8/3/98 Special Addition

Written by Greyhawk

This is a Nature Photography site and the welfare of all our photo subjects is relative to this site. Today I received word, on a birding news group, that some of my favorite subjects had been massacred by the "stupidity" of the city government of Carrollton, Texas. Please, oh please, Mayor Gravley of Carrollton, take me to court for calling you stupid. (Bring your lunch and be ready for a lot of big time national press interviews on camera.)

Folks, I am not going to make any further comments or this site will get an X rating !  Please read the copy of Mary Sara Fields posting. You should become as disgusted as I am and wonder who was getting what kind of profit from this unnecessary massacre. Mary has some very good ideas and your response will be appreciated by all of us that enjoy and try to preserve our natural resources for future generations.

From: Mary Sara Fields <MsBirdChat@email.msn.com>
Subject: Egret Rookery Massacre
Date: Sunday, August 02, 1998 8:20 AM

The city of Carrollton, Texas bulldozed an active rookery on Thursday, July
23 at 4:30AM. This rookery housed thousands of egrets, great egrets and
herons of various kinds. It took place on city property which had been
donated by Don Josey, father of Melissa Gribble, a federally licensed
wildlife rehabilitator.

A passerby said he thought it was smoke he saw under the floodlights, but it
was the circling of birds as they watched their home and BABIES being
destroyed.
This was the breeding season for all these species. There were young baby
birds in the nests that never had a chance to get out, they could not fly.
If they had waited just 2 months, the rookery removal could have been
possible with no loss of life, as the birds would have migrated.

All of the birds are migratory birds, and it is a FEDERAL OFFENSE to harm
them.

The Mayor and Council of Carrollton, supposedly did extensive studies on the
"rookery problems" and nevertheless ordered the destruction at the worst
possible time of year for the birds. The mayor, Milburn Gravley, is quoted
as saying:

"I think the Lord gave us an opportunity to take care of our own health and
safety, and he gave us the faculties to do that. He gave us these animals
to enjoy but not to overcome our health and safety."

MY QUESTION is "Which or Whose LORD is he talking about???? Not the Lord
Almighty, The Lord of Nature, or the Lord of Common Sense would ever have
approved the massacre of those birds.

Jane Mack, a city spokeswoman described the population as "filthy, dirty
birds that were not native to the area." HEY, JANE, That's why they are
called MIGRATORY BIRDS, and are Federally Protected!!!!!!

Some Texas Rehabbers were able to rescue approx. 200 birds as they and
others climbed thru all the rubble picking up the bodies of dead birds.
They filled up many garbage bags of little mangled bird bodies.

To date, the Federal Authorities indicate that NO permits had been requested
or issued to the City of Carrollton for the destruction of the Rookery or
the killing of the birds.

You can express your concerns on this issue:

letterstoeditor@dallasnews.com (Dallas Morning News)

Mayor Milburn Gravely and all city councilpersons:
City of Carrollton
1945 E. Jackson Road
Carrollton, TX 75006
(972) 466-3000

For further info and to send copies of your letters and support:
Darlene Munger
1111 Bolivar Street
Denton, TX 76201
(940) 243-0177
email: dgmunger@flash.net

YOU can also contact your local Fish & Wildlife** to let them know that you
are aware of the Carrollton Egret Massacre and want FULL ACCOUNTABILITY AND
HEAVY PUNISHMENT levied against Carrollton, and if possible against the
Mayor as an individual.

While many citizens showed up to express their outrage, many were also
concerned that the fines should not be paid by the taxpayers. HEY, THEY
ELECTED THOSE PEOPLE!

Carrollton, TX is an affluent area, and we need everyone to keep up the
pressure on Fish and Wildlife so there will no downgrading or negotiations
on the charges.
As the outrage continued, Carrollton had "an emergency city council meeting"
on Friday and decided THEY HAD MADE A MISTAKE! (Potential Federal charges
have them scared). They agreed to compensate the caregivers for the rehab
of the rescued and injured birds.

"As night fell over the second day of destruction, and remaining birds
returned to roost 200 yards away, the silence of the rookery was awesome and
haunting, as was the smell of death."
--
Mary Sara Fields, Bird Topic Leader
MsBirdChat@msn.com

___________________________________________________________________________
**A little follow up information !  Instead of your local fish and wildlife agency, you need to contact the " U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service", of the Interior Dept,.for the region involved. They are the ones that control, set the regulations and do the enforcing of federal laws. They investigate and turn their findings over to the Attorney General's Office, who decides whether to prosecute or not.  The regional office for the above massacre is ...   US Fish & Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 610069, Dallas, Texas, 75261-0069  Their telephone number is (972) 574-3254.
___________________________________________________________________________

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