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This message is being forwarded to Tweeters (by Dan Victor) because the
original sender is *not* subscribed. Please copy this email address
with any responses : mailto:marven at home.com

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 11:19:10 -0800
From: D Marven <marven at home.com>
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
marven at home.com