Just this morning I was giving readers the low, low-down on the latest political midnight dealings that will result in the slaughter of over 1,100 deer and elk on Santa Rosa Island, part of the Channel Islands National Park.

Feinstein and fiendish friends flitted around the back rooms of Congress greasing a rider onto the Appropriations Bill in an attempt to repeal Duncan Hunter’s bill that gave protection to the elk and deer on Santa Rosa Island. Today, a release was issued to the press from Vail & Vickers chastising the efforts of Feinstein and friends.

A huge hat tip to the Newshound, J.R. Absher at Outdoor Life.

Vail family responds to latest Congressional action regarding welfare of Santa Rosa Island deer and elk

A Statement from Vail & Vickers

Yesterday’s sudden action to reverse legislative direction on the future well being of Santa Rosa Island’s deer and elk is disheartening.

It is unfortunate that Senator Feinstein and her colleagues would leverage their power to eradicate these healthy and magnificent herds. Instead of giving park visitors and the American public an open process, they acted in the dark of night to insert a legislative rider that is in violation of the House and Senate rules which were enacted earlier this year. With Senator Feinstein’s clout, it is disappointing that she has elected to force an outcome without input from the public, her colleagues and the family that currently owns and cares for the herd.

We wish that the Senator had engaged us in seeking a better, more common sense solution to a very real problem Vail & Vickers faces, one that we have attempted to discuss with the National Park Service for years: can we develop an option that allows the herds to remain in their habitat and results in no animals senselessly dying? Ironically, the current law (the so-called Congressman Hunter provision) does not extend hunting past our lease terms in 2011; all it does is protect the animals from extermination.
It seems that both current Congressional leaders and the media continue to ignore this basic fact while promoting Rep. Duncan Hunter’s unrealized intent of allowing military veterans future hunting privileges.

To put it politely, Congress’s current course of action is not in the best interests of these magnificent animals. To put it bluntly, the countdown to their demise begins if the President signs this bill. Let us be clear, next fall over 300 of these creatures will be
needlessly shot in accord with the terms of a legal settlement driven by extreme interests. This will continue for four years.

While some hope that this legislative rider will end this issue once and for all, they clearly do not understand the implications of overturning current law. We will continue to educate the public about the senseless slaughter now reinstituted by this rider and remain committed to protecting this herd from eradication. We remain willing to discuss a ‘winwin’ outcome for these animals that have called Santa Rosa Island their home since the 1920s.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this article check these out:

• Fall Senses
• Is This A Big Moose Or A Small Truck?
• Will The Endangered Species Act Get Some Changes?
• When Night Turns Into Day
• FWP Commissioner’s Comments, “Detrimental To Grizzly Conservation”
• Give Some Input To Vermont’s Deer Herd
• Guns Don’t Kill People, But Guess What Does?
• What Can Money Buy You? Hopefully Time In Jail
• Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show
• N.H. Fish And Game Director Updates Budget Woes

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!