Provision By Senators Boxer And Feinstein Passes Senate-- Will Exterminate All Santa

[vermonster13]

Last month, President George W. Bush signed the “2007 Defense Authorization Act,” which included an NRA-supported provision saving hundreds of elk and mule deer on Santa Rosa Island from the court-ordered extermination that was to begin in 2008 and be completed by 2011.

However, this week an amendment by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Ca.), and Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.), passed the Senate, and, if accepted by the House, will result in the overturning of current law and assure the extermination hundreds of healthy elk and mule deer on the island, off the coast of California.  This action is not about public access or whether these animals should be hunted and by whom.

Siding with environmental extremists, Senators Boxer and Feinstein claim that the Kaibab deer and Roosevelt elk on Santa Rosa Island are destroying natural vegetation and thus, should be indiscriminately exterminated.  The provision calls for the deer and elk to be killed en-masse.  NRA-ILA opposes the indiscriminate extermination of these animals.

NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox stated, “In a blatant attempt to slaughter these animals – for absolutely no good purpose – Senators Boxer and Feinstein claim to ‘correct a terrible mistake.’  The only irreversible mistake in this situation is if these elitist politicians are allowed to kill healthy and robust animals for political purposes.”

Santa Rosa Roosevelt elk and Kaibab mule deer are unique and invaluable, as they are free from Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and other ailments that threaten the species on the mainland.  Forty miles of Pacific Ocean offer them a sanctuary from disease. The healthy and thriving herds can be used as breeding stock to repopulate in case of disaster on the mainland.

Cox concluded, “This is not about hunting – this is about political pandering and payback.”

[MI_Bowhunter]

Environmental extremists want to kill animals that are eating vegetation.  Am I missing something here?  Aren’t Deer and Elk part of the environment?

Its not bad enough that we are fighting animal-rights groups, now we have to fight groups that want to exterminate animals for doing what they do naturally.
 
    My head is starting to hurt.

[wapiti]

Don't know if I agree or not. I am sure there is more to it. The damage being done may be more than just from over population. Intro a species that dosen't belong often results in problems down the road. Man screws things up a lot this way. I would like to see A 'kill' or a hunt or what ever to control the population and gather more info afterwards before going for a complete extermination. The public dosen't necessarily have to hunt them to lower the animal density. Govt huters could do it. I would also say that a plan to use the animals after the kill would be in order. Waste of a game animal is on MY top ten list of insidious acts. Just one mans opinion.

[waya]

Boxer and Feinstein need to be removed. These radical idiots have been nothing but trouble for a long time!

[Traxx]

Seems as though,we might be able to use this one against them,at a later date.

[vermonster13]

There constituates have supported them in the past with these kinds of moves. They are also a part of the big anti-gun group that includes Hillary Clinton and 4 or 5 others.

[beachbowhunter]

There has been a big push to get all of the non-native species off of the Channel Islands. They have gotten rid of the hogs on Catalina and are working on the goats on Santa Rosa and other islands. The deer and elk are interesting because you can hunt them...for a huge fee. The family that owned the island still has lots of rights so it is doubtful that they will go away any time soon. The pigs ate tons of bird eggs, and they along with the goats ate lots of endangered plants. These islands get very little rainfall and all of the native species are always "on the edge". I predict that they will reduce the population of deer and elk by capture and relocation to the main land. They already do that with the bison on Catalina.

Waya, I'll take my leftie Senators anytime over your rightwingers!  

[BTH]

Hey BBH,
You're definately closer to the situation than I am but they are not talking about reducing the population. They are talking about eradicating the non-natives like Catalina did with the hogs.
Since these are fragile island ecosystems I can see the point but as usual they are going too far. They could treat the situation like the Bison on Catalina, but they are not. They are killing off the whole resource. They are not even considering capture and release to another state.  
It is unfortunate that our lefty senators are so entrenched in their constituancies with no real competition for their seats.

[Brian Krebs]

One argument was that the island could be used for hunting by disabled veterans- so they have gotten the toss with this too.
 Yep the critters are foreign to the Island; but then so are people.....

[vermonster13]

The animals have been there for 80 years now also. Seems a little late to shut the barn door and there are several good reasons to at least leave the mule deer herd intact.

[vermonster13]

Another thing that gets me is we have horses destroying habitat in the southwest and starving. Yet these same people vote in a law making the sale of horsemeat for human consuption overseas illegal.

[Voodoofire1]

Just imagine if Feinstein and boxer were placed in charge of illegal immigration.

[vermonster13]

Here we go again. From the NRA site:

Anti-Gun U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and thirteen other Senators sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urging the United States to reconsider its opposition to the development of a global arms trade treaty.