A Wisconsin bobcat caught in a steel jaw trap about to be killed. The Wisconsin DNR doubled the trapping season on bobcats in 2009, assuming a population of just 2200 bobcats in the state.

EQUAL rights for non-hunters in Wisconsin for 1st time!

Target:

Representative Spencer Black, Senator Fred Risser, DNR Sec. Matt Frank

Sponsored by:

Wisconsin Wildlife Ethic for Democracy for Wildlife Lovers

   Wisconsin has 2.3 million wildlife watchers who generate ten times the state and local tax revenue of hunters and trappers, yet who have never had a say in how Wisconsin manages wildlife and nature.  This taxation without representation has persisted for 75 years, with ZERO voice for the majority who do not hunt or trap our wildlife. Wisconsin has a Department of Natural Resources that is just a killing business, brokering wildlife destruction to a special interest hunting and trapping lobby, through their sole advisory group, the Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC). Hunters have delegates (360 statewide - 5 for each of the 72 counties); we who do not harm wildlife have none.
   Recognizing the well documented crisis in biodiversity, habitat loss, human-caused species' extinctions and climate change, we the undersigned silent sports citizens and living wildlife lovers, claim our equal rights and equal responsibilities by requiring the legislature to establish a GENERAL PUBLIC FUND and LIVING WILDLIFE BIODIVERSITY CONGRESS as a parallel organizational advisory structure. We will finally have fair representation when we can elect delegates, propose policy, and direct our taxes to projects that help our wildlife and ecosystems.
If hunters have the right to kill, we the non-killing majority have an equal right to steward our commonwealth, and protect and honor our wildlife.
   We the undersigned citizens of Wisconsin petition the legislature to democratize our governance of nature. We ask the legislature to establish this alternate Biodiversity Congress and general public fund for stewarding our most valuable commonwealth, nature and wildlife (ending management funded exclusively by killing licenses which denies democracy).
   Safe and transparent annual elections of delegates to represent us, under Wisconsin election law, will serve as a check and balance to the Department of Natural Resources, now solely advised by the WCC hunting/trapping lobby. They have co-opted power that should belong to all citizens.
   We petition the congress and senate to address this injustice now, and work together with us, in the progressive tradition of Wisconsin to insure democratic representation, a living world for future generations, and policies generating respect for all life.

   We, the undersigned, petition the congress and senate to draft and support legislation to create a Biodiversity Congress and general public fund for Wisconsin citizens who do not kill wildlife to have fair representation in wildlife and nature policy-making in our own state. For 75 years, about 7,000 hunters acting through their hunting lobby, the Conservation Congress, have proposed and decided wildlife policy exclusively for their sport and trophy killing. However, wildlife watching has evolved as the fastest growing outdoor activity, increasing at 8% per year, as hunter numbers decline. Now 2.3 million Wisconsin citizens (almost 4 times as many citizens as hunters) bring ten times as much revenue to the state and local tax coffers as hunters, yet we have ZERO representation for that taxation. We have never had our fair and equal rights to steward nature and help our wildlife. In this time of human-caused habitat loss, species' extinctions, and climate change, we claim our equal responsibility and right to participate in stewarding nature.
   An elected delegation in a parallel congress, a Biodiversity Congress, will be created to represent our concerns in a fair and transparent process under Wisconsin election law. This will give check and balance to the hunting/trapping lobby (Conservation Congress) that now exclusively dominates nature and wildlife policy-making for its own special interest agenda.
   All citizens should have fair representation for taxation, created and protected by our legislative representatives. We, the undersigned, petition you to address this injustice in a timely manner - now. 75 years of total special interest control is no longer acceptable.
Thank you for taking time to read this letter. I know that democracy and fair representation in stewarding our most valuable commonwealth, nature and wildlife, as well as a living world, are your utmost concern as well. We can work together to democratize nature governance in the progressive tradition of Wisconsin, and set a model for the country.

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We signed the "EQUAL rights for non-hunters in Wisconsin for 1st time!" petition!

# 217:

2:05 pm PST, Nov 20, Deb Schwink, Wisconsin

# 216:

10:18 am PST, Nov 17, Elisa Dolléans, France

# 215:

1:06 pm PST, Nov 9, Stefani Puett, Washington

# 214:

4:15 pm PST, Nov 2, Kristen Lamb, New York

# 213:

6:49 am PST, Nov 2, Helle Collin, Denmark

# 212:

5:15 am PDT, Oct 21, Furgeot Anne, France

# 211:

2:27 am PDT, Oct 18, Marie-france Zamblera, France

# 210:

2:26 am PDT, Oct 18, Patrick Prout, France

# 209:

2:26 am PDT, Oct 18, Caroline Prout, France

# 208:

2:25 am PDT, Oct 18, Name not displayed, France

# 207:

4:54 am PDT, Oct 17, Name not displayed, United Kingdom

# 206:

5:44 pm PDT, Oct 12, Simon Fayet, France

# 205:

5:44 pm PDT, Oct 12, Daniel Feret, France

# 204:

5:44 pm PDT, Oct 12, France Fayet, France

# 203:

8:16 am PDT, Oct 12, Stéphanie Rossenu, France

# 202:

6:42 am PDT, Oct 8, Annick Van noeyen, Belgium

# 201:

1:15 am PDT, Oct 8, Fabienne Lagneaux, Belgium

# 200:

5:02 am PDT, Oct 7, Nadine Lavallé, Belgium

# 199:

1:25 pm PDT, Oct 6, Pascal Vercknocke, France

# 198:

12:52 pm PDT, Oct 6, Paulette Begon, Belgium

# 197:

12:36 pm PDT, Oct 6, Name not displayed, France

# 196:

12:35 pm PDT, Oct 6, Danièle Dolleans, France

# 195:

7:38 am PDT, Oct 6, Vera Ponet, Belgium

# 194:

7:09 am PDT, Oct 6, Nicole Verbist, Belgium

# 193:

4:38 am PDT, Oct 6, VIER EVA, France

# 192:

8:50 pm PDT, Oct 5, PipperLea Nicol, Canada

# 191:

1:07 pm PDT, Oct 5, Sara Rod Pontrelli, Switzerland

# 190:

9:59 am PDT, Oct 4, Josy Canova, Switzerland

# 189:

9:59 am PDT, Oct 4, Josy Canova, Switzerland

# 188:

7:24 am PDT, Oct 4, NOEL Stephanie, France

# 187:

7:21 am PDT, Oct 4, Evelyne BONFILS, France

# 186:

7:03 am PDT, Oct 4, Sonja BONFILS, France

# 185:

6:32 am PDT, Oct 4, PERONNET Jean-Paul, France

# 184:

6:19 am PDT, Oct 4, Germain Puerta, France

# 183:

11:45 pm PDT, Oct 3, Severine Stockling,, France

# 182:

1:25 pm PDT, Oct 3, Forest Venkat, India

# 181:

1:10 pm PDT, Oct 2, Rhonda Trapp, Wisconsin

# 180:

5:24 am PDT, Oct 1, Name not displayed, Wisconsin

# 179:

8:17 pm PDT, Sep 30, Cheryl Simonds, California

# 178:

1:17 pm PDT, Sep 30, Jill Giencke, Wisconsin

# 177:

5:39 am PDT, Sep 30, Susan Shapiro, Wisconsin

# 176:

12:33 am PDT, Sep 30, Michele Quintric, France

# 175:

8:17 pm PDT, Sep 28, Maya Puerta, France

# 174:

12:16 pm PDT, Sep 28, Name not displayed, Wisconsin

# 173:

9:53 pm PDT, Sep 27, Elisabeth Karcher, France

# 172:

3:40 pm PDT, Sep 27, Nadia Davidovich, Argentina

# 171:

7:22 pm PDT, Sep 26, Karen Collins, Wisconsin

# 170:

12:15 pm PDT, Sep 25, Joni Moretti, New Jersey

# 169:

3:20 pm PDT, Sep 22, Chris Patrick, Canada
Chris Patrick

# 168:

3:20 pm PDT, Sep 22, Josie Chuback, Canada
Josie Chuback

# 167:

1:19 pm PDT, Sep 22, Name not displayed, Illinois

# 166:

9:22 am PDT, Sep 22, Carrie Mccoy, South Carolina

# 165:

7:24 pm PDT, Sep 20, Mari Dickson, Wisconsin
Trapping is, without a doubt, the cruelest form of disabling or killing an animal. Although this brutal means of capturing an animal has been in existence for centuries, I would like to think trappers have learned something about animal cruelty during the last couple centuries. Apparently not. My conclusion is trappers are impervious to the torture of animals. They are a disgrace to humanity!

# 164:

4:27 pm PDT, Sep 19, Barbara Sultan, Netherlands
Ask yourself if you have ever participated in proposing or setting policy on what species are killed or trapped in Wisconsin? Somebody is making those decisions. If you hike, bike, canoe, and photograph nature without violence, sign for your equal right

You can email carl1@merr.com to sign up for alerts. WE NEED HELP! We can do this only by networking to others to do a few simple things. The hunters care enough about keeping their exclusive power and killing to do them. Let's organize & netw

# 163:

1:50 pm PDT, Sep 19, Jennifer S., Nevada

# 162:

11:32 am PDT, Sep 19, Glenda Jasper, California

# 161:

8:50 am PDT, Sep 19, Diane and Syd Marcus, Illinois

# 160:

7:12 am PDT, Sep 19, Úrsula Aragunde Kohl, Puerto Rico

# 159:

8:33 am PDT, Sep 18, Love Animals Too, New York
First, Wisconsin, next the rest of the United States!

# 158:

8:01 am PDT, Sep 18, Glen Venezio, Puerto Rico

# 157:

11:31 pm PDT, Sep 17, Ben Anderson, Montana
bear-baiting has been cruel and unusual for a century. what'ls the matter with you guys?

# 156:

10:25 pm PDT, Sep 17, Sally Tully-Figueroa, Puerto Rico

# 155:

12:16 pm PDT, Sep 17, Kathleen Brabender, Wisconsin

# 154:

9:11 am PDT, Sep 17, Jeff Juel, Washington

# 153:

11:16 pm PDT, Sep 16, Noelle Cruz, California

# 152:

9:04 pm PDT, Sep 16, Name not displayed, Canada
LEAVE THE ANIMALS ALONE!!!! WHAT RIGHT HAVE WE TO DESTROY NATURE'S WILDLIFE?! BE RESPONSIBLE ADULTS AND LEAVE NATURE ALONE. LET OUR CHILDREN LEARN TO RESPECT OTHER CREATURES AND NATURE, NOT DESTROY THEM.

# 151:

7:34 pm PDT, Sep 16, Else Poulsen, Canada

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