WWA INVITED TO SPEAK AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE
The Humane Society of the United States’ Taking Action for Animals Conference is July 19-22
We were honored to receive an invite to speak at the Taking Action for Animals Conference in Washington D.C. this July. This annual conference mobilizes animal advocates to learn more about how to advocate for animals from coast to coast and to take care of themselves in the process. We will be joining the Iowa State Director for the Humane Society of the U.S., Preston Moore, to present on how to keep advocating in the face of resistance and challenges. We will look at the history of advocacy and how those before us laid the foundations that we all now work from. We are excited to meet other advocates from around the country and to teach people about the need for change to our nation’s wildlife cruelty laws to include wildlife. This visit will also give us the opportunity to meet with more lawmakers and discuss nationwide law changes to prevent cruelty.
TRW COMMITTEE MEETS IN CASPER – WWA MUZZLED
On Tuesday, July 9 and Wednesday, July 10, the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Legislative Committee met in Casper. Representative Liz Storer gave an update on the outcome of the first Treatment of Predators Working Group meeting that occurred on June 25. The TRW Committee took comments from two wildlife advocates in person and then went to online comments. Kim Bean and our Executive Director had statements prepared and were on Zoom and waiting with our hands up. We were not called upon to speak. I contacted the legislative service office and let them know that despite receiving a confirmation that we wished to speak online, we were not given that opportunity. The legislative services office assured me if we attended on Wednesday, she would inform us when we would be permitted to speak. Kim and I were both once again online with our hands raised waiting to speak. We never were given that chance.
Further, the topic of changes in predator laws was the only one either day that had a limitation of time. There wasn’t a crowd present in person and there were only a few people online. It seemed arbitrary that this topic would be given a time limit for residents to speak when no other topic had a limit placed upon it. The meeting was also ahead of schedule.
“We got online again at 1pm and waited for an hour and a half,” Combs explains, “and then, at the end, nothing. They ended the meeting with us sitting online. The testimony I didn’t get to deliver in this public meeting would have pointed out that many wildlife advocacy groups like mine, despite not being asked to the table to discuss, have been waiting patiently for a collaborative process to unfold. The actions Tuesday and Wednesday really punctuates the problem – we aren’t welcome. It doesn’t feel like these folks want to listen and come up with collaborative solutions outside of the few hand-picked groups. Perhaps there was some technical reason for not being allowed to speak, but I will be very dubious of that happening both days.”
Special thanks to Sylvia Bagdonas and Donal O’Toole of the Wyoming Coalition for Animal Protection for being present in person and for voicing concerns at the meeting.
READ OUR PRESS RELEASE AND COMMENTS HERE
READ WYOMING TRIBUNE EAGLE ARTICLE HERE
TREATMENT OF PREDATOR WORKING GROUP NOT GOING FAR ENOUGH TO PREVENT CRUELTY
Currently the Working Group has only brought forward one recommendation to add broad language to statutes that would require predators to be killed “quick and humane.”
It is time to speak up and demand that the Treatment of Predators Working Group addresses the entire cruelty and torture issue and to take a deep dive into vehicular killing of wildlife – something they have not even touched – because it is inherently wrong and Wyoming citizens know it. It is not hunting, it is not predator control, it is cruelty plain and simple. Wyoming has a reputation to repair. So far the legislature seems blind to that reality.
Please email the entire Treatment of Predators Working Group before their next meeting which will be sometime before September – YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED NOW!
Members of the Treatment of Predators Working Group
TRW Senator Fred Baldwin: Fred.Baldwin@wyoleg.gov
TRW Senator Mike Gierau: Mike.Gierau@wyoleg.gov
TRW Representative Liz Storer: Liz.Storer@wyoleg.gov
TRW Representative John Winter: John.Winter@wyoleg.gov
Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik: brian.nesvik@wyo.gov
Wyoming Dept. of Agriculture Director Doug Miyamoto: doug.miyamoto@wyo.gov
WY Wildlife Federation Gov’t Affairs Director Jess Johnson: jessijohnson@wyomingwildlife.org
Wyoming Stock Grower’s Association Vice President Jim Magagna via the Wyoming Department of Agriculture: wda1@wyo.gov (that is a number 1 after the WDA)
WATCH THE JUNE 25 TREATMENT OF PREDATORS MEETING HERE
The next meeting of the TRW Committee is August 30 and September 1 in Cheyenne
WE CAN END CRUELTY TOGETHER!
DONATE TODAY TO HELP KEEP THIS EFFORT GOING THROUGH THE END OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION IN MARCH 2025
