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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2006)
The INDEPENDENT, September 21, 2006 Do cougar hunts reduce attacks? Does sport hunting moun- tain lions reduce attacks on people and livestock? State wildlife agencies across the American West must re-examine their moun- tain lion management strate- gies, following a study released August 7, by the Mountain Lion Foundation. Although wildlife agencies often argue that sport hunting is necessary to reduce moun- tain lion attacks, the study found no evidence to support this belief. The study compared the rel- ative numbers of mountain lion attacks on people and livestock in states with mountain lion sport hunting to the number of attacks in California – a state without mountain lion sport hunting. “If sport hunting actually re- duced attacks,” said Christo- pher Papouchis, conservation biologist and author of the study, “then states with sport hunting should have had rela- tively fewer attacks than Cali- fornia. That was not the case.” The study found there were fewer attacks on people and livestock in California than in many states where lions are sport hunted, relative to num- ber of people, livestock and square miles of mountain lion habitat. Further, the study found Cal- ifornia kills the fewest mountain lions of all states with viable mountain lion populations. California’s hunting ban pro- vided an excellent case-study, under real-life situations over a period of 34 years, to examine the relationship of sport hunting to attacks on humans and live- stock, according to the study’s author. While the study’s author and mountain lion conservation ad- vocates acknowledge this study cannot absolutely “prove” that sport hunting is not an ef- fective conflict-reduction strate- gy, they argue the evidence certainly forces wildlife agen- cies to look for proven strate- gies. “From this point forward,” says Lynn Sadler, president of the Mountain Lion Foundation, “any state agency that claims sport hunting is anything more than the random shooting of mountain lions for fun will have to prove it.” The full study can be found at www.pumaconservation.org. The Mountain Lion Founda- tion is a national non-profit wildlife conservation and educa- tion organization, dedicated since 1986 to Saving America’s Lion™. The Mountain Lion Foundation is a leading authori- ty on the conservation of moun- tain lions and their habitat. Be prepared From page 7 paredness Month events on the Citizen Corps site, at <www.citizencorps.gov>.” The “Are You Ready” guide is also available from FEMA’s publications warehouse by calling 800-480-2520. FEMA manages federal re- sponse and recovery efforts following national incidents. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Se- curity on March 1, 2003. National Preparedness Month 2006 is a nationwide ef- fort sponsored by the U.S. De- partment of Homeland Security to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools. National Prepared- ness Month events and activi- ties are voluntary. DHS is not financially obligated to any Na- tional Preparedness Month Coalition Member. Page 17 Did You Know… By Chief Mathew Workman Vernonia Police Department I want to thank everyone w h o came out to sup- port the Police, Fire, and EMS during the Silent Parade on 9/11. The support means so much to all of us and the fact that we are not the only ones who will never forget that fateful day in our history. I would en- courage everybody to be mind- ful of the sacrifices so many people have made to keep our country free and safe. The first topic I want to ad- dress is that of service dogs. A recent question was raised that I did not have a complete an- swer to, but I was fortunate enough to get a complete an- swer from a local resident. Some important points about service dogs to remember are: they are allowed in all busi- nesses and public places, the handler is liable for the animal’s behavior, not all service dogs are the same and are used for a variety of disabilities or serv- ices, the type of leash or vest will vary from program to pro- gram, not all programs certify or provide certificates, busi- nesses are not allowed to ask for credentials or to ask about handler disabilities. Service dogs are quite com- mon in the larger cities but can and will be seen in the rural W illiams M etal F ab Custom Fabrication & Welding All Metals Including Stainless Steel & Aluminum Portable W ELDING A VAILABLE 5 0 3 - 4 2 9 - 84 3 1 17819 Noakes Rd., Vernonia, Oregon cities like Vernonia. If you see a service dog do not try to pet or talk to it. Service dogs are “al- ways” working. A service dog may be watching or sensing their handlers for seizures or other signs. Any distraction will inhibit their abilities. Make sure your children understand what a service animal is and why they should not distract them. For more information you can visit the link on the VPD web- site under “Service Dog Infor- mation.” The last item I want to ad- dress is the topic of lottery let- ter scams. A Vernonia resident recently received two lottery scam letters. The letters were from the “British” and “Swiss Random Lotto’s” and included a check written to the citizen. The letter advised the check was to help the citizen with paying “clearance fees” in or- der to later receive $75,000. The winners need only to de- posit the check into their bank account then send the clear- ance fees to the lottery office. The office would then send the $75,000. The checks looked real enough but US Bank ad- vised they were not real and were not valid account num- bers. In the end, the citizen would be out the clearance fee, out the deposited check, and the scammers would have all of the bank account information! Remember there is rarely “easy money” and never through mail lotteries that require money to be sent in by the winner. Be smart and use common sense.
