Dear friends of wildlife,
Vermont Fish & Wildlife is hosting three public hearings on their plans for a (limited) 2018 moose hunt. The first one is happening this Monday, March 19th in Montpelier at 6:30PM! They were previously offering hearings in May, but recently sent out communications that the May hearings will only focus on deer.

From our friends at Vermont Wildlife Coalition:
"Vermont's moose population is in serious decline and it is at its lowest point in over a decade-now just some 1750 animals. And since 2010, the population has been below the state's minimum population goal of 3000 animals. Moose are facing serious threats ranging from winter ticks, to the brain worm parasite, to warming temperatures. Despite the population being in the "red zone" for the last eight years with no indicators of a rebound, the Vermont's Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) has advocated for annual hunts (in each of the red zone years) and those hunts have all been approved by the Fish and Wildlife Board (FWB)-the body authorized to make regulations and establish public policy over game species. Over 2,000 moose permits were issued over that same red zone period."

I have been trying to educate myself on this issue and have not heard one good reason why ANY moose -hunting permits should be issued this year, when the moose population is already below population goals. There simply is no reason to hunt them aside from pleasing hunters. I have respect for hunters and understand the traditional value and necessity of hunting in many situations, but when a population is already suffering, it makes no sense to further attack it.

Please mark your calendars to attend an upcoming meeting. If we won't speak out, who will?

Fish & Wildlife Moose/Deer Meeting Locations (6:30PM)

Monday, March 19 Montpelier High School, 5 High School Dr., Montpelier, VT 05602

Wednesday, March 21 Windsor Welcome Center, 3 Railroad Ave., Windsor, VT 05089

Thursday, March 22 Lake Region Union High School, 317 Lake Region Rd., Orleans, VT 05860

Action Steps (from Protect Our Wildlife):

1.) You can email Commissioner Louis Porter at Louis.Porter@vermont.gov and your Board rep found here and let them know that you're disappointed in their decision to allow a 2018 hunt and ask them to reconsider! Even if the # of permits being issued is small, there should be no permits in years when the moose population is under the state's minimum population goal. It makes zero sense to kill them when their population is low.

2.) Sign and share this petition urging Fish & Wildlife to suspend the 2018 hunt: https://www.change.org/p/vermont-fish-and-wildlife-department-time-to-suspend-vermont-s-moos[...]age

3.) Share this message with others and encourage them to get active.

Read more about moose, including talking points from PoW here: 1. Vermont's moose population is at its
lowest point in over a decade

now
estimate
d to be less than 2,000 animals, which is
well below
Fish &
Wildlife's own target population
of 3,000.
2. The foundational basis to hunt any species is that the species is at a
healthy state and robust enough to absorb the loss of individuals taken
through hunting. Over the last several years, the moose take has only
contributed to the further de
cline on the species.
Vermont Fish & Wildlife's
core rationale for any hunt is violated in their moose proposal(s).
3. The moose population is facing grave threats from winter ticks and a
warming climate (moose are highly sensitive to higher temperatures
). A
report commissioned by the NH Fish and Game Dept has projected that
NH may no longer have moose on the landscape by 2050.
4. The further reduction in the population through the current proposal
reduces the chances of people who simply want to SEE a m
o
ose. Why
does the D
epartment not consider wildlife watchers an important
stakeholder?
5. Vermont Fish & Wildlife
has stated recently that, " The intent of the
(moose kill) proposal is to allow controlled population growth."
That
strategy has failed year
after year after year
. It is time for a new strategy

a moratorium until such time as the population has reached its carrying
capacity of 3,000 animals. To emphasize further

this is not
about
stopping all future hunts,
but rather ensuring that we do ev
erything
possible now to protect a population in severe decline.
6. With such a suppressed population, individuals matter in terms of
genetic diversity.
All individuals matter in fostering genetic diversity that
may result in individuals better able to
survive the various threats.

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