June 18th Fundraiser for NYC AC&C / Rational Animal donating advocacy merch for event

Rational Animal will provide Trails to Tails maps and Orange Ribbon for Animals merchandise at AC&C Fundraiser, June 18th

Contact sbrandt@rational-animal.org if you want to help us give out our Trails to Tails and Orange Ribbon for Animals merchandise.

Full details at TastingNYC - click here.

Date: Friday, June 18, 2010

Time: 6:00pm - 11:00pm

Location: BLVD, 199 Bowery (btwn Spring St. and Rivington)

Drink Special: $5 Bud/Bud Lights and $5 wine!

Admission: FREE!

BLVD is dog-friendly!

If you're on Facebook, click here:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128556493826163

The event is co-hosted by one of the top names in New York radio, Maria Milito of Q104.3. C

heck out Maria's blog.

PEARL JAM FUNDRAISER FOR RATIONAL ANIMAL MAY 20-21 DURING THEIR 2 NIGHT STINT AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN!

Since Eddie Vedder helped Rational Animal raise funds by selling concert t-shirts at a Pearl Jam and Buzzcocks concert at Madison Square Garden in 2003, the Wishlist Foundation (a Pearl Jam fan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization) continues to support Rational Animal's work by hosting pre-concert fundraisers to celebrate Pearl Jam's two night stint at Madison Square Garden.

Please join us May 20 AND May 21 from 2-6PM

at Irish Times Pub

31^st Street between 7^th & 8^th Avenues NYC

Attendees will be able to make donations of clean linens, unopened pet food and gently used, non-destructible dog toys. For financial donations, fans will receive items like Pearl Jam inspired t-shirts, posters, wristbands, mouse pads and ticket albums and can enter a raffle to win fan-donated Pearl Jam memorabilia. There will also be a silent auction that features autographed items donated by band members!

Photo of Eddie Vedder and rescued dog Celo featured on his tshirt by Rick Edwards

Contact sbrandt@rational-animal.org with questions.

National Feral Cat Day - TODAY October 16th, EVENTS THIS WEEKEND

It is National Feral Cat Day!

Recognized nationally by Alley Cat Allies

Events going on in New York all weekend and beyond...

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Please remember the people that work tirelessly to PREVENT the births of unwanted litters of cats around the country.

Consider donating to a rescue group that does TNR services -- this is one of the best ways to bring the feral cat population down and prevent abuse and the needless killing of animals.

A message from Alley Cat Allies:
"National Feral Cat Day (NFCD) is your opportunity to help protect and improve the lives of cats around the county!
We know how much you care about cats and want to help protect them. Now you can celebrate NFCD by reaching out to others with the message that feral cats are healthy and happy outdoors and that Trap-Neuter-Return improves cats' lives. Get involved and show your support for stray and feral cats by distributing educational materials or hosting local events like workshops, fundraisers, or special neuter clinic days."

In New York City, the NYC Feral Cat Initiative is celebrating their work and the work of others dedicated to TNR and changing the harsh stereotypes of feral and homeless cats.

EVENTS THIS WEEKEND

TONIGHT
Friday, October 16, 2009

Feral For Life in Brooklyn:
6:00–10:00 pm
Washington Commons, 748 Washington Ave. (between Park Place and Sterling Place).

More Info: Contact lulumomma@gmail.com, or visit the Feral for Life web site: http://www.feralforlife.com/2009/10/national-feral-cat-day.html.

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TOMORROW

Saturday October 17, 2009

Feral Cat Winter Shelter Building Workshop, Demonstration & Sale (CLOSED FOR RESERVATIONS)
Noon–12:30 pm
Shelter Building Workshop & Demonstration
1:00–2:30 pm – Pick-Up Pre-Built Shelters
South Ozone Park, Queens (address will be sent upon RSVP)
In honor of National Feral Cat Day and New York Week for the Animals, come and learn how to build a winter shelter for feral cats! You can observe a demonstration for free, or you can pay a discounted fee of $60 to participate in the workshop. The fee covers all necessary provided materials. We'll walk you through the construction process (and do all the drilling), and you can take your new shelter home that day. If you'd prefer, you can instead order a discounted pre-built shelter for $60 ($10 off regular price) and pick it up that day. If you are not able to transport your shelter home, we can arrange to have it delivered for free (for a limited number of people).
Sponsors: NYC Feral Cat Initiative, ASPCA
More Info: Contact the NYC Feral Cat Initiative at events@NYCFeralCat.org.

SATURDAY & SUNDAY
October 17 & 18, 2009

Adopt-a-Cat
10:00 am–5:00 pm

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street, Manhattan

This year's Adopt-A-Cat will be held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, in tandem with the AKC/CFA's Meet the Breeds event. Adopt-A-Cat is one of the major events in New York City during the first annual New York Week for the Animals. Don Loprieno, author of The Stony Point Whisker Club, will be signing copies of his book on both days and donating a portion of his book sales to the Mayor's Alliance.
More Info: Contact the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals at (212) 252-2350 or info@AnimalAllianceNYC.org, or visit http://www.animalalliancenyc.org.

Seminars and courses on TNR and managing feral cat colonies continue year-round. Check here for details.


And just out this week: Crazy Cat Ladies, an interesting and informative article by Kiri Blakely, a reporter for Forbes and ForbesWoman, and also long-time volunteer with KittyKind.

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If you are blessed enough to have a cat, dog, or other companion animal in your family, give them some extra love this weekend and please spread the word about the importance of spaying and neutering. Animals are not property to be discarded or garbage to be kicked aside, but until there are no more homeless animals roaming our streets, the voiceless innocent animals are at risk of injury, abuse, and death. We are obligated to care and to do something, because we, humans, are the ones who have contributed most to creating and perpetuating this problem.

Loving animals is good for the soul... Love an animal today and help educate others on how to help animals and combat overpopulation.

Investigative reporting on the NYCHA breed ban and lowered weight restriction

An exclusive investigative report for Rational Animal's media partner, New York Tails:

New York City's Pit Bull Problem, and Why You Care

Writing and Reporting by Courtney Kistler

Edited by Diane West

Large dogs are a common in New York City's projects, but a new provision may change that. Residents and others speak out about how this new law will change, or has already changed, their lives and the lives of their dogs. But citywide, New York City's already overburdened shelter system may feel the effects of a flood of these now 'banned' dogs being surrendered by New York City Housing Authority residents (NYCHA) who fear of losing their apartments.

East River Houses resident Samuel* walked his two Rottweilers, 'Addy' and 'Nelson', from 105th Street and First Avenue to another nearby development, the George Washington Houses, one recent summer afternoon. Once there, he let the two large, seemingly tame dogs off their leashes for some exercise in the courtyard. Almost immediately, a woman begins arguing with him. She is afraid of the dogs and demands Samuel put them back on their leashes.
Samuel refuses. His dogs have never hurt anyone, he tells the angry woman, and they're under control. After a few more minutes of arguing she walks away cursing.

"I can't win," Samuel shrugs. By his own admission, he is an intimidating sight. Six foot five, dark skinned, tattooed, and flanked by two large dogs, he says he's an 'easy target' for both public housing residents and police officers alike.
"Kids as young as ten years old, looking to become Crips or Bloods, flash red or blue bandanas and threaten to 'blast' me because they think I'm a cop. And the cops? They think I'm fighting my dogs and doing other bad things, and they won't leave me alone."
Add to the kids and the police one more group who will have Samuel and other public housing residents under a more watchful eye-The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).

On May 1st, the Housing Authority, which is responsible for overseeing some 178,489 apartments throughout five boroughs, imposed a 25-pound weight limit on family dogs, almost half of the 40-pound weight limit instituted seven years ago. Additionally, the new rule specifically bans pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Doberman Pinchers from public housing, period. Residents may either have one pet dog or one pet cat but not both. All pets living with public housing residents must be registered with NYCHA. And, like all dogs in the city, they must also be licensed.

Dangerous Dogs

The new weight and breed rules do not apply to service dogs or to residents of Section 8 subsidized apartments, which NYCHA does not manage. But those who have had dogs over 40 pounds since 2002 and did not register them with the housing authority at that time may now face eviction. Some residents have already been told to remove their dogs.

"Over the years, we had been getting an increasing number of complaints about problems associated with dangerous dogs; dogs that are used for fighting, dogs that are attack dogs, and dogs that are not being handled and trained properly by their owners," says NYCHA spokesman Howard Marder when asked what prompted this latest change.

Many New Yorkers, NYCHA and non-NYCHA residents alike, were taken aback by the public housing authority's seeming haste to put the new weight and breed bans into effect. In addition to some initial glaring missteps, like the publication of a list containing the names of 27 so-called 'dangerous breeds' (which included the likes of Boston Terriers) the new rules seemed to contradict a New York State law which has long prohibited state municipalities from making laws which ban the ownership of specific dog breeds. To that, Mr. Marder says, "NYCHA is not a municipality. Therefore the rule does not apply." However, he says, NYCHA met with city animal advocacy organizations prior to implementing the new rule because "we didn't take [this] change lightly."

Residents, Animal Groups Taken By Surprise

"In no way shape or form did they [the Housing Authority] consult with us prior to coming up with this list, and we categorically reject breed discriminatory legislation," says an angry Jane Hoffman, President of the Mayor's Alliance For NYC's Animals and founding member and Chair of the NYC Bar Association Committee on Legal Issues Pertaining to Animals. "They only put out a notice to their tenants about a month before May 1st, and it came to our attention when residents started calling us in a panic."

The Mayor's Alliance and other city animal rescue organizations have a strong interest in the potential repercussions of NYCHA's weight-and-breed ban. Since its founding in 2002, the Mayor's Alliance has been the recipient of millions of dollars in grant money from Maddie's Fund, a national animal rescue fund created by software developer David Duffield in memory of the family's Schnauzer, Maddie. The Mayor's Alliance anticipates spending (and raising) a total of $24.4 million by 2016 to help reach their stated objective: reaching the day "when no New York City dog or cat of reasonable health and temperament is killed merely because he or she does not have a home."

"We are concerned from a policy standpoint, as we're trying to make New York a no-kill city," Ms. Hoffman says "We knew this [NYCHA] policy would cause an increase in shelter intake and the 25-pound weight limit would make it difficult for public housing residents to adopt from Animal Care and Control (AC&C). Seventy percent of dogs who come into the shelter system, according to the AC&C website, are pit bulls--one of the three breeds now banned from NYCHA projects.

It is impossible to say exactly how many animals have already ended up at the AC&C, the city's animal shelter system, as a result of the new NYCHA rules. But if early predictions are correct, the number of dogs turned in could be substantial.
According to Debora Bresch, ASPCA's Legislative Liaison in Government Relations, six percent of all dogs available for adoption from the AC&C were adopted by public housing residents between January and April 2009, a total of about 172 dogs. Under the May 1st NYCHA rules, 107 of these 172 dogs - over 60% - are not supposed to be there, making them prime candidates to be returned to the city's shelter system.
Early attempts to discourage city housing residents from surrendering their animals before knowing what their rights are under the new rules include the distribution of a memo in several languages at each of the city's shelters. (The English version of the memo can be accessed here:

www.animalalliancenyc.org/ press/memo2009-06-08-English.pdf ).

There were 4,656 dogs and 1,264 cats registered as pets of housing authority residents when the May 1st policy went into effect but, Mr. Marder says, NYCHA did not keep records of them by breed. However, he says, NYCHA will use its "limited resources to address lease violations such as this as well as all other lease violations or Quality Of Life infringements or crimes as it is made aware of them."

Pitbulls in the Projects

Public housing residents are among the first to admit pit bull fighting and animal abuse are common within certain housing projects and must be stopped. But several interviewed for this article feel the new NYCHA rule is too broad and unfairly affects people and pets who never have, nor would, do anything criminal with animals.

One of those fighting against NYCHA's new pet rule is 26 year-old Marquis Jenkins, community organizer for a tenant advocacy group called the Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES). Mr. Jenkins has been circulating and gathering thousands of signatures for a petition against the new policy. At the crux of his efforts is a request that NYCHA "halt any and all evictions in association with the [new] pet policy".

Supported by Councilwoman Rosie Mendez, Chair of the New York City Council's Subcommittee on Public Housing, Mr. Jenkins asserts that nearly all the dog owners that have joined the fight against the policy with GOLES have received a letter from NYCHA-- the first step of the eviction process. Some have refused NYCHA management's request to remove their pets. Their next step is to schedule a hearing at the NYCHA head offices at 250 Broadway.

Back uptown at the George Washington Houses, 70 year-old resident Gladys and her seven year-old pit bull, "Dream", say they've had run-ins with NYCHA long before the May 1st rule went into effect. When Dream was still a puppy, Gladys says, a resident complained to the Housing Authority that Gladys' dog was vicious. Gladys found herself not only having to prove allegation false in order to keep Dream, but to keep her apartment as well.
"So I took pictures of her playing with people, with children, and I got a petition, because all [the] people are crazy about her." Eventually, NYCHA ruled in her favor. A public housing resident for 38 years, Gladys says she's received a written notice in the mail regarding the pet policy change but is unconcerned. Dream is registered, spayed, with vet certification, and although over 40 pounds, is exempt from the weight limits because she is considered a type of service/ therapy dog for Gladys.
Gladys says she took Dream as a four-month old puppy from her niece, because "I didn't want her to fall into the wrong hands. My niece was being offered hundreds of dollars for this puppy." People willing to purchase Dream at such a large price, she believes, were looking to either breed her or use her for fighting - or both.

Gladys' friend, Moncit*, agrees. She's witnessed firsthand what she believes were people training dogs for fighting. "Last Summer, right there," Moncit recounts, pointing to a large tree in the courtyard, "is where I saw a rope hanging. A pit bull was holding onto it with his jaws, swinging from this rope, while a man was whipping it with his belt over and over again.

"This used to be a breeding ground for pit bulls," says Marietta, who has lived in public housing for 52 years and currently lives at the Washington Houses. Up until about two years ago, she says, the problem was easy to see. "They used to fight dogs wherever - it did not matter. In the street, on the sidewalk, right here in this yard," she says. She is standing in front of the same area Samuel had let his Rottweilers run earlier that day.

The housing authority's ban on pit bulls and other breeds often favored by dog fighters does have some unlikely supporters, however. One of them is Emelinda Navarez, a life-long resident of the South Bronx and founder of Earth Angels Canine Rescue. Over 45 years, Ms. Navarez estimates she's rescued over 6,000 pit bulls in and around her neighborhood. Another is Stacy Alldredge, a Chelsea resident who has a dog training business and has worked at animal shelters as well as been involved in animal rescue for more than two decades. Both Emelinda in the Bronx and Stacy in Chelsea think the NYCHA ban on pit bulls may be the right thing to do.

Other advocates, who don't support the ban, nonetheless acknowledge there is a problem, problems which have not necessarily ceased since implementation of the new policy. On July 8th, police called to check out a disturbance at the Stanley Isaacs Houses East 94th Street shot and killed a pit bull during the melee, according to a Daily News report. Weeks later, a 19 year-old boy was arrested for throwing a young pit-bull mix off a roof in Brooklyn's Red Hook housing development. And on September 29th, a trial will begin against seven men who were arrested during a police raid of an East 179th Street building where the basement and yard was allegedly used to carry out an organized dog fighting operation. (See the homepage for the NYC Anti-animal Fighting Campaign (

http://stopdogfightingnownyc.wetpaint.com) for more details.)

As residents have attested, there is no doubt that mistreatment, recklessness, and irresponsible behavior when it comes to animals in public housing take place and causes quality of life issues. Whether or not the NYCHA ban on pit bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, and dogs over 25 pounds will put a damper on these things, which have created the problems that Mr. Marder says residents have complained about, remains to be seen. As the 90 day grace period has just past, New York Tails will keep a close eye on NYCHA's enforcement of its new policy and its effect on the city shelter system, as well as progress by those who are part of the effort to repeal the rule.
As for Addy and Nelson, just a few weeks after being interviewed for this article, Samuel relinquished the pair to Manhattan AC&C on 110th Street, saying that he is trying to save up money to move away from New York and cannot do so while also providing for the animals. Luckily, the pair were removed from the shelter by a Rottweiler rescue group and eventually found a new home in Vermont.

* Only first names of public housing residents have been provided to protect their privacy.

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Life is the Pits -- The NYC Pit Bull and Pit Mix Rescue Meetup

By Laura Osanitch

Chelsea resident Amy Calmann, adopted her pit bull 'Patti Smith' from the New York Center for Animal Care and Control in 2003. She became so enamored of her warm and wiggly new friend she created the NYC Pitbull and Pit Mix Rescue Meetup, a group where pit bull owners could come out of the canine closet and show their love for their breed of choice. Today, 586 happy members gather all over the five boroughs.

Meetup member Cris, who requested her last name be omitted, joined the Meetup partly in response to comments made like that of a former boss, who noticed her dog's picture on her desk and chastised her for owning a pit bull. Shocked, Cris still remembers her eyes watering up as she hid her precious pet's photo in a drawer.
"It hurts my feelings when people react so angrily or frightened towards my dog, whom I love," Cris says, who was thrilled to meet likeminded people through the Meeutp.

Other members feel the same way. Ingrid and Francisco Rodriguez of Bushwick adopted their pit bull, 'Blanco' in September 2008. Abandoned, Blanco was in need of a hero, and the Rodriguez's answered the call. Since adopting 'Blanco', however, Ms. Rodriguez says she's found herself in situations she never bargained for, including what she describes as "thugs expressing their admiration," for her dog and a "dicey" bodega employee who, upon sighting Blanco, released a mistreated pit bull from a basement in what Ms. Rodriguez thinks was an attempt to incite a fight. The Rodriguez family is glad to have found the Pit Bull Meetup, where they feel they can make friends and create positive experiences for their precious pooch.

Jon Bozak, author of graphic novel, Demo-The Story of a Junkyard Dog, is also a member of the NYC Pitbull Meetup and is the owner of two pit bulls; 15-year-old "Demo" and two-year old "Brinx." Mr. Bozak says his dogs and his book have served as a catharsis for his views on many issues, including judgment on appearance. He suggests: "People today are short on time and can't be faulted for forming fast opinions. But they should learn what they are forming opinions on. Be open to discussion."

Slow Improvement Seen in Regulation of Carriage Horses in NYC

Slow Improvement Seen in Regulation of Carriage Horses in NYC

New York Times, City Room
September 21, 2009
Jennifer Lee

City oversight over horse-drawn carriages has improved since an audit two years ago by the city comptroller’s office, but the two agencies that oversee the business have acted too slowly in putting reforms into effect, a new report has found.
The new report, from the office of Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr., is critical of the two agencies: the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, which is responsible for the well-being of the animals, and the Department of Consumer Affairs, which licenses the horses, drivers, carriages and stables.
In the new assessment, the comptroller’s office found that the two departments implemented 7 of the 11 recommendations made in the 2007 audit, including a key one that to create an advisory board first proposed two decades earlier.
However, it found that the Health Department had acting too slowly on the recommendations made by the advisory board and for failing to find new ways, other than tagging, to identify horses. Effective identification is considered important in keeping track of the horses and ensuring their safety.
The horse-drawn carriage business, while modest in its size, has generated fervent protests. The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages wants the business to be outlawed in New York City, as it has been in other metropolitan areas around the world. A 2008 documentary, “Blinders,” which some people criticized as being selective in its use of evidence, documented some of the problems in the business.
Fueling their arguments is the continual drumbeat of accidents, including one over the weekend, in which a horse-drawn carriage and a taxi collided on the Upper East Side when the cabdriver reportedly suffered a seizure.
The new report did find signs of progress since the last audit. For well over a year, for example, the Department of Consumer Affairs has completed the required inspections of every carriage on schedule. There are currently about 200 licensed horses, 280 licensed drivers and 70 licensed carriages. Nearly all of them operate in or around Central Park.
One of the ongoing issues is how a method other than tag numbers can be used to identify working horses. The 2007 audit found a startling inconsistency: the paperwork for at least 57 carriage horses described different animals from year to year, including changes in color and sex, while the license numbers did not change. The advisory board recommended the use of microchips, a practice that has been adopted in other cities.
However, the Health Department responded that the main problem is a requirement in the city’s administrative code that horses to be branded on their hooves. Until that is changed, the department said, the city cannot being requiring the use of microchips to identify the horses.
The Health Department said on Monday that its commissioner, Dr. Thomas A. Farley, was “following up on the work of his predecessor,” Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, and that Dr. Farley had “received the recommendations of the Rental Horse Licensing and Protection Advisory Board and is reviewing” them.
Carolyn Daly, a spokeswoman for the Horse and Carriage Association of New York, said, “The industry has always been committed to implementing stronger measures to ensure the safety of our drivers, horses and passengers. We appreciate the Mayor’s office intensive efforts over the last two years to review all operations and issues and look forward to real improvements being implemented soon.
However, animal-rights activists said nothing short of a ban would be sufficient.
Dan Mathews, a senior vice president at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which is part of the coalition to ban the carriages, said in a statement:
"The comptroller’s audit shows that the city is incapable of even addressing the ongoing problems with the carriage horse trade, much less enforce the weak regulations that exist. After 25 years the city is still trying to figure out how to identify horses properly so that drivers don’t illegally double-shift them. They don’t even touch on other issues, such as compelling drivers to keep the horses in stables when freezing weather or violent storms are forecast, or to document the many accidents involving horses that don’t make news. We hope this report convinces the city to go the way of Paris, London, Toronto and Beijing and conclude that big city traffic and easily spooked large animals don’t mix. The horse-drawn carriages need to be banned outright."

NYCHA new pet policy investigation leads to chance meeting of an unexpected history

NYCHA new pet policy investigation leads to chance meeting of an unexpected history.

Over the last couple months, I have been interviewing many people living in public housing, and whether they have pets or not, every individual I've spoken with has an opinion about the latest revision to the Housing Authority's "pet policy", which was first made public via appearing on the last page of The Housing Authority Journal, April 2009 issue.

An investigative story incorporating first hand experiences and feedback from residents in various housing developments, from East Harlem to the Lower East Side, this story has allowed me to meet people I never would have had a conversation with before, because I never would have had a reason.

Last week I happened upon a woman named Regina. A resident of the George Washington Houses, Building E, she has a 7 mo. old pit bull named Sparks, who is registered as a service dog. She also has a cat and a rabbit, but her cat just had three kittens. Disappointed to hear this, I realized she was another animal lover who did not fully understand the importance of the various housing rules, including mandatory spay/neuter. But for some reason, that was a side thought in the conversation, as she told me about how she was on the cover of National Geographic, for a piece by journalist, Jere Van Dyk, titled "Growing up in East Harlem".

The story came out in May 1990, so nearly 20 years ago. Although she now has lupus and arthritis, she still exudes a lot of energy and has very strong opinions about animals and humane treatment of them. I don't mean to sound cheesy or cliche in my remarks -- I certainly wish she would neuter her pit bull and stop her cat from having more babies. It wasn't my place, for the purpose I was trying to achieve that day, to say my opinion. It didn't matter at that point, nor did it with any of my conversations with these residents.

In fact, I asked very few questions and just listened to her, as she also told me about a cat she and other residents take care of. I don't know what this cat's name is, so I just refer to him as Survivor Kitty.

This cat was actually a stray and a victim of cruelty, when some kids -- residents of Regina's building, though they are long gone -- wrapped a lot of rubber bands around his tail, forcing the hair to fall out. The same kids, Regina told me, threw fireworks at this cat, and one exploded near his face, blowing off a part of his mouth. Although these injuries are horrific, the cat is strong, now at least 15 years old (but who's counting). Regina and others I met that day feed the cat, let it inside to the basement in the Winter, and protect him from others. Regina made it very clear to me that she would not tolerate any cruelty in her neighborhood. If she saw it, she said, she'd have to 'kick some ass', as she put it.

As I watched the cat eat some food a couple older residents opened and put out for him, Regina said she had to go to the store, and she left.

Only after this conversation did I research and finally see the cover photo -- of her cradling a puppy. It all made sense!

I looked high and low and finally tracked down a back issue I could order and have shipped to me. I plan to return to Regina's building and show her the cover. I think it would bring a smile to her face. Maybe that would be my in to talk about spaying and neutering...

The piece has become more layered than I anticipated, which is exciting. Should be out in a couple weeks. I certainly feel rewarded for having had the close interactions I did with so many different people. It's a tough economy -- and who am I to complain when I'm talking to some people who have very little. Aside from the assignment and my quest to find out not only how people feel about pets in housing, the rules or if they know what they are, and the way animals are treated by the good and not so good people, I only take interest in what is going on in their lives, because I know nothing about it but feel it matters if I am to be an informed writer and New Yorker.

Bloomberg wants to gas the geese: Urban Wildlife Coalition bringing protestors together; Kinship Circle with ways to get your voice heard

From the Urban Wildlife Coalition...

ASK THE PORT AUTHORITY to STOP this SENSELESS KILLING.

Join us and various animal groups to speak out and PROTEST on Tuesday, June 16 to Stop Mayor Bloomberg from Gassing to Death thousands of GEESE in NYC.

PROTEST:
Where: Port Authority Headquarters – 225 Park Avenue South (between 18th and 19th St.) When: Tuesday, June 16th Time: 12:00PM - 2:00PM

This premeditated heinous killing is very much characteristic of what Mayor Bloomberg's tolerance and support of animal cruelty is all about. He's always saying that public safety comes first at the expense of wildlife but he never thinks or looks into peaceful non violent life affirming solutions at all for animals and the public at large. He never shows respect for any animal species because he never wants to save the life of any animal. His draconian thinking is unacceptable and intolerable.
He's very gun-ho on solving any animal issue with the gun. The FAA has stated that it was MIGRATORY BIRDS and not resident geese that brought down UA AIR 1549. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 is never enforced and enacted either and these birds need protection also. The resident geese are molting and are going to be gassed to death at their their most vulnerable time.

Interested in protesting? Here's all the details:
Where: Port Authority Headquarters – 225 Park Avenue South (between 18th and 19th St.)
When: Tuesday, June 16th
Time: 12:00PM - 2:00PM
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From Kinship Circle:
NYC To Kill 2,000 Canada Geese, June-July 2009
Please send a few e-mails today!
New York City is contracting with the USDA to kill Canada geese from about 40 parks, wastewater treatment plants, and city properties within five miles of JFK and LaGuardia Airports. Articles dated 6/12/09 say roundups are to begin by Monday, 6/15/09. The killing is to occur through July.
The organization GeesePeace has researched this extensively and proposes a plan for non-lethal geese population control which involves oiling the eggs to prevent hatching and then using repellents and landscape modifiers to dissuade geese from inhabiting key areas.
You can see the full plan on their website: http://www.geesepeace.org/integratedsolutions.html

Send some e-mails, and faxes, and make some phone calls. A sample letter is reprinted below. For the City Council and USDA, we have e-mail addresses below - cut and paste them into your e-mail. For some contacts, like Mayor Bloomberg, we only have a web form, so you'll need to fill out the form at the sites indicated below, or, better yet, send a fax and make a phone call!

Contact:

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
City Hall; New York, NY 10007
ph: 311 (or 212-788-3000 outside NYC); fax: 212-312-0700
web form [300 word limit]: http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html

USDA-APHIS, Wildlife Services State Director
1930 Route 9; Castleton, NY 12033
ph: 518-477-4837; fax: 518-477-4899
Allen Gosser: allen.l.gosser@aphis.usda.gov
Martin Lowney: martin.s.lowney@aphis.usda.gov

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey
225 Park Avenue South; New York, NY 10003
ph: 212-435-7000; InspectorGeneral@panynj.gov
web form: http://www.teb.com/feedback.php

NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
avella@council.nyc.ny.us, baez@council.nyc.ny.us, brewer@council.nyc.ny.us,
comrie@council.nyc.ny.us, ecrowley@council.nyc.gov,
deblasio@council.nyc.ny.us, dickens@council.nyc.gov,
emdilan@council.nyc.ny.us, mathieu.eugene@council.nyc.gov, felder@council.nyc.gov, jferreras@council.nyc.gov, LFidler@council.nyc.gov,
foster@council.nyc.ny.us, garodnick@council.nyc.ny.us,
jgennaro@council.nyc.gov, vgentile@council.nyc.gov, agerson@council.nyc.gov,
gioia@council.nyc.ny.us, gonzalez@council.nyc.ny.us,
Ignizio@council.nyc.ny.us, rjackson@council.nyc.gov, ljames@council.nyc.gov,
katz@council.nyc.ny.us, okoppell@council.nyc.gov, lappin@council.nyc.gov,
liu@council.nyc.gov, mviverito@council.nyc.gov, martinez@council.nyc.ny.us,
darlene.mealy@council.nyc.gov, rmendez@council.nyc.gov,
kmitchell@council.nyc.gov, nelson@council.nyc.ny.us,
palma@council.nyc.ny.us, recchia@council.nyc.ny.us,
rivera@council.nyc.ny.us, jsanders@council.nyc.gov,
seabrook@council.nyc.ny.us, sears@council.nyc.ny.us,
vacca@council.nyc.ny.us, avann@council.nyc.gov, weprin@council.nyc.ny.us,
twhite@council.nyc.gov, yassky@council.nyc.ny.us

Sample Letter (but please use your own words!)

Dear Mayor Bloomberg, Port Authority of NY & NJ, and USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services State Director:

I oppose New York City's plan to kill up to 2,000 Canada geese this summer. Please implement non-violent ways to safeguard airplanes from collisions with birds. I hope public outrage will convince you to cancel this misguided initiative.

The recently formed NYC Wildlife Hazard Management Steering Committee to Promote Aviation Safety within the Metropolitan Area should devise a better solution than mass killing. I urge Mayor Bloomberg, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, and the USDA-APHIS-WS State Director to employ non-lethal management of Canada geese. A sweeping eradication shows no long-term commitment to reduce flock growth.

When geese are killed without modifying landscapes and waterways that attracted them in the first place, replacement geese soon fill the void.

There are seven GeesePeace chapters in New York. All specialize in population stabilization and site aversion. GeesePeace relies on integrated strategies that are long lasting. They demonstrate how to recruit and train community volunteers to find nests, addle/oil eggs, use repellents and other applications on a scale that solves conflicts with resident Canada geese.

It is particularly inhumane to ambush geese when molting and flightless. Yet that is how goslings and adults will be trapped on municipal properties surrounding Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.

Communities nationwide have successfully used non-violent tactics to significantly reduce flock growth. I urge airport biologists, elected officials, and the Port Authority to ramp up bird-radar and scare tactic programs at airports - but leave the killing out of it.

Thank you,
(your name)