Here you go......
Fish & wildlife pulled the item off their agenda. California Fish & Wildlife to consider coyote hunting ban
Legislators‚ Farmers‚ Hunters Stop Misguided Coyote Rule
Megan Dahle
Senator‚ 1st District sent a letter to F & W
All too often‚ it can seem like Sacramento just doesn’t listen to the voice of the people. I’m happy to celebrate when loud voices force them to back down on a bad idea.
The California Fish and Game Commission was set to consider a rule requiring permits to hunt or trap coyotes—a rule that would have made it even harder for farmers‚ ranchers‚ and homeowners to protect their animals. Coyotes have always been a “non-game species“ under state law‚ and adding more red tape would have been a disaster for those dealing with livestock losses and backyard attacks.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has thrown up many more hurdles in the path to obtain a “depredation permit“ to control other predators in recent years‚ costing property owners much more time and money when they simply want to protect their own animals. We don’t need to make it even harder.
What’s more‚ the Commission was ready to take up this idea after holding initial meetings with barely any public notice. Our open-government laws are clear that the public must be informed and have a chance to speak up before these important decisions are made. That just didn’t happen here‚ and that’s a key reason Assemblywoman Heather Hadwick and I wrote
a letter to the Commission saying they needed to pull the item off their agenda. On Wednesday‚ the Commission did just that.
I appreciate the farmers‚ ranchers‚ hunting groups and others who also spoke up against this misguided policy. Together‚ we made Sacramento listen.
Let’s keep fighting together.
Megan Dahle
Senator‚ 1st District