Hi all,

I hope this is an acceptable posting. If not, I apologize, but I hope this
is of interest to the members of this group. This article was in yesterday's
Oregonian newspaper but is about proposed Federal legislation.

Steve
Bill would make killing raptors a felony  *Birds of prey - Rep. DeFazio
calls for bigger fines and prison time to help protect species *
Sunday, November 18, 2007MICHAEL MILSTEIN
*The Oregonian Staff*

Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., outraged by the misdemeanor fines imposed on
Portland-area men who tried to kill protected hawks and other raptors, has
introduced a bill to make their crime a felony that would carry tougher
fines and prison time.

The men were leaders of a local group that raised an unusual and expensive
breed of pigeon. They admitted trying to trap and kill wild raptors that
bothered their birds. One told an undercover agent how he trapped hawks and
suffocated them in garbage bags.

Citing public anger over the crimes, prosecutors sought fines of $10,000
against two of the men. But U.S. District Judge Ancer Haggerty sentenced
each to pay $4,000 -- a $2,000 fine and another $2,000 to a fund at the
Oregon Zoo that helps pay for wildlife projects.
 <http://ads.oregonlive.com/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.ads/www.oregonlive.com/xml/story/lc/lcen/@StoryAd?x>

DeFazio said the fines were far too light, especially considering that
Oregon takes animal abuse crimes seriously.

"I was absolutely outraged about what these people were doing, and they're
just getting a slap on the wrist," DeFazio said.

In a letter to colleagues seeking support for his bill, DeFazio said
Congress should take action against the killing of raptors just as it moved
to restrict dog fighting after a high-profile case involving National
Football League quarterback Michael Vick.

Crimes involving the killing of birds of prey are violations of the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act but are classified as misdemeanors and result in
only small citations, DeFazio wrote.

"Like the recent horrific practice of dog fighting and the subsequent
congressional response, it is time that Congress act to give the federal
government expanded authority to prosecute and punish violations of the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which protects raptors and birds of prey like the
peregrine falcon."

He described the Oregon cases and estimates by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service that roller pigeon hobbyists in Oregon and California joined in the
illegal killing of up to 3,000 birds of prey a year.

"Even the most egregious violations have resulting in nothing more than
slaps on the wrist, a fact in evidence in the October sentencing of the
roller pigeon club members," DeFazio wrote.

Roller pigeons are known for a genetic trait that causes them to suddenly
stop flying and tumble through the air before righting themselves. Wildlife
experts say that often attracts raptors such as hawks and falcons looking
for an easy meal.

DeFazio's bill, House Resolution 4093, provides penalties of as much as a
$50,000 fine and a year in jail for the intentional killing of migratory
birds and as much as a $25,000 fine and six months in jail for other
violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Prosecutors would have
discretion to prosecute violations as misdemeanors.

Oregon's three other Democrats in the House -- Earl Blumenauer, Darlene
Hooley and David Wu -- and Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., have signed onto
DeFazio's bill as co-sponsors.

DeFazio said he expects more co-sponsors.

"I think there should be a bipartisan sense of outrage over this. I don't
know who would apologize for this kind of behavior."

The next step for the bill will be a hearing.

Michael Milstein: 503-294-7689; michaelmilstein@ news.oregonian.com. For
environment news, go to http:// blog.oregonlive.com/pdxgreen

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