4.27.06

Hello!!

Please join us for the CU34/World Week for Animals in Labs Protest tomorrow night. This event is hosted by In Defense of Animals, RMAD, National Endowment for the Animals, CU PAW, PETA, and the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center. That’s quite an endorsement! Join these groups in taking a stand against ALL archaic animal experimentation, including the horrific and ludicrous alcohol experiments being conducted at the CU Health Sciences Center. Posters and information will be provided. The complete press release is posted below the calendar.

What: CU34/World Week for Animals in Labs Protest
When: Friday, April 28th, 2006
Time: 6:30 p.m.Where: CU Health Sciences Center, (8th and Colorado) Denver
Details: A Boulder carpool will be gathering at 5:15 p.m. at Wild Oats on Baseline. We’ll depart at 5:30 p.m. Please RSVP to me at RMAD (chrisj@rmad.org) if you think you’ll be carpooling and/or can provide a car. We will meet on the northeast corner of 8th and Colorado. There is a large sign on that corner that says Health Sciences Center or something similar. You really can't miss it. Parking on the street is usually not a problem at that time of day/night. If you come from I-70, just turn south onto Colorado and go several miles to 8th Street. If you're coming from I-25, get off at Colorado and go north to 8th Street. From 6th Avenue, take Colorado 2 blocks to the north to 8th Street. From Colfax turn south on Colorado and go to 8th Street.

RMAD’s Prairie Wildlife Team is off to a great start. Team members have already been appearing in the media, attending media, researching, networking, and working hard to strategize our advocacy. RMAD Executive Director Dave Crawford was on a radio show in El Paso, Texas, to discuss RMAD’s prairie wildlife work and has been in demand by the media for his views and input. If you’re are interested in joining the team, please contact me. We meet every other Thursday evening in Boulder

A group of volunteers is hosting Shrine Circus demos this week. Please review the show times, below, and let Ann Swissdorf (anns@rmad.org) know which times you would like to protest and the group will set up some demos.- Friday, April 28th, 6:30 PM- Saturday, April 29th, 9 AM- Saturday, April 29, 1:30 PM- Saturday, April 29th, 6:30 PM- Sunday, April 30th, 1 PM

Location: National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt St. Denver. Map and directions: http://www.nationalwestern.com/complex/Maps/maps.asp.

Volunteer Opportunities:

Table with RMAD at the Boulder Creek Festival! The festival hours are as follows: Saturday, May 27: 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, May 28: 10:00 a.m.- 7:00 p.m.; Monday, May 29: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. More info can be found at (www.bouldercreekfestival.com). If you want to help out, please contact donnam@rmad.org and tell her which day(s) and time(s) you prefer, and whether you have experience tabling or not. This is always a lot of fun but there are a lot of hours to fill so please help out if you can.

Ann Swissdorf is looking for volunteers for her HEALTH table at both the Boulder Creek Festival and the People’s Fair in Denver. If you’re interested in working the HEALTH booth, please email Ann at anns@rmad.org.

Requests For Help:

RMAD needs a laptop for tabling! We’re looking for a decent machine for our tabling needs. This would be considered a tax-deductible donation. Please contact me if you can help.
Support RMAD!

Become a monthly donor! It’s painless and we do the work for you. Please email me if you are interested. Another way to support RMAD is by using the EcoISP as your internet service provider. Check them out at www.ecoisp.com.

See you Friday night!!

- Chris

_________

For Immediate Release:

Contact: Rita Anderson (303) 527-3372 or (303) 618-3227 (cellular)

IDA Celebrates CU Decision to Transfer 11
Monkeys to Sanctuary

Activists Hold Protest During World Week for Animals in Laboratories
to Urge Transfer of Remaining Monkeys

Denver, Colo.—In the wake of an announcement by the University of Colorado (CU) that it intends to release eleven monkeys to a sanctuary, members of The Committee for Research Accountability (CRA) (a project of In Defense of Animals), along with Rocky Mountain Animal Defense, National Endowment for the Animals, Nonviolence United, CU Partnership for Animal Welfare, Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals will gather on campus to urge the school to send all the monkeys held captive at the University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center (UCDHSC) to a sanctuary. The gathering coincides with World Week for Animals in Laboratories (WWAIL), an international week of action against animal experiments.

When: April 28, 2006, 6:30 p.m.
Where: University of Colorado, 8th and Colorado, Denver

CU has been under fire for Mark Laudenslager’s questionable studies using monkeys, most recently to determine if poor mothering in monkeys contributes to alcohol abuse in their adolescent offspring. In February, the University announced plans to transfer the monkeys to Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

For 17 years, Laudenslager used the colony to study the effect of separating infant monkeys from their mothers. His current studies investigate whether poor mothering leads to alcohol abuse in adolescent monkeys. CU documents obtained by In Defense of Animals (IDA) indicate that Laudenslager will conduct his alcohol studies on the monkeys long-distance from CU in Denver.

Of Laudenslager’s studies, Lawrence A. Hansen, M.D., Professor of Neurosciences and Pathology at the University of California, San Diego, has stated, “It’s obvious that the researchers have monkeys and want money, so they have contrived a study linking poor mothering to increased impulsivity, aggression and alcohol consumption, while giving it a patina of actual science.”

“The monkeys have suffered loss and deprivation for years at CU, living most of their lives in a 100 year-old basement which did not even meet federal standards,” said Rita Anderson of The Committee for Research Accountability. “These long-suffering primates deserve a chance to live their final years in the relative freedom of a sanctuary.”

WWAIL is an annual week of events to educate the public about the scientific, moral and economic objections to animal experimentation. Activists across the country join Denver animal advocates in organizing protests, vigils and other educational outreach events.

For more information please visit www.FreeTheCU34.org.
###

4.20.06

Happy Thursday, Everyone.

RMAD’s Prairie Wildlife Team is meeting tonight. We’ll be discussing the BVSD prairie dog plan, the Urban Wildlife Management Plan, and population management. We are interested in having new team members and potential team members only. We’re requesting that you RSVP the meeting has been moved, so if you would like to join the team, please call or email me.

Coming up next week is the big CU34/World Week for Animals in Labs Protest. Please join us in Denver! We want to make a big showing. We’re carpooling from Boulder so please RSVP if you’re joining us for that too. More information in the calendar below.

Thank you Ann Swissdorf, Paula Lewis, Lorissa ArgoRay and Barbara Bear for baking vegan goods for CU PAW (Partnership for Animal Welfare) to sell at their bake sale. The group did well, bringing in more money than they expected. (I bought a bunch. It was all very good.)

Know someone who is having pigeon issues? I’ve put up an online version of our brochure that helps businesses and individuals humanely deal with pigeons. Check it out at: http://www.rmad.org/pigeons.htm. We can also send information by mail if needed.

Action Alert:

Please send a pro-prairie dog letter to the editor in response to Dave’s column that ran in the Daily Camera this past Sunday (posted below the calendar). Even a sentence or two to the editor in support of the prairie dogs would suffice. Guidelines below. Thanks!

Volunteer Opportunity:

Table with RMAD at the Boulder Creek Festival! The festival hours are as follows: Saturday, May 27: 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, May 28: 10:00 a.m.- 7:00 p.m.; Monday, May 29: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. More info can be found at (www.bouldercreekfestival.com). If you want to help out, please contact donnam@rmad.org and tell her which day(s) and time(s) you prefer, and whether you have experience tabling or not. This is always a lot of fun but there are a lot of hours to fill so please help out if you can.

Ann Swissdorf is looking for volunteers for her HEALTH table at both the Boulder Creek Festival and the People’s Fair in Denver. If you’re interested in working the HEALTH booth, please email Ann at anns@rmad.org.

Requests For Help:

RMAD needs a laptop for tabling! We’re looking for a decent machine for our tabling needs. This would be considered a tax-deductible donation. Please contact me if you can help.

Parents: Do you have a vegetarian (vegan, preferably) teen living in Colorado? If your teens are interested in helping out with a vegetarian publication, please send them my way.

I'm updating our community page (http://www.rmad.org/community.html). If you have a veg-owned or very veg/animal-friendly business, tell me about it! Tell your veg/animal-friendly friends to send me their information as well. Even better, send photos as well. You can access the community page more easily by clicking on the button on the RMAD home page.

Support RMAD!

Become a monthly donor! It’s painless and we do the work for you. Please email me if you are interested. Another way to support RMAD is by using the EcoISP as your internet service provider. Check them out at www.ecoisp.com.

Thanks!!
- Chris

4.14.06

Hi Everyone –

RMAD’s new Prairie Wildlife Team met last week, and we’re considering the start an energetic and successful one. The core group is dedicated to continuing RMAD’s work protecting prairie wildlife through a variety of means. The second meeting will be held next Thursday, April 20th, 5:30 p.m., at the Foothills United Way, 2955 Baseline Rd, Boulder. We’ll be discussing the BVSD prairie dog plan, the Urban Wildlife Management Plan, and population management. We are interested in having new team members and potential team members only. Let me know if you have any questions.

RMAD Executive Director Dave Crawford met with Boulder City Council member Shaun McGrath this week. Dave considers the meeting a success and hopefully this will be the first of many conversations we’ll be having before the Urban Wildlife Management Plan is completed. In addition, some Prairie Wildlife Team members attended the Boulder Valley School District Meeting on Tuesday to document the tenor toward our ground-dwelling animal brethren and to speak on their behalf. (The prairie dogs are not silent, but a lot of people can’t understand/won’t list to what they’re saying.)

Parents: Do you have a vegetarian (vegan, preferably) teen living in Colorado? If your teens are interested in helping out with a vegetarian publication, please send them my way.

Big, fun, volunteer opportunity: Table with RMAD at the Boulder Creek Festival! The festival hours are as follows: Saturday, May 27: 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, May 28: 10:00 a.m.- 7:00 p.m.; Monday, May 29: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. More info can be found at (www.bouldercreekfestival.com). If you want to help out, please contact donnam@rmad.org and tell her which day(s) and time(s) you prefer, and whether you have experience tabling or not. This is always a lot of fun but there are a lot of hours to fill so please help out if you can. I believe that Ann Swissdorf will be looking for volunteers for her HEALTH table as well. If you’re interested in working the HEALTH booth, please email Ann at anns@rmad.org.

I'm updating our community page (http://www.rmad.org/community.html). If you have a veg-owned or very veg/animal-friendly business, tell me about it! Tell your veg/animal-friendly friends to send me their information as well. Even better, send photos too, for a profile. You can access this page more easily by clicking on the button on the RMAD home page.

Support RMAD — become a monthly donor! It’s painless and we do the work for you. Please email me if you are interested. Another way to support RMAD is by using the EcoISP as your internet service provider. Check them out at www.ecoisp.com.
- Chris

4.04.06

Good Morning.

An important Boulder prairie wildlife meeting will take place tonight. To explain, a message from Dave Crawford:

Friends –

In addition to the problem at Tom Watson Park (framed by the Boulder Daily Camera as Prairie Dogs v. Little Leaguers) and the ongoing development of a lethal urban wildlife management plan, we are suddenly faced with the Boulder Valley School District's development of a potentially lethal management plan.

City council has done virtually nothing in response to our presentation and presence on March 7. Councilman Shaun McGrath initially indicated an interest in meeting with us, but has not followed through. If we must proceed without the city's support, so shall we.

We are moving forward with the Thursday 6:30 pm meeting on Boulder's prairie dogs. The meeting agenda will cover the current state of affairs, the hotspots, and what we can and should do proactively for Boulder's prairie dogs. This meeting is for persons who want to be on a team that meets regularly and hammers out some creative solutions to Boulder's continuing prairie wildlife crisis. If you cannot make a commitment to serve on this team (volunteering at least an hour or two a week), please do not attend; however, if you do have comments that you'd like to share with others on this matter, please send them to me at davec@rmad.org and I will pass them on.

I understand that this meeting conflicts with a mountain lion talk by Wendy Keefover-Ring of Sinapu. I have apologized to Wendy for this overlap. If you want to find out more about RMAD's prairie wildlife team, but for whatever reason you cannot attend our Thursday meeting, please let me know (again, at davec@rmad.org).

What: RMAD's Boulder prairie wildlife team meeting
When: Thursday, April 6, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Foothills United Way, 2955 Baseline Rd, Boulder

-Dave C.

In response to the recent media attacks on prairie wildlife, Dave has written a column for the Daily Camera and it will likely be appearing this weekend, so please be on the watch for it. Dave was interviewed for another Daily Camera article on the Boulder Valley School District’s prairie dog plan and we expect that to be appearing soon. Our members, activists and allies have been helping out with passionate and well-written letters to the editors. I’ve included them below the calendar, as well as an article on the Markel Homes situation that arose in late 2005.

As you can see from the calendar below, things are getting extremely busy as the weather warms up. In addition to the full calendar for the next month, the phone and email wires have been buzzing with requests for help from well outside the Colorado borders. As always, we do our best to assist, even when the situation is hundreds of miles away.

We’re making significant headway on VegColorado.com but I still need to know where you eat! I know about the usual suspects so please tell me about the special places that have wide-ranging vegetarian menus or customize vegan dishes for patrons. Please email your favorites (and runner-ups) to vegcolorado@rmad.org. Thank you to everyone who has submitted so far. In addition to our Colorado-based vegetarian living guide and VegColorado.com, we’re designing a small but flashy guide to the basics of vegetarianism for Colorado’s youth. Its cover will very likely feature the excellent artwork of a well-known vegetarian artist.

Don’t forget about the Prairie Dog Coalition fundraiser tomorrow (Friday) night! Their second annual fundraiser will be held next week, April 7th, at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. Please see the calendar for more information.

Support RMAD — become a monthly donor! It’s painless and we do the work for you. Please email me if you are interested. Another way to support RMAD is by using the EcoISP as your internet service provider. Check them out at www.ecoisp.com.

Thanks for reading. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.
- Chris

3.24.06

Bonjour!

RMAD Executive Director David Crawford was chosen as “ Runner-up Activist of the Year” by the Colorado Daily! Huge congratulations as well to “Activist of the Year” Betty Ball of the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center. Betty and the RMPJC are good friends to both RMAD and the animals.

RMAD signed on to a comment letter regarding the Cimarron/Comanche National Grasslands Plan and you can read about this plan here: http://ga4.org/guardians/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=3741938. Forest Guardians’ Lauren McCain says, “The Cimarron/Comanche region has one of the—if not THE—largest complexes of black-tailed prairie dogs in the Southern Plains—certainly the largest on public lands. This region presents the best hope for reintroducing black-footed ferrets on public land in the S. Plains.” You will also find a link that allows you to send a letter to the Forest Service. Please check it out.

Please support the important work that the Prairie Dog Coalition is doing! Their second annual fundraiser will be help next week, April 7th, at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. Please see the calendar for more information. As you know, RMAD was instrumental in the formation of the Coalition and is very pleased to see it thriving under the direction of Lindsey Sterling Krank. I’ll be there and for once, I won’t be working at the door. (Yay.)

Action Item: Thank you to Sisley Aragon-Milroy who wrote a letter on behalf of RMAD to the Arapahoe County District Attorney regarding an egregious act of cruelty toward two dogs left to starve to death in a basement. Please read Sisley’s letter, below the calendar. We encourage you to follow suit with a polite but earnest request that the maximum penalty be enforced for this horrific crime.

This is your last chance to support the “TryVeg” ad campaign that Barbara Bear is leading. Even if you don't have $25 in change, please consider donating. Every drop in the bucket helps put an end to animal suffering. Whether you have a change jar that is about to overflow, or just want to collect your spare change for the next few weeks and donate it to the cause of lessening animals' suffering, it is all much appreciated! You can take your spare change to the bank, then simply write a check made out to "C.O.K." and send it to Barbara at: Barbara Bear, 2113 Walnut St. #8, Boulder, CO 80302 or you can take your spare change to Three Little Figs Market, 2793 Iris Avenue, Boulder. For more info, please email Barbara at barbarabear@hotmail.com.

Where do you eat? I know I asked this last year, but I lost all the emails I received. For VegColorado.com I’ll be compiling a lengthy and thorough list of restaurants (longer than what is in our starter kit). Please let me know where you regularly eat and either what dish(es) or what type of vegetarian (vegan) options they offer. Please send them to vegcolorado@rmad.org.

There are some new events on the calendar so be sure to check them out.

Support RMAD — become a monthly donor! It’s painless and we do the donation work for you. Please email me if you are interested. Another way to support RMAD is by using the EcoISP as your internet service provider. Check them out at www.ecoisp.com.

- Chris

3.23.06

Dear Activists:

The Denver-area pit bull ban continues to rear its ugly head. RMAD was able to save one small guy this week in a twisted and heartbreaking (but ultimately positive) tale. A distraught caller informed us that a delayed stopover resulted in an animal control officer confiscating a 7-week-old puppy who had recently been rescued from the streets. The officer told the couple that they didn’t have time to get attached to the dog and that if they couldn’t fork over the $500 fine, they shouldn’t be upset when he was euthanized. The travelers called RMAD pleading for help so I proceeded to contact the shelter and intervene. I was able to get the dog back into the guardians’ hands at a very low cost, and both they and the dog were extremely happy. I’m sure they will be vigorously researching the laws pertaining to breed bans throughout the country, as random as they are.

Don’t forget about the “TryVeg” ad campaign that Barbara Bear is leading. Even if you don't have $25 in change, please consider donating. Every drop in the bucket helps put an end to animal suffering. Whether you have a change jar that is about to overflow, or just want to collect your spare change for the next few weeks and donate it to the cause of lessening animals' suffering, it is all much appreciated! Barbara will be collecting change through the end of March so we can air the PSAs by mid-April. You can take your spare change to the bank, then simply write a check made out to "C.O.K." and send it to Barbara at: Barbara Bear, 2113 Walnut St. #8, Boulder, CO 80302 or you can take your spare change to: Three Little Figs Market, 2793 Iris Avenue, Boulder.

Thank you to everyone who came out to help at the RMAD House Fix-Up Party last week. As advertised, it was a lot of fun. Ok, it wasn’t that much fun but it was really worth the couple of hours spent cleaning and painting. If you have any time you can offer to help this weekend for the final effort, please let me know!

If you are not able to help out physically but would like to support our work long-term, there are two easy ways to help out. The first is by becoming a monthly donor. It’s painless and we do all the work. Please email me if you are interested. Another way is by using the EcoISP as your internet service provider. Check them out at www.ecoisp.com. Another easy, ongoing way to support RMAD’s work.

Lastly, I’ve been doing a lot of work on the RMAD home page so please stop by www.RMAD.org and take a look around. Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.

- Chris

3.17.06

Fellow Activists:

Thanks to an incredibly generous donor, RMAD and Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project have received a Boulder home for resale. We are hosting a work party this Sunday at 10 a.m. to get this place tidied up for resale. The location is 4712 Edison Lane, Boulder (http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=4712+Edison+Lane,+Boulder,+CO) and the only catch is that no one over 18 is permitted to help due to liabilities. If you do not meet this requirement, however, feel free to bake vegan goods for the workers. (I like cookies, thanks.) More info in the calendar.

On behalf of RMAD, I’d like to repeat my thank you to everyone who attended the Boulder City Council meeting on March 7th. It was enough to move at least one council member to contact us shortly after the meeting to continue the discussion. He was extremely moved by the outpouring of support and emotion for prairie wildlife. If you weren’t able to attend the meeting, well, let’s just say that our young speakers had much of the crowd in tears with their earnest pleas to honor the rights of Colorado’s native wildlife. Good work, everyone!

Some big news from our good friend Barbara Bear: Hi there all you compassionate people! It's time to collect your spare change and put it to good use. That's right: it's time for the second annual Change for Change Drive! Last year we collected $1000 and aired 70 PSAs promoting vegetarianism on MTV in Boulder and Fort Collins. If you haven't had a chance to see Compassion over Killing's powerful ads, you can check them out at: http://www.cok.net/feat/mtv2006.php. And, as an added extra, Rocky Mountain Animal Defense's name and logo will be added to the end of the PSAs this year for some local exposure for this hard-working group. The VERY EXCITING NEWS is that Scott Plummer has stepped up to offer a $500 matching grant to get this thing rolling! All we have to do is match that $500 and we'll be up to the same amount we raised last year!

More exciting news is that this year we will have raffle prizes. For anyone who donates $25 or more, you will be entered in a raffle to win: a $25 gift certificate for VeganEssentials.com a $25 gift certificate for Tsing Tao Chinese Restaurant a $25 gift certificate for Boulder's Vegetarian Co-op Market Last year, there were 12 people who donated to the cause, so you can see your chances of winning are very good! Even if you don't have $25 in change, please consider donating. Every drop in the bucket helps put an end to animal suffering. Compassion Over Killing says their TryVeg.com website hits go up by double, triple and sometimes even quadruple when these ads are on the air. And people respond with quotes such as: "Holy crap! I just saw your TV commercial about not eating meat and am now trying to become vegan. What an effective commercial! Thank you. I'm going to share this information with all my friends."

So, whether you have a change jar that is about to overflow, or just want to collect your spare change for the next few weeks and donate it to the cause of lessening animals' suffering, it is all much appreciated! I'll be collecting change through the end of March so we can air the PSAs by mid-April. You can take your spare change to the bank, then simply write a check made out to "C.O.K." and send it to me at: Barbara Bear, 2113 Walnut St. #8, Boulder, CO 80302, or you can take your spare change to: Three Little Figs Market, 2793 Iris Ave., Boulder.

With the warmer weather comes a rush of phone calls and heavier flow of emails. The more active bird population and the more visible destruction of prairie wildlife spurns citizens to take action, calling RMAD for help. The past two weeks we’ve answered a handful of inquiries dealing with birds (large and small), nearly two dozen prairie wildlife inquiries, six companion animal inquiries, and a slew of miscellaneous animal-related issues. We answer the phone whenever possible and always return calls so we can empower grassroots activists to take charge.

We have many projects going on, both small and large. Our vegetarian starter kit is being packaged up to go to the printer and soon after we’ll be taking that information and turning it into the electronic version, VegColorado.com. We’ll also be starting work on a Colorado-based youth publication. We’re tentatively planning a collaborative movie showing and panel or two as well, so stay tuned.

Our interns from CU are assisting us in numerous ways, including preparing a mailing for local real estate and property management companies to help them humanely tackle pigeon issues. Our interns are extremely passionate about animal issues and providing a much-needed perspective for us. They’ve helped us establish a position with CU PAW (Partnership for Animal Welfare) titled “Community Liaison,” which will better facilitate communication between PAW and the local animal advocacy community.

Thank you to everyone who has been writing letters, clipping newspaper article, attending protests, and helping in so many other ways. Your time and efforts are truly appreciated.

As always, if you want to get involved in any of our work, let us know!
- Chris

3.9.06

Dear Friends:

A message from Dave Crawford, who has returned briefly to take on the crucial prairie dog issue, regarding this past week’s rally at the Boulder City Council Meeting.

Thanks to everyone who was with us in person or in spirit last night as we filled Boulder’s city council chambers to express our concerns about what we perceive as a shift in the city’s attitude toward prairie dogs and wildlife. Estimates of the size of the crowd vary between 100 and 150 persons. It was one of the largest rallies in Boulder in recent history. The Colorado Daily published a front-page photo of the packed council chambers.

Four selected speakers – including two of Boulder’s young and caring citizens – spoke to council on the need for the community to treat wildlife humanely. Thanks to young Emi and Jake! Their heartfelt words brought forth tears and smiles. And thanks to Ed Withers of PC’s Pantry, who spoke on behalf of the 50+ businesses that have endorsed our statement calling for nonlethal management of wildlife.

Council briefly discussed the presentations following the public comment period. Unfortunately, and despite our conciliatory message, most of that discussion indicated that council members felt they were put on the defensive. No discussion occurred over our request to form a task force or permanent committee to deal with wildlife and general animal-related issues. We will continue to pursue that.

Thanks to Yemaya Thayer and Jill Bielawski for making this happen; to the Republic of Boulder for the free appetizers at the reception following the rally; to the phone tree callers who helped recruit participants; to the nonprofits that have endorsed the statement; to Sinapu for all their support. Apologies and thanks to the many I’m forgetting to thank. Onward!


A small but intimidating group of activists ventured to the Colorado Springs Regents meeting last week to stand up for the CU Monkeys (and a few didn’t make it into this photo):



ACTION ITEM#1: Please send a polite email or make a phone call to both CU and Wake Forest to ask that they both reconsider sending 38 monkeys to Wake Forest University. Details: FreetheCU34.org are asking CU for three things: 1) the immediate termination of Mark Laudenslager's pointless alcohol study; 2) the release of ALL monkeys to sanctuaries; and 3) CU's funding of sanctuary costs for these monkeys. Please ask Wake Forest to turn down CU's offer of free monkeys. Otherwise, our attentions will not only be focused on CU, but on Wake Forest also.

Contact information for CU:
OfficeOfThePresident@cu.edu
Greg.Stiegmann@UCHSC.edu
Peter.Steinhauer@colorado.edu
regent.carlisle@colorado.eduregent.hayes@colorado.edu
carrigan@colorado.edutom.lucero@colorado.edu
regent.bosley@colorado.edujerryrutledge@adelphia.net
regent.schauer@colorado.edugail.schwartz@colorado.edu
President Brown: 303-492-6201
Chancellor Stiegmann: 303-315-7682
Regents Secretary: 303-492-8203

Contact information for Wake Forest:
hatch@wfu.edurdean@wfubmc.edu
gordonwc@wfu.eduwapplega@wfubmc.edu welker@wfu.edu
Nathan Hatch, President: 336-758-5212
Richard Dean, President/CEO Health Sciences: 336-716-7425
William Gordon, Provost: 336-758-7323
William Applegate, Sr. VP Health Sciences/Dean of School of Medicine: 336-716-5026
Mark Welker, Assoc. Provost for Research: 336-758-3898


ACTION ITEM #2: The pair of Golden Eagles nesting in Boulder Canyon needs your help! Please take a moment to call or email the Forest Service to express your support of the temporary and seasonal closures to protect the eagles’ habitat.

The Boulder Ranger District of the Roosevelt National Forest is looking to do minimal 6 week seasonal closures of potential Golden Eagle cliff nesting habitat. This would be until the Boulder Canyon eagles have selected their yearly nest site (approximately 6 weeks) at which time the temporary climbing closures on these unused cliffs in the eagles' territory would be lifted. Then the nest site that the pair selected for this year's brood would be protected by a closure until July 31st.

Unfortunately, some climbers do not believe that these minimal closures and brief time frames are warranted, despite thousands of other climbing routes throughout Boulder County and the Front Range. The Boulder Canyon Golden Eagles are not faring well. The Forest Service states: “Recent nest success has been relatively low, with the pair raising and fledging one young bird only five out of the 13 seasons from 1992 through 2004.”



Details: Comments on this proposal should be postmarked by March 27, 2006 in order to receive full review. Written comments should be emailed to bbaker@fs.fed.us or mailed to: Boulder Ranger District, Attn: Beverly Baker, 2140 Yarmouth Ave, Boulder, CO 80301. If you have questions on this proposal or would like more information, please contact Beverly Baker at 303-541-2517.


***

There is always something going on, so if you ever want to get more involved, send us an email or give us a call. Thanks!
- Chris

3.2.06

Hello!

A quick apology for the absence of last week’s announcement. My hard drive crashed and I lost every email I ever sent or received the past three years. One week and one new machine later, I’m back on it.

If you haven’t heard yet, there will be a rally of utmost importance next Tuesday, March 7th. For all of those who live or work in or near Boulder, we know you’ve been asked to attend many a meeting for prairie dogs, and if you haven’t attended any for a while, THIS is the one to attend. Free food & drink afterward! The details are:

When: Tues. March 7, 5:45 p.m. to approx. 6:15 p.m., complimentary happy hour at 6:30
Where: Boulder Municipal Building, SW corner of Broadway and Canyon (1777 Broadway)
Why: To show our support for Boulder’s wildlife and to encourage humane municipal wildlife policies

The City of Boulder continues to move away from protections for our community’s wildlife. Just two years ago, for instance, we had the strongest prairie dog protections in the country. But now, on private property, these animals have very little protection, and their status on Boulder’s public lands is very much in question. As the city moves forward with the development of the Urban Wildlife Management Plan and as other major plans are being revised, it is critical that we remind our city leaders of Boulder’s proud heritage as a leader in humane approaches to wildlife management.

We need everyone there at 5:45 p.m. so we can have a full and orderly presence when the council meeting convenes at 6. The presentation will be quick and low key. We should be finished with council by 6:30. A reception that includes one complimentary appetizer and beverage per person will immediately follow at the Republic of Boulder (the restaurant/bar across the street from the municipal building). Please RSVP to yemaya@rmad.org if you can attend. If you own or work for a Boulder business that supports nonlethal control of prairie wildlife, please send Yemaya the name of the business and the number of people it employs.

Check out RMAD’s ad on page 56 of E Magazine when you get a chance, designed by yours truly. We hope to let the whole country (and world) know about the fight to save prairie wildlife. And if you need one more reason to go vegetarian, this is it! I can’t paste it here (too big) but if you’d like to see it, let me know and I’ll email you a copy.

Action is taking place all across the Front Range on behalf of prairie wildlife. If you live in Wesminster and can get involved with protecting prairie dogs there, epecially the imperiled Mushroom Pond Colony, please contact Deb Jones, President of Prairie Dog Action (303-439-9264 home / 303-324-6829 cell / Notestodj@aol.com).

If you are in Lakewood and can attend a meeting tonight in which the proposed St. Anthony’s Hospital at the Denver Federal Center will be discussed, please do so. Members of the project team and representatives from the City of Lakewood will be on hand to answer your questions. The details are: Thursday, March 2, 2006 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. (presentation at 6:15 p.m.), Lakewood Heritage Center, 801 S. Yarrow Street, Lakewood.

Please let me know if you have any questions about these events.

See you there!

- Chris