4.1.05

Hi, All-

As you know, the nonprofit world is taking a hit right now, and RMAD is not immune. Although we’re keeping Chris employed close to full time, and managing through the efforts of our dedicated and inspirational volunteers to keep up with most of our existing commitments, we’re unable to afford to pay … me! And, therefore, I’m limited in what I can accomplish on a week-to-week basis.

Which is to say: I’m giving you another abbreviated week in review. And which also is to say: If you (1) have not yet provided a financial contribution to this fine organization, (2) are in a position to do so, (3) are in receipt of our weekly emails and are therefore aware of the amazing work we do and our uncanny ability to do a lot with a little: please go to https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr and make a contribution today. How can we change the world without you?

Weekly Announcements
I believe RMAD sent out no weekly announcement this week. We’re in a bit of a transition. I believe in the future we’ll send one email per week, with a wrap-up of the previous week’s activities and a list of announcements.

HealthCoop.org
We received a grant this week that will enable us to finish HealthCoop.org, a major RMAD veg’n project. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, and I’ll feel a little better about saying it this time: stay tuned!

Wildlife Crossing Bill
The Telluride Daily Planet article is appended to the end of this email.

Fur Protest
Ann Swissdorf reports: Thank you to all the folks who joined us this past Saturday and to everyone who makes it out every week. I couldn't do it without all of you. We handed out about 100 pieces of literature this week. That's great, considering people were reluctant to roll down their windows in the cold. Protesters received overwhelming support and honks from people driving by, while Marks Lloyds employees twiddled their thumbs inside, their mink coat sale a complete and utter flop. Hooray!

One Person Making a Difference
The work of our pal Erica Rambus was featured in a recent Longmont Times-Call article. See http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=959
for a great write-up and some refreshingly sympathetic coverage of the feral cat issue.

David Crawford, Executive Director
Rocky Mountain Animal Defense
2525 Arapahoe, #E4-335
Boulder, CO 80302
303-449-4422 / www.rmad.org

RMAD has been advocating for animals and serving the public since 1994.

HB-1043 seeks end to deer-car wrecksWildlife corridors targetedBy Suzanne CheavensTravelers who regularly ply the roads between Montrose and points south to Telluride or Ouray call a stretch of Highway 550 in Montrose and Ouray counties, “deer alley.” Mule deer are common along the corridor — both alive and dead.A bill introduced to the Colorado General Assembly this session names 28 miles of highway throughout the state that are plagued by animal-vehicle collisions and a one-mile stretch of Highway 550 just south of the Montrose-Ouray county line is among them. The bill proposes doubling fines for speeding in identified key wildlife crossing zones.As any regular traveler between here and Montrose can testify, deer are killed with regularity on Highway 550.“You can’t do anything about where wildlife is,” said Colorado State Patrol Sgt. Lawrence Oletsky. Oletsky, who works out of the Montrose CSP station, said many crashes his agency responds to are a result of animals on the highway.“There is a tremendous amount of wildlife there,” he said. “It’s close to the water which makes it a natural crossing path.”Vehicle speed, proponents of House Bill 1043 say, is the major factor in animal-vehicle collisions. By targeting speeders, the bill’s supporters hope to reduce the number of animal and human fatalities, as well as reduce the cost of damage to vehicles involved in wrecks with deer and other wildlife.Oletsky notes that the stopping distance by reducing speed from 65 mph to 55 mph increases by 70 feet. “That’s an amazing difference,” he said, “especially when you’ve got a 600-pound elk in front of you.”The posted speed limit from Montrose to just before Ridgway is 60 mph.San Juan Corridors, a local citizens activist group that has been working to heighten motorist awareness of the problem on Highway 550, states on its Web site that the Uncompahgre region boasts one of the largest mule deer populations in Colorado, numbering 85 deer per square mile in the southern portion of the region. Herds are most active from October to December and in March and April. Deer are site-specific creatures, meaning that they calve, winter and migrate in the same places year after year. A disruption in those deeply ingrained habits results in herd reduction.The 28 miles of Colorado highways targeted in HB-1043 were selected based on factors including animal migration and dispersal routes and frequency of animal/vehicle collisions. The Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project, working with the Colorado Department of Highways, The Nature Conservancy and Colorado State University mapped the focus areas.Local motorists know that deer hazards exist between Montrose and Ridgway far longer than the one-mile designated in the bill’s language.David Crawford Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Animal Defense in Boulder said that limiting the number of affected miles in the state was a tactic his group and others lobbying for the measure hoped would help move the bill into law.“We had to narrow the focus,” Crawford said. “There was zero arbitrary methodology used (in determining the high-traffic/wildlife areas) and we wanted to see if we could get it to pass and see if it works.”A mere mile of highway earmarked for double-fine wildlife crossings is not unusual among the roads targeted by the bill. The longest stretch, eight miles, is in Jefferson County on I-70. The next highest increment is a four-mile stretch, also in Jefferson County on Highway 74.The bill was passed by the Colorado House of Representatives in January and will be before the Senate’s Agricultural, Natural Resources and Energy committee today. Crawford indicated that Sen. Jim Isgar, who chairs the committee and represents Montrose, Ouray, San Juan and San Miguel counties along with four other southwest counties in the state’s sixth district, does not support the measure.HB-1043 is backed by numerous wildlife protection groups, biologists, several insurance companies, The Rocky Mountain Farmer’s Union and the Colorado Safety Association, according to material from Rocky Mountain Animal Defense.Should HB-1043 become law, CSP Sgt. Oletsky said patrols would likely increase in the area beyond the car and aircraft patrol that already occurs in the Montrose-Ridgway corridor. “It helps to get people’s awareness up,” he said. “There’d likely be some extra emphasis along with signage.”Oletsky has another secret, besides obeying the speed limit, to avoid colliding with deer.“Those $5 deer whistles that attach to the front bumper of your car,” he said. “All our CSP vehicles have them. I swear by them.”