9/16/2005

From: alra@governance.net
Subject: Call Your Congressman Monday and Tuesday // Help Fix The ESA

Land Rights Network
American Land Rights Association
PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604
Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973 
E-mail: alra@landrights.org or alra@governance.net 
Web Address: http://www.landrights.org 
Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003



Call Your Congressman Monday and Tuesday // Help Fix The ESA

Don’t fail to do your part.


House Resources Committee To Vote On ESA Wednesday September 21st. 

You can make a difference -- Help Fix The Endangered Species Act


*****You’ll love the new bill.  It is greatly improved over the first June draft. 


*****Call Your Congressman Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 19-20

You May Call Any Congressman At (202) 225-3121


Here Are Some Suggestions For What You Might Say:

-----1.  I support and want you to pass the Pombo ESA Update bill.  Here are some additional reasons:

-----2.  Landowners, ranchers and businesses who lose property rights under the Endangered Species Act should be properly compensated.

-----3.  Recreation advocates, hunters, fishermen and off-highway vehicle users should not have their access cut off by the Endangered Species Act.  There should be no net loss of recreation access.

-----4.  I don't want to lose all property rights improvements in the Pombo ESA bill by insisting on fixing everything wrong with the ESA in one bill.  

-----5.  The future of conservation lies in establishing an entirely new foundation for the conservation of endangered species - one based on the truism that if you want more of something you reward people for it, not punish them.  Incentives work better than penalties.  

-----6.  Voluntary incentives should be available to landowners and businesses to encourage and compensate them for maintaining habitat for endangered or threatened species.  

-----7.  I support an effort in Congress that will fix the ESA.  I understand it may take several steps with more than one bill over a year or two to reach this objective.  It makes sense that all the necessary changes are not likely to pass in one piece of legislation.

-----8.  I want to support property rights advocates in Congress to get the best deal we can get for farmers,  business and landowners.  I do not support an all or nothing approach that could save no landowners.

-----9.  The Act must require a plan to recover species before the species is listed.  The ESA doesn’t require such a plan.  Listing species just hurts landowners unless there is plan in place to actually recover species and protect landowners.

----10.  The updated ESA should reaffirm the "takings clause" of the Constitution that ensures citizens just compensation for the taking of private property.

----11.  Species should be managed using "best available scientific information", habitat should be designated after a recovery plan is in place and there should be extensive coordination with local and state governments before listing a species.

----12.  Economic impacts and benefits should be considered before the designation of critical habitat so we do a better job of recovering species without endangering the livelihoods of American families.

----13.  Protecting habitat should require an economic impact statement that accounts for the impact on landowners and communities.




Action Items:

-----A.  Call your Congressman at (202) 225-3121 to support Chairman Pombo and his bill to fix the Endangered Species Act.   Also any other Congressmen with whom you are familiar.  


-----B.  Print out a copy of the ESA Testimony Questionnaire at www.landrights.org   Fax it to the House Resources Committee at:  F(202) 225-5929


-----C.  Call five friends to urge them to call.


-----D.  Please forward this message as widely as possible.




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