HR 5864 Break down continued...

Alright...gotta keep the bus moving on this!

This bill has more "teeth" than the Lacey Act did. Sec. 6 is devoted to Emergency Temporary Designation. This section provides the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) with emergency authority in the event an unregulated non-native wildlife species poses an imminent threat of harm. It also allows for state governors to request action.

How are all these species going to be monitored you ask? Well Section 7 (Information on Imported Animals) sets up an online system for animal imports and will require accurate species identification in order to monitor the trade.

Section 8 is the Injurious Wildlife Determinations Section. In the Lacey Act, the average listing time of a new import species is 4 years! This is WAY TOO SLOW. In that time, animals can already establish reproductively viable populations. This section directs USFWS to make the injurious species determinations more rapidly (180 days vs. 1460 days!). Additionally it provides for mechanisms to reduce the costly bureaucratic processes.

Now some of you might be wondering about conflicts with the Lacey Act. Section 9 is the Effects on Injurious Wildlife Provision. This provides regulations under this updated Act that would supersede conflicting regulations under the Lacey Act injurious species section. however, the new Act does NOT repeal or amend any portion of the Lacey Act.

Section 9 marks the halfway point in the breakdown of HR 5864.

Again, we need to be PROACTIVE and PREVENTIVE!

HR 5864 Break down...

Hello all! I am back...and ready to inform you more on this important House bill. Here is a synopsis of the bill.

Purpose: to establish an improved Federal regulatory process (one that is preemptive and proactive instead of knee-jerk and after-the-fact!) for the importation of living non-native animals in order to prevent economic and environmental harm as well as harm to human or animal health

Definitions: The bill contains 15 definitions. As an example, I pulled the below directly from the bill online.
"(4) IMPORT- The term ‘import’ means to bring into, or introduce into, or attempt to bring into, or introduce into, any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, regardless of whether the bringing into or introduction constitutes an importation within the meaning of the customs laws of the United States."

A major component of this section of the bill is defining the exempt domesticated species...basically it exempts the most common pet species. The government isn't going to come and knock on a person's door and require that they give up their dog, cat, goat, gerbil, etc. (See bill for a complete list!). The emphasis of this bill is on wild animals, not domesticated or farm species!

A section is devoted to the "Proposals for regulation of Nonnative Wildlife Taxa...basically it does in depth on how all species are to be regulated. this regulation process will be a rigorous and well-defined proposal process.

A HUGELY important facet of this bill is devoted to the listing process (See Sec 5. Scientific Risk Assessment and Risk Determination Regulations in HR 5864): This establishes a flexible two-tiered injurious species listing process. Building on the pre-existing Lacey Act (sets "injuriousness standards in 18 USC sec. 42.), Injurious I and Injurious II is based on a clear and risk assessment and risk determination process. For more details Sec. 5 of HR 5864


Ok so I don't want to overwhelm people on this! I'll continue to breakdown the bill a little more over the next week.

BOTTOM LINE: We need to be proactive and preventive so we can save ourselves money and our natural heritage!

Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2012 (H.R. 5864)

My recent trip for work to Washington, D.C. was an exercise in policy advocacy. While I am on the front lines of the battle against invasive species, I don't always know the best steps to maximize raising my voice for a cause. Any opinion in this blog is strictly my own and NOT that of Corkscrew or Audubon Florida! The Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2012, in my opinion, is a step in the right direction in our battle against invasive species. Florida, with its very unique subtropical weather and range of habitats, has had more than 500 nonnative species of fish and wildlife observed here. Most of these were introduced through the pet trade, whether it be accidental or intentional release by pet owners. Some invasive species wreaking havoc include: 1) Burmese pythons, 2) Nile monitor lizards, 3) Gambian pouched rats, and 4) monk parakeets to name just a few. In addition to environmental degradation, these invasives are costing us, the taxpayers, millions of dollars a year! This money could be going into other programs or staying in our pocketbooks. The beauty of this bill is that it takes a pro-active approach to stopping invasives species from coming into the country. It's preventive! I could bend your ear on this topic, but instead I think I will break it up over a serious of blog topics to tackle different aspects of this bills benefits (and yes, its drawbacks). But the bottom line is this...if you feel passionate about an issue such as this, pick up your phone, turn on your computer...raise your voice and let your congressman/woman know that you want them to vote for or against a bill! IT does have an impact on them to have their constituents reach out with their opinions to them. If you want to read H.R. 5864 in its entirety, just cut and paste this link (link isn't working on here for some reason). And stay tuned...I'll bend your ear, so to speak, frequently on this topic over the coming weeks! http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr5864/text

Recently, my wonderful job afforded me the chance to go to Washington, D.C. for an advocacy training workshop focused on a recently introduced bill. The Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2012 (H.R. 5864) was extremely interesting to me as one of the things we contend with in our management plans is invasive animal species. Just a disclaimer folks, any positive or negative comments about this particular House bill are my OWN, PERSONAL views and do NOT reflect Audubon Florida or Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary's opinions. I'll get into more detail about the actual trip later...for now enjoy some D.C. photos! Great quote at the FDR Memorial Jefferson Memorial at night

2012 BatBlitz

Rafinesque's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) When agitated the will curl their inch long ears back! One of the great things about my job is the opportunities to network and work with other organizations. I am a member of the Southeastern Bat Diversity Network (SBDN)as well as the Florida Bat Working Group (FBWG). Recently the FWBG hosted the 2012 BatBlitz in Apalachicola region of the panhandle. What you might ask is a BatBlitz? Basically it is "a coordinated, intensive survey designed to sample the bat community in an extensive area. In just 2-3 days, volunteers at a Bat Blitz can accomplish what a small field crew could do in an entire season. These events generally involve a substantial, voluntary contribution of time and materials from bat experts. Amount of effort exerted and data collected during a Bat Blitz can be greater than what a single biologist could accomplish in an entire season." (taken from the SBDN website). There were 246 bats of 8 different species captured. These wonderful creatures are a passion of mine, and I love that my work as a resource manager affords me the opportunity to work with and learn more about them! Rafinesque's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) When not agitated their ears really stand out, especially since their ears are about half the length of their body!

Apologies for hiatus!

Well it has been a busy few weeks of traveling and adventure! I will be sure to write about that this week. To tide you over here are some pictures from this year's dry down.

Easy prey...an otter readily snagged this invasive sailfin catfish from an isolated pond formed from the dry down in the flowway area.

The alligators are starting to congregate in the areas where the water is left as it dries up. They are actually quite curious!

Wood storks have also been taking advantage of the dry down to forage.

I know many people have a dislike of these misunderstood waste managers but I adore black vultures! This guy is a juvenile and still has a little tuft of down on his soon to be bald head.

Spoonbills have been foraging alongside wood storks during the dry down, especially in the flow way.

Dry Season Video

I have a love/hate relationship with Panther Island this time of year. The wildlife viewing continues to astonish. But the waters are receding. Part of the natural dry down of the dry season, it makes spraying at times easy but difficult as the afternoon winds whip sugar sand up off the ground and into my mouth and eyes. But then when I wipe the sand away, I am blessed to watch a 10 foot alligator scraping the mud to get fish agitated and then watch as he hauls his body up and slaps down onto the water. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary's volunteer and amazing nature photograph Rod Wiley put together amazing video and photos discussing the dry down along the boardwalk. Please take time to check it out! Nature video is at this link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7OVYljbCdk

Gator coming up out of the water...

And coming back down with prey in his mouth!