The Montana Trap-Free Public Lands Initiative, I-177, has qualified for the November 8, 2016 ballot!!

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Exposing the Big Game

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE….June 30, 2016

CONTACT

TIM PROVOW,tprovow@gmail.com;406-360-6332

CONNIE POTEN,406-274-4791,rattlefarm@gmail.com

 The Montana Trap-Free Public Lands Initiative, I-177, has qualified for the November 8, 2016 ballot.  Montana Trap-Free Public Lands is a ballot initiative committee based in Missoula and supported by volunteer coordinators statewide. Volunteer and hired signature gatherers gathered more than 24,175 qualified signatures required for the ballot.

Members of Footloose Montana, a non-profit corporation supporting trap-free public lands, formed the ballot initiative committee.

Montana Trap-Free Public Lands missed qualifying a similar initiative in 2010 by about 1,500 signatures.   I-177 will end commercial and recreational trapping on public lands.  People, pets and wildlife will be free of indiscriminate, hidden and baited traps.

Trapping to protect livestock and property, for health and safety will continue if non-lethal methods have tried and failed.   Trapping for wildlife management such as reintroduction and medical needs are…

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Published in: on July 5, 2016 at 11:05 am  Comments (19)  

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  1. On July 5, 2016 at 11:42 am Anne said:

    The Attorney General’s summary of I-177:

    I-177 generally prohibits the use of traps and snares for animals on any public lands within Montana and establishes (***MISDEMEANOR for criminal penalties for violations of the trapping prohibitions…misdemeanor???). I-177 allows the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to use certain traps on public land when necessary if nonlethal methods have been tried and found ineffective. (***Yes, by all means, we trust the DFW ***-101%. Who will tell us if nonlethal, whatever that means, methods have been tried. Ahh, that’s right…DFW!) I-177 allows trapping by public employees and their agents to protect public health and safety, protect livestock and property, or conduct specified scientific and wildlife management activities. I-177, if passed by the electorate, will become effective immediately. (***Trapping…still…by idiots who have intentionally expanded their grazing acres to include the territory in which the wolves already inhabit.)

    Please, am I reading the above wrong? “IF IT READ” I-177 read: “Prohibits the use of traps and snares for animals.”, THEN that would be a good thing.

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    • On July 5, 2016 at 12:35 pm ahimsaforever said:

      I don’t think you’re reading it wrong. A misdemeanor is too lax but probably the best they could do. Then there is the issue of enforcement–finding and punishing the guilty. As for using nonlethal methods, do they have to use ALL nonlethal methods and how will the public know? I’m grateful for these initiatives but also skeptical. Sometimes when laws are actually passed, the opposition gets its own campaign going and gets them overturned.

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  2. On July 5, 2016 at 2:38 pm Raven Catherine Feher said:

    The Ravensong Group symbol should be included in supporters. Do you need us to resend?

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  3. On July 5, 2016 at 3:23 pm Mirella Wyant said:

    Leave the Wolves alone. Trapping us very cruel. Woles have the right to be free.
    No trapping no killing wolves. This is bull shit.
    We are not living in the 18th century anymore.
    So let the wolves run free, period.

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  4. On July 5, 2016 at 3:36 pm Aileen Norton Swift said:

    see Women Who Run With The Wolves. They too are an endangered species. Do some research and you will come to understand how very important wolves are to the topography.
    ~ aileen: of the norton swift family

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  5. On July 5, 2016 at 4:21 pm Dorene Hendricks said:

    For Christ sakes stop this insane bull shit and protect what left of our wildlife before you doom us all. We need the wolves for balance of our Eco system

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  6. On July 5, 2016 at 4:58 pm Timothy Hartman said:

    Stop killing our animal life, the wolves are part of the Eco system and deserve respect and the right to live freely just as we do!

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  7. On July 5, 2016 at 4:59 pm Timothy Hartman said:

    I leave a second comment the same as Mirella Wyant did….”Leave the Wolves alone. Trapping us very cruel. Woles have the right to be free.
    No trapping no killing wolves. This is bull shit.
    We are not living in the 18th century anymore.
    So let the wolves run free, period.”

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  8. On July 5, 2016 at 5:00 pm Timothy Hartman said:

    As Mirella Wyant said “”Leave the Wolves alone. Trapping us very cruel. Woles have the right to be free.
    No trapping no killing wolves. This is bull shit.
    We are not living in the 18th century anymore.
    So let the wolves run free, period.””

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  9. On July 5, 2016 at 5:38 pm Mark Mansfield said:

    Many practices carried out on behalf of the heavily subsidized* ranching/livestock industry, which has overgrazed and destroyed, and continues to overgraze and destroy our public lands with virtual impunity, or carried out under the rubric of “wildlife management” (who was “managing” nature’s shop before these cushy-salaried agents began draining taxpayer dollars?) would otherwise be prosecuted as animal abuse and cruelty.

    Since April 2015, the FBI upgraded animal abuse and cruelty (have you ever witnessed an animal, once trapped?) to a Class A Felony. Class A. Of course, trapping will NEVER be prosecuted as anything more than a misdemeanor in Montana, if that, and compassionate Montanans should count themselves lucky indeed if traps and snares are even prohibited on public lands at all.

    The rancher- and hunter-infested DFW will still find ample cause where absolutely none actually exists to trap because that’s how the DFW rolls — especially to protect livestock so that it may roam about along with its welfare cowpokes to do further irreversible ecological damage on as wide a scale as possible.

    Good luck with I-177 — talk about David and Goliath.

    * “The federal grazing subsidy is even larger when all costs to the taxpayer are accounted for. Indirect costs for LIVESTOCK grazing include portions of different federal agencies budgets, such as the USDA Wildlife Services, which expends money to kill thousands of native carnivores each year that may threaten LIVESTOCK; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which expends part of its budget for listing species as threatened or endangered resulting from harm by LIVESTOCK grazing; and other federal land management agencies that expend money on wildfire suppression caused by invasive cheat grass that is facilitated by LIVESTOCK grazing.” (Emphases added.)

    Livestock, livestock, livestock — notice a pattern here?

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  10. On July 5, 2016 at 5:52 pm Laurie Tabor said:

    Wolves are essential for a balanced ecosystem.

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  11. On July 5, 2016 at 11:13 pm geri perry said:

    yes. federal lands belong to all of us. I wish we could stop the ranchers influence on government officials to harm or kill wolves and coyotes. all wildlife needs protection. there is enough room on this earth to share with all wildlife

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  12. On July 6, 2016 at 12:08 am Jim & Suzanne Kowalsky said:

    I recall you describing him in Montana and have this visualization, wondering if he’s available for hire? Sounds like their initiative is only as strong as plausible but filled with those damn loopholes just like the federal law against aerial hunting with all the exceptions for “management “purpsoes. But real progress and good to know this is not just a localized sentimemt here and there. Maybe it’ll get traction. Such as the Indian reservation where ? where trapping is also being challenged.

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  13. On July 6, 2016 at 3:17 pm dlober said:

    Stop the wolf torture you lowlifes!!!

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  14. On July 6, 2016 at 7:46 pm Cathy Van Doren said:

    Stop trapping wolves!

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  15. On July 10, 2016 at 11:28 am Lisa McQuarrie said:

    Any kind of trap should be illegal, snd destroyed. Every single company that makes, distributes or sells any traps should be boycotted.

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  16. On July 13, 2016 at 4:29 am Joseph said:

    This is a great start but in order for this to really be effective we have to have to remove the hunter/rancher dominated wildlife agencies with non commercial responsible ecologists that employ non lethal methods or the DFW will surely find loopholes to employ their lethal methods and the cruelty will continue.
    We must replace these hunter/rancher dominated agencies or at least balance out these low life’s with real conservationists or nothing will change…time for the 93% of the non hunting public to step up and institute this change and stop letting a mere 7% of the hunting lobby to control our wildlife heritage. Lets get it done!

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  17. On July 15, 2016 at 8:54 am Matthew said:

    As a wolf lover I say We need to stop the trapping and save them! They can’t speak up for themselves, WE ARE THEIR ONLY VOICE!

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  18. On July 25, 2016 at 10:48 am Dorene Hendricks said:

    This is so sick.we need the WOLVES for our on human survival.stop this senseless killing.

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