PLEASE CONTACT NEW JERSEY U.S. SENATOR ROBERT MENENDEZ.

WILDLIFE AND FEDERAL LANDS ON THE ROPES! HR 3590, THE SO-CALLED "SPORTSMEN'S HERITAGE AND RECREATIONAL ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2013"

Massive NRA power grab has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives, is supported by Democrat leaders pandering to NRA in the U.S. Senate, and is on Senate "Consent List"

ACTION: PLEASE CONTACT NEW JERSEY U.S. SENATOR ROBERT MENENDEZ ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18 and after...

Senator Menendez has a superb record in voting for wildlife protection. The powerful Senator is a steadfast opponent of the "Sportsmen's Heritage" power grab.

1. Please thank Senator Menendez for his wildlife protection stance, and

2. Ask him to actively dissuade Democrat colleagues from supporting HR 3590.

Phone: 973.645.3030

Fax: 973.645.0502

Webmail: Click on "Contact My Office" on the top right

THE ISSUE

READY FOR U.S. SENATE VOTE

HR 3590, an omnibus bill promoted by gun, archery, and equipment manufactures, vastly increases hunter/trapper access to public land and ties the government's hands in restricting poisonous lead shot.

Previous bills have met with defeat in the U.S. Senate. But not this year: Democrat leaders are bowing to NRA pressure and supporting the legislation. The shooting industry and its government partners in federal and state wildlife bureaus have identified hunter access to public and private land as the key to retaining paying clients.

The bill has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives. Ominously, it is listed on the "Consent List" in the U.S. Senate.

WHAT HR 3590 WILL DO

1. Open millions of acres of protected federals lands to hunting and trapping. Federal  Wilderness Areas will fall to sport hunting and trapping. National Parks will be open to "volunteer" hunters, ostensibly for "management" purposes. The gun lobby has already gained "access" to hundreds of millions of acres of federal lands, including the National Wildlife Refuge System, where hunting is now a "primary use."

2. Prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from halting the use of lead shot. Spent lead ammunition poisons millions of animals annually, impacting bald eagles, golden eagles, cranes, ducks swans, loons, and geese, among others. Many die a painful death from lead poisoning, while others suffer for years from its debilitating effects. According to the Center for Biological Diversity: "In the United States, an estimated 3,000 tons of lead are shot into the environment by hunting every year, another 80,000 tons are released at shooting ranges, and 4,000 tons are lost in ponds and streams as fishing lures and sinkers -- while as many as 20 million birds and other animals die each year from subsequent lead poisoning."

3. Allow trophy hunters to import polar bears killed in Canada prior to listing of the species as threatened with extinction. This cynical provision allows hunters to circumvent existing protections. Importation has long been pursued by Safari Club International. the small but powerful trophy hunter group partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

With this legislation, hunters, a shrinking minority, will obtain the "whole enchilada" -- preferred "access" to virtually all remotely huntable federal lands; immunity from federal regulation of toxic substances in our environment, importation of endangered trophies. All with the help of the U.S. Congress.

ACTION: PLEASE CALL NEW JERSEY U.S. SENATOR ROBERT MENENDEZ ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18.    Senator Menendez has a superb record in voting for wildlife protection. The powerful Senator is a steadfast opponent of the "Sportsmen's Heritage" power grab.

1. Please thank Senator Menendez for his wildlife protection stance, and

2. Ask him to actively dissuade Democrat colleagues from supporting HR 3590.

Phone: 973.645.3030

Fax: 973.645.0502
Webmail: Click on "Contact My Office" on the top right

Susan Russell, Co-Director