Subject: [Tweeters] Re: a troubling chapter
Date: Jul 18 09:24:58 2005
From: Mike Patterson - celata at pacifier.com


The Endangered Species Act, the migratory bird treaty, etc.
all place restrictions on the possession of animal parts,
including feathers. Technically, speaking one is not allowed
to possess any feathers from any native bird species.

The practical part of these laws is that they remove the
"It was already dead when I found it" defense. If the ban
is total, law enforcement officials don't have to fuss with
sorting out traffickers from tourists.

There is considerable pressure from the "you-know-whos" to
"fix" these inconvenient animal protection laws and the way
do it is by making it seem like the laws are unfair to regular
innocent folks picking up a stray feather. Curiously, when
the laws are "fixed", they end up protecting folks who would
profit from deregulation.

In 30+ years of birding, I have never heard of anyone being
fined for having an "illegal" feather stuck in the visor of
their car. Some have been confiscated, but no fines. There
was a big deal in the news a few years back about a person who
was making "dream catchers" from collected feather who got busted,
but they went after her because she was selling a product that
included these feathers.


Subject: a troubling chapter
From: "carenp" <carenp AT totalise.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2005 08:52:10 -0700

"...The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act says that anyone who so much as
collects a fallen eagle feather off a forest floor could face as much as a
year in jail and a $5,000 fine..."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-eagles18jul18,0,3358803
.story?track=tothtml

00 caren



--
Mike Patterson
Astoria, OR
celata at pacifier.com

Beginner's Luck.... on the science and serendipity of finding stuff
http://www.surfbirds.com/blogs/mbalame/archives/002787.html