.us

YOUR LETTERS AND COMMENTS DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! THROUGH PUBLIC INPUT WE ENABLE OUR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO MANGMENT WILDLIFE FOR THE BENEFIT

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COUGAR FUND ACTION ALERT - Oregon Bill 702 & 2971

COUGAR FUND ACTION ALERT

Help Save Oregon's Cougars

Three new bills have been proposed in the state of Oregon that would allow hunters the opportunity to kill even more cougars. Supporters of these bills claim, once again, that public safety is their concern, yet all these bills do is simply increase sport hunting opportunities. Science has proven that the random killing of cougars does not increase public safety! Oregon hunters are already allowed to kill over 500 cougars each year and the Cougar Management Plan calls for the killing of an additional 782 cougars each year by any means necessary.

House bill 2971 would deputize sport hunters as agents of ODFW to officially kill cougars on behalf of the Cougar Management Plan. Despite voters banning hound hunting in both 1994 and 1996, Senate bill 702 will allow sprot hunters to use hounds during the final three months of cougar hunting season. The third bill is yet to be announced.

Demand that these senseless bills be stopped. A management plan that is not based in peer-reviewed science will have disastrous results for Oregon's cougar population!

The House Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee will hear HB2971 on Tuesday, April 10th at 3:00 PM.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD BY APRIL 10TH AND STOP THIS BILL!
Attend this hearing or write a letter of opposition to this plan to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, the governor, newspapers and this committee!

Contact Information:

Governor Ted Kulongoski
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, OR 97301-404
Phone: 503-378-4582
Fax: 503-378-6827

House Speaker:
Representative Jeff Merkley
Phone: 503-986-1200
Address: 900 Court St. NE., 269, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.jeffmerkley@state.or.us

House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee:

Representative Arnie Roblan, Chair
Phone: 503-986-1409
Address: 900 Court St NE, H-292, Salem,, OR, 97301
Email: rep.arnieroblan@state.or.us

Representative Patti Smith
Phone: 503-986-1452
Address: 900 Court St. NE., H-291, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.pattismith@state.or.us

Representative Brian Boquist
Phone: 503-986-1423
Address: 900 Court St NE, H-290, Salem,, OR, 97301
Email: rep.brianboquist@state.or.us

Representative Ron Maurer
Phone: 503-986-1403
Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-391, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.ronmaurer@state.or.us

Representative Jackie Dingfelder
Phone: 503-986-1445
Address: 900 Court St. NE., H-377, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.jackiedingfelder@state.or.us

Representative Greg Macpherson
Phone: 503-986-1438
Address: 900 Court St. NE., H-385, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.gregmacpherson@state.or.us

Representative Brian Clem
Phone: 503-986-1421
Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-278, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.brianclem@state.or.us


YOUR LETTERS AND COMMENTS DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
THROUGH PUBLIC INPUT WE ENABLE OUR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO MANGMENT WILDLIFE FOR THE BENEFIT

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Sunday, December 24, 2006

Cougar Fund Action Alert

ACTION ALERT:

Dear Cougar Fund Members and Friends,
Please Voice Your Concern on the Proposed Cougar Hunt on
Arizona’s Kofa National Wildlife Refuge

Comments are needed by December 29th, 2006.

Send your letters to:
J. Paul Cornes, Manager
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge
356 W. 1st Street
Yuma, Arizona 85364
Paul_Cornes@fws.gov
Phone: 928-783-7861
Fax: 928-783- 8611

The Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Arizona plans to open the refuge to cougar hunting. The proposed cougar-hunting season would allow one cat to be taken per year from the refuge and adjacent lands.

BASED IN SCIENCE?

The Arizona Game & Fish does not have accurate and consistent scientific information regarding cougar population and densities to demonstrate that there is a biological necessity for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to institute a sustainable hunt. “At this time, insufficient data exists to determine the sustainability of the hunt beyond the harvest of one lion annually. Continued population monitoring is required to determine if births or immigration are sufficient to replace any lions taken by hunters.”

WHAT IS A REFUGE?

The Kofa National Wildlife Refuge is public land and one of the few places that cougars are protected from hunting. If wildlife is not safe on a refuge, where are they protected?

POLITICAL PRESSURE?

Much of the pressure to establish a hunt is coming from the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club, whose legislative chair is also the chairman of the Arizona Game & Fish Commission, which sets hunting regulations and policy for the state.

WHO PAYS?

If a hunt were to be implemented, the cost of this hunt, which is only one cougar, would be $24,000 annually. Funding for the Kofa Refuge ultimately come from federal taxes. That means you, the taxpayer, would be subsidizing the hunting of Americas’ Greatest Cat™ on our public lands.

YOUR LETTERS AND COMMENTS DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

BY ALSO REQUESTING AN EXTENSION TO THE DECEMBER 29TH DEADLINE, YOU CAN HELP MORE VOICES BE HEARD.

THROUGH PUBLIC INPUT WE ENABLE OUR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO MANGMENT WILDLIFE FOR THE BENEFIT OFALL.

Learn more about the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge and the proposed mountain lion hunting season at:
http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/arizona/kofa.html

Sara L. Carlson
The Cougar Fund
PO Box 122610 W. Broadway, Suite 103
Jackson, WY 83001
307.733.0797
307.733.7129
http://www.cougarfund.org

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