I suppose many of you have read about the recent bust of an eagle-killer,
but here is the plaint of one of our Canadian neighbors about how little
effort is being taken to apprehend such people on Vancouver Island.

>> Subject: Eagle Article Follow-up
>>
>> A little follow-up on the illegal Eagle trade article Derrick on the
>> Island....
>>
>>
>> From: D Marven
>> Date: Wed Oct 31, 2001 7:19 pm
>> Subject: Bald Eagles
>>
>> Hi Birders and Nature Lovers
>>
>> Over the last 10 years i have fought long and hard for some sort of
>> control of illegal and shoddy hunting practices here in the Cowichan
>> Valley of Vancouver Island.
>> Countless times i have phoned and complained to our so called
>> Conservation Officers about the illegal shooting of Bald Eagles at this
>> time of year. At first the officers would say we'll look in to it, then
>> they used the excuse that it was not correct for them to enter our
>> natives peoples land and that the first nations now had there own
>> Conservation Officer.
>> Many times bags were found with eagle bodies, minus certain parts along
>> our local water ways. Many times i saw native youths heading down the
>> rivers with rifles in their hands, it seems that if your under a certain
>> age your not going to be charged with illegal hunting. There was letters
>> to the local newspapers by people who had actually witnessed the
>> shooting of Eagles, but again our so called protectors of wildlife did
>> nothing until now.
>> I live very close to the river and our first nations reserve and there
>> is not a week go by when at night you can't here rifle shots. This
>> supposedly is the easist time to shoot Eagles as they sit in their
>> roosting trees. It is estimated that upwards of fifty adult Bald Eagles
>> are shot each year here in the valley alone, so you can imagine what
>> numbers are being killed on the island in total.
>>
>> This has just come to a head with the charging and trial of one of our
>> local native band members who was found in the U.S.A. with Eagle parts.
>> When this native's residence here in the Cowichan Valley was searched it
>> was found to contain parts of upwards of "100 eagles" there was also "90
>> pairs of talons". Through investigations by the authorities in the
>> U.S.A. a storage locker was searched and it was packed with Eagle parts.
>> This native guy was found guilty and could face up to a measly 9 years
>> in jail and the good old Canadian authorities are not sure if he will be
>> extradited to face more charges here.
>> Millions of dollars are being spent trying to study and re-establish
>> Bald Eagles back into North America and yet the British Columbia
>> government of Canada are cutting back all aspects of it's enviroment
>> ministry including it's conservation officers.
>>
>> I'm not sure where it will all go from here, but i can only say that it
>> seems money is far more important than our natural enviroment.
>>
>> What is needed is a greater public awareness of what is going on here in
>> the Cowichan Valley and Vancouver Island and for the sake of the
>> majestic Bald Eagle if any of you out there have access to other chat
>> groups especially those in the U.S.A. where the Bald Eagle is their
>> treasured emblem, would you please do us here in the valley a favour and
>> forward this message.
>>
>>
>> Derrick Marven
>> Duncan
>> Vancouver Island
>> B.C.
>> Canada
>>
>>
>> --michael
>>
>> Michael Beck
>> Client Care
>> ACCPAC
>> 300-13700 International Place,
>> Richmond, BC, V6V 2X8
>> Tel: 604-207-3471
>> Fax: 604-207-3655
>> michael.beck at accpac.com
>> Corporate: www.accpac.com
>> Hosted Services: www.accpaconline.com
>>
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>>
>

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 253-879-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 253-879-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html