following this are more articles regarding the ESA
The congressional field hearing on the E.S.A. was
held Saturday, April 30th, at the Mississippi
Museum of Natural Science. House Resource
Committee Chair, Rep. Richard Pombo (CA), U.S.
Senator Mike Crapo (ID) and Rep. Chip Pickering
(MS) were in attendance to receive testimony from
ten different witnesses who shared their concerns
about the E.S.A., along with local success stories
about conservation efforts trying to do a better job
of species recovery.
James Cummins, a local Mississippi participant
who heads the Mississippi Wildlife Foundation,
told the panel that, “private landowners in the
South are doing great things in trying to create
and protect habitat for wildlife. But I urge
Congress to move in the direction of cooperative
conservation measures where our government
offers incentives to landowners for species
protection versus the heavy hand of the federal
government and the E.S.A., which has proven
over time that it’s not a successful way to recover
species.”
The panel also heard from a representative of
organized labor, James Bowman of the Pulp and
Paperworkers Resource Council (PPRC), who
urged the panel to make positive changes to the
Act so that working men and women in the South
will not suffer the same job losses that were experienced
in the Pacific Northwest with the spotted
owl issue.
He stated, “I represent men and women who work
hard, pay taxes, spend their money in local
businesses, support schools and play by the rules.
If we don’t take steps to make the E.S.A. a better,
more workable law, I worry about the future of
many Southern rural communities and their
economies.”
All three members of Congress were appreciative
of the comments and testimony received. In
addition to those who testified, almost 1,000 letters
were delivered to Chairman Pombo just before
the hearing began, mostly from Southern citizens
urging Congress to improve and update the
Endangered Species Act. The Chairman agreed
to enter these comments into the hearing record
and told the large crowd in attendance that the
House would start looking at legislation sometime
this summer.
SOSA HOTLINE
A bi-weekly newsletter of
grassroots community coalition
Senator Crapo and Chairman Pombo welcomed a group of
interested citizens and took questions before the hearing began.
MISSISSIPPI FIELD HEARING EMPHASIZES
COOPERATION IN SPECIES RECOVERY

WWW.SAVEOURSPECIESALLIANCE.ORG
RUFFED GROUSE SOCIETY ADDS
THEIR OPINION
Since the Endangered Species Act was passed
more than 30 years ago, more than 1,300 species
have been listed as threatened or endangered, yet
only seven have recovered sufficiently to be taken
off the list.
This overriding goal of the Endangered Species
Act -- recovering species before they go extinct --
is as important today as it was in 1973. But we
have learned a great deal in the past three decades
and one inescapable conclusion is that the
Endangered Species Act must be strengthened if
it is to effectively protect our most imperiled
species.
The process outlined in the Endangered Species
Act for the identification and conservation of
threatened and endangered species has become
all but unworkable. Far too much time and money
is spent producing paperwork, rather than
protecting species. The courts now make decisions
that are best left to trained natural resource
professionals.
Recovering less than one percent of endangered
and threatened species over 30 years is a clear
indication of the need to improve the Endangered
Species Act.
We can and must do better.
Dan Dessecker - senior wildlife biologist with the Ruffed
Grouse Society, a forest wildlife conservation organization.
U.S. SENATE TO HOLD HEARING THIS
THURSDAY, MAY 19th
The Fisheries, Wildlife and Water Sub-Committee
of the Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee, will hold a hearing on the E.S.A. this
Thursday, May 19th, in Washington, D.C.
The Sub-Committee, chaired by Rhode Island
Senator Lincoln Chafee, will hear testimony from
a variety of federal agency experts.
Members of the Sub-Committee include:
Democrats: Clinton (NY), Lieberman (CT),
Lautenberg (NJ) and Obama (IL)
Republicans: Chafee (RI), Warner (VA),
Murkowski (AK), DeMint (SC) and Vitter (LA)
More hearings are expected to be held in both the
Senate and the House as the year progresses.
PLEASE REMEMBER:
.
CONTACT US:
P.O. BOX 16508
GOLDEN, CO 80402
PH: 877-670-8800
Visit the campaign web site for more information
on the E.S.A. Look for exciting changes to roll out
next week, which will make submitting comments
regarding the E.S.A. much easier.
WWW.SAVEOURSPECIESALLIANCE.ORG

Delta Farm Press (05_13_05)
Lawsuits, lack of incentives hamstring Endangered Species Act (Jackson
Hearing)
(http://deltafarmpress.com/news/050513-hamstring-endangered-species/)

The Clarion-Ledger (05_09_05)
Editorial by Gene Sirmon
Species must be 'protected' in sensible way (Jackson Hearing)
(http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050509/OPINION/50
5090361&SearchID=73207642667087)

Negative Coverage (which we have responded to)
Boston Globe (05_13_05)
Editorial - A vanishing wildlife fund
(http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2005
/05/13/a_vanishing_wildlife_fund/)

Dan Dessecker Op-Ed (appeared in 7 other major newspapers)
Provo (UT) Daily Herald (04_28_05)
"Congress should overhaul the Endangered Species Act"
(http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&
sid=53757&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0)