Chuck, Like most issues, some common sense needs to prevail here. First of all, the professional birding guides I know (some of them mentioned in this e-mail chain included) are for the most part, highly ethical and have a deep passion for birds and wildlife conservation in general. Obviously, if someone is using a fishing rod with a plastic mouse to lure an owl in time and time again, making it expend valuable calories, they need to be stopped. However, using some baiting methods, provided they are not used repeatedly on the same owl in the same area, again, some common sense needs to come into play. Regardless of what anyone says, professional guides can and do help spread the word of conservation by giving people the opportunity to see wildlife in their native habitat (for the record, I have never made a dime on showing anyone a bird or other wild creature). The more that see, the more that care.
If this became a black & white issue, then technically, all bird feeding, building wildlife ponds, planting bird friendly trees, shrubs, etc. and putting out any nesting structures could conceivably qualify as baiting. I think the birding community as a whole, is pretty damn ethical and weeds out the few that are not. Like the reason for most laws being written, they are for those few bad eggs (pardon the pun) in the group that ruins it for all others. I agree with Mike that this law needs to be re-written. On a total side note, my family and I were in Hudson, Wisconsin this past weekend, attending a hockey tournament. Behind our hotel, there was a small retention pond. My son came to me, wanting to show me where a goose nest was. As I was walking there, I noticed a large amount of garbage surrounding the pond (no doubt some was in the pond as well). I found a large plastic bag and started filling it. I found another and filled it as well. Before long, some of the boys on my son's team pitched in, along with the janitor of the hotel. In an hour, we removed 5 bags of garbage, most of it plastic, from the perimeter of the pond. I would encourage everyone on this list to do the same, as now is the best time to do so, before everything greens up and hides the filth. Uwe Kausch Duluth -----Original Message----- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Chuck Cole Sent: Monday, April 14, 2014 3:45 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [mou-net] Luring Owls might be Illegal in MN NO Mikes posts ALWAYS contain promotion of his commercial services and are for no other apparent purpose. > -----Original Message----- > From: Fr. Paul Kammen [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Monday, April 14, 2014 3:37 PM > To: Chuck Cole > Subject: Re: [mou-net] Luring Owls might be Illegal in MN NO > > I appreciate this post. I realize people will take different opinions > on it, but Mike raises some very good points. As a photographer and > birder, I do not want to face harassment as a number of people have > due to some self-appointed conservation officers in the field > declaring themselves the guardian of owls. > > I have already contacted my local representative who said he would > work on amendments to get this language removed, and he agreed with me > that it was a bad idea. So at least that is one no vote. > > MOU is not-for-profit, and I do not feel Mike was promoting himself - > rather he was alerting users to a political issue as the session winds > down. I feel we can have a civilized discussion on this, and do feel > that it unfairly targets photographers and birders who use calls and > could have unintended consequences. > > Thank you, Mike, for this post. > > Regards, > Fr. Paul Kammen > On Apr 14, 2014, at 3:28 PM, Chuck Cole <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I think I am looking at the big picture: all commercial > baiting and luring > > practices should be stopped as professional naturalists clearly and > > repeatedly say. > > > > Your commercial exploitation of the MOU list should also be stopped. > > > > You only post in order to promote your commercial "guiding" > and always > > include ads and links for that. > > > > Isn't this a NOT-FOR-PROFIT list and organization? The > true not-for-profit > > groups and their activities are easy to accept, but your > efforts are not. > > > > Your efforts here show that you are ONLY a commercial > exploiter, not a > > naturalist or part of a not-for-profit group. > > > > > > > > _____ > > > > From: Michael Hendrickson [mailto:[email protected]] > > Sent: Monday, April 14, 2014 1:59 PM > > To: Chuck Cole > > Subject: Re: [mou-net] Luring Owls might be Illegal in MN NO > > > > > > Chuck: > > > > > > You will have to include all the guides such as Kim Eckert, > Erik Bruhnke, > > Sparky Stensaas, Frank Nicoletti and all the folks at > nature centers that > > lead owl prowls plus state employees at state parks that > lead walks that use > > tapes to lure in owls for the people to view or listen to. > > > > > > You have to look at the big picture Chuck. This also > includes citizen > > science projects like owl censusing that uses play back > tapes to lure owls > > to sing or have the owl fly towards the person who is > censusing owls at > > night. The amendment doesn't allow them to use inanimate > objects to lure > > owls. > > > > > > Just trying my best to give you a broader sense of how this > poorly written > > bill effects a lot of people not just photographers. > > > > > > Mike > > > > > > > > On Mon, Apr 14, 2014 at 1:47 PM, Chuck Cole > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Voting YES to prohibit all forms of baiting seems best for > the birds and > > other wildlife. Supporting such improper techniques for > "guides" seems > > especially bad, and such "guides" should be branded and banned as > > undesirables. > > > > > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of > >> Michael Hendrickson > >> Sent: Monday, April 14, 2014 12:34 PM > >> To: [email protected] > >> Subject: [mou-net] Luring Owls might be Illegal in MN > >> > >> Hello: > >> > >> This post in not intended to create a fire storm about feeding owls > >> on this listserv and my only intent is to just focus on section > >> about luring owls with inanimate objects. > >> > >> This game bill amendment went through the Ways and Means Committee > >> last week and is now sitting in limbo before the MN House of > >> Representatives acts on it. I am concerned about the part where it > >> says a person may not intentionally lure or feed an owl in the wild > >> with any animate or inanimate object, food or animal. In my > >> opinion a inanimate object could be a tape player, a smart phone > >> with iBird Pro application on it or a portable CD player. If HF > >> 2852 gets voted as written, then all paid birding guides, state > >> park employees doing public owl tours and hikes, any nature center > >> employee or volunteer leaders will no longer be able to use any > >> inanimate object to lure an owl in to view the owl species or > >> educate the public on > >> owls. That means any night time owl census works in the > state of MN > >> during the spring months that is using call back tapes to get an > >> owl to respond might be in violation as well IF the owl you are > taping flies > >> towards you (intentionally luring). To use an inanimate object ( > >> any sound devices ) you might have to get a permit to do so. A > >> petty misdemeanor has a fine up to $300.00 and the violation does > >> not go on your record. Petty misdemeanors are not crimes and its > >> like getting a parking ticket. > >> > >> I know for a fact that IF this amendment is passed it will > effect all > >> night time bird walks through out Minnesota (owl prowls) and paid > >> birding guiding tours where leaders use sound devices (inanimate > objects) to > >> intentionally lure an owl species to their group for > observation and > >> photos. On another note IF this amendment gets passed and made > >> into law, then you might be in violation if you are in the woods > >> and you respond to a Barred Owl during the spring months > >> (who-cooks-for-you) to intentionally lure the owl from its known > >> location to your location could be in violation of the law since > >> you are a animate object. Very confusing > amendment, > >> poorly written, waste of time and energy for our government > >> officials to spend on. > >> > >> Please write your local state representative and tell him/her to > >> vote no on this amendment. > >> > >> Minnesota HF 2852 > >> > >> Omnibus game and fish bill. > >> > >> Sec. 18. *[97A.346] PROHIBITION ON LURING OR FEEDING OWLS; * > >> > >> 8.2*PENALTY.* > >> > >> 8.3(a) A person may not intentionally lure or feed an owl in the > >> wild with any animate > >> > >> 8.4or inanimate object, food, or animal. A person in > violation of this > >> section is guilty of a > >> > >> 8.5petty misdemeanor. > >> > >> 8.6(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), a person may use > lures, bait, or > >> traps to lure > >> > >> 8.7or feed an owl: > >> > >> 8.8(1) while conducting scientific research under a federal or > >> state permit authorizing > >> > >> 8.9the collection of data, samples, or bird banding; or > >> > >> 8.10(2) while rescuing an ill or injured owl. > >> > >> 8.11(c) For the purposes of this section, "lure" means to > purposefully > >> attract a wild owl > >> > >> 8.12in an attempt to cause it to move from one location to > another and > >> "feed" means to put in > >> > >> 8.13place, in the presence of a wild owl, any living or frozen > >> animal or facsimile. > >> > >> -- > >> > >> *Mike Hendrickson* > >> > >> *Mike Hendrickson Guiding <http://mikehendricksonguiding.com>* > >> *Sax-Zim Bog <http://www.sax-zimbog.com>* > >> > >> ---- > >> Join or Leave mou-net: > http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > >> Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > Mike Hendrickson > > > > Mike Hendrickson <http://mikehendricksonguiding.com> Guiding > > > > Sax-Zim <http://www.sax-zimbog.com> Bog > > > > > > > > ---- > > Join or Leave mou-net: > http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > > ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
