Lisa Jablow is a longtime animal advocate and a board member of Protect Our Wildlife and the Windham Disaster Animal Response Team. Bray's bill (S.258) was passed by the Senate and died this session in the House Committee on Environment and Energy.
BRATTLEBORO-The wildlife advocacy movement has never been stronger in Vermont. Over the past few years, the State House has been bustling with bills seeking to improve wildlife protection and conservation, thanks to a completely dysfunctional, intractable, and self-serving Fish & Wildlife Board.
At this point, the only route to positive changes for wildlife is through the Legislature.
While I am thankful to live (at least for now) in a democracy, the process of passing legislation is plagued by massive disinformation from lobbyists who work for trappers and hunters, causing distrust in the process.
Just as we see on the national level, this is a threat to democracy in Vermont.
Being fact-based and credible is important to wildlife advocates, but that is much less of a priority for the opposition.
One of the sponsors of the wildlife conservation bill, S.258, Sen. Chris Bray (D-Addison District), addressed the bill being misrepresented by the opposition at the start of a hearing this year.
Because animal advocates want to make the world better for everyone, whether they have skin, scales, fur, or feathers, we seek to minimize conflict and are willing to make concessions to keep some forward momentum.
We know one thing for certain. Whatever we propose will generate pushback from the sportsmen's groups because they operate in the slippery slope realm, not on solid, rational ground.
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There have been repeated attempts over the years to stop, or at least to limit, certain especially egregious activities perpetrated against Vermont's wildlife.
In 2018, wildlife advocacy groups, led by Protect Our Wildlife, actually managed to ban coyote killing contests. That was a win for coyotes, but there are still multiple ways in which they are literally hounded, tormented, brutalized, and killed.
This is not unlike what happens to coyotes and wolves out West, exemplified by the recent case of the wolf who was injured, duct-taped, and tortured by a hunter in Wyoming. Vermont's eastern coyotes share wolf DNA and are treated just as horribly.
S.258 offered relief for them by ending the practices of hunting coyotes with hounds (aka coyote hounding) and luring them (and countless other animals) with bait piles. Another benefit of this bill is that it would have made several crucial changes to the insular and self-serving Fish & Wildlife Board.
The bill would have been sensible and fair, even after being weakened in the Senate Natural Resources Committee to satisfy some who were opposed to it.
Then it happened. The hunting and trapping lobby began an intense pressure campaign, rooted in disinformation and fearmongering.
We are used to hearing about how we are infringing on sacred traditions (although we're unaware of any tradition of hunting coyotes using radio-collared hounds from pickup trucks) and interfering with the freedom to pursue their way of life. But now we went from being a huge annoyance and a bunch of "bunny huggers" to the great oppressor.
The very people who have held all the power over wildlife governance for decades claim to be unfairly targeted and discriminated against simply because S.258 seeks to invite marginalized voices to the table.
Vermont political strategist Kevin Ellis recently referred to this pushback as another incarnation of "Take Back Vermont."
He's not wrong.
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This would almost be laughable if it weren't so utterly tragic.
A bill that promises better democracy, diversity, and embracing disparate and marginalized voices is accused of the complete opposite by those who have held all the power for decades. With all of the real oppression and victimization of so many different people, this rhetorical hijacking is shameful.
It is the tactic of a schoolyard bully who beats up a classmate and, when confronted by an authority figure, gushes crocodile tears and points at the other kid, saying they took the first swing.
We might expect that of a child, but in grownups, including people like former Sen. John Rodgers, this behavior is reprehensible.
Since they cannot debate the merits of the bill, they cry injustice. The irony in that is not lost on me and many others.
So, while those in power cling to the good ol' boys club, using every argument they can muster, the majority of Vermonters are learning about these privileged special interests and are joining the fight for democracy and inclusion.
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