January 26, 2007

Rocky Mountain Animal Defense is proud to announce the launch of VegColorado.com, an online guide to vegetarian living in Colorado. This site expands on the information that is available in our new printed publication, Compassionate Living. In addition to the hows and whys of cruelty-free living, you’ll find a comprehensive and ever-expanding list of vegetarian restaurants throughout Colorado and a list of Colorado-based organizations and merchants. And much more.Please take a look around the site! Direct your friends, family members and colleagues to it. Let us know what you think. And if you know of a restaurant that has great vegan options, please email us at vegcolorado@rmad.org.

The success of Compassionate Living continues with positive reviews from near and afar. One director of a well-respected animal advocacy group says, “Your new guide to compassionate living is absolutely wonderful! Congratulations!” Another advocate say, “This is truly an amazing publication,” while others are requesting 10, 25 and 50 copies to distribute.

Ann Swissdorf is looking for a new coordinator for the Boulder HEALTH Potlucks. If you are willing to help, please email Ann. It's only one day per month – on the 3rd Sunday. That's only 12 times a year that you will need to be available. Co-organizers would be a good idea, because you can switch off months. Ann is also on the lookout for a new location to host the potlucks.

Hearty Congratulations to Kelley Coffman-Lee and her successful campaign to convince the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation to choose compassion over cruelty. After three arduous years of correspondence, Kelly convinced the school system to no longer serve as a ticket outlet for the Ringling Bros. Circus. In a letter dated January 16, 2007 Chairman Jim O’Brien states: “…the Foundation intends to replace the circus, and several other fundraising events, with new venues in 2007.” Great work, Kelley!

If you have good news to share, please let me know. We do our best to get positive changes up on our site.

-- Chris

February 23 , 2007

Hello!

Welcome back to RMAD eNews. Things have been very busy in the RMAD office, especially with warmer weather. In the past week we’ve handled a dozen inquiries into a range of issues from dogs being teased in back yards to prairie dog colonies in jeopardy to the location of vegetarian restaurants in Colorado. We’ve received a few inquiries into the proposal to allow sport hunting of Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park and are looking into it.

Speaking of vegetarian restaurants: don’t forget to let us know about your favorite Colorado restaurants so we can post them on VegColorado’s Restaurant Guide. Please check out the ever-expanding list the site already offers.

We have a few distribution boxes for our starter kits. If you know of a good place to put one, please let us know. And: If you want VSKs to hand out to friends, family, coworkers, please contact us.

Another big thank you to all who attended RMAD’s Fourth Annual Dining Out Day. It was the best yet, raising some $1500 for the animals. The new WaterCourse is fantastic and allows for even more people to sample some of the best vegetarian cuisine in the state. Thank you to Dan Hanley for organizing this event every year.

Ann Swissdorf is coordinating the latest Evolution (vegan) dog food order, and this is your chance to get some of this amazing, super-healthy, animal-free food. Please contact her by Monday at the latest. The total order needs to be at least 500 lbs of dog food and the bags come in 20 lb and 40 lb sizes. She will be happy to meet you to get your payment since this is such short notice. For more information or to order, please contact Ann.

Thanks for reading. Have a good weekend.

- Chris

January 12, 2007

Hello, Friends –

2007 is off to a busy start. Although RMAD is strategizing and preparing for the upcoming year, we’re staying active with our core programs. This week was emblematic of our work, as activists were on the streets telling the stock show and rodeo animals’ side of the story, then assisting with concerns over a large colony imperiled by the dumping of snow on their burrows.

RMAD is focusing its 2007 Stock Show efforts on leafletting and promoting StockShowInfo.com, our new website dedicated to informing the public about the reality of the animals’ lives. RMAD activist Ann Swissdorf has been busy distributing information on Denver’s 16 th St. Mall and rep orts that it has been a highly successful venture. RMAD was asked for its perspective on the Stock Show for a recent Denver Post article.

An excerpt: But David Crawford, executive director of Boulder-based Rocky Mountain Animal Defense, said there is no way to independently determine what is happening to the animals at the stock show and rodeos. "We all know about 'lies ... and statistics,"' Crawford said. "This sort of self- reporting offers little comfort when it's done by an industry group." The statistics also do not account for mental anguish animal suffer when they are penned, trucked and "forced into confrontation" to compete, Crawford said. You can read the entire article here.

RMAD’s new Compassionate Living – A Colorado Guide to Vegetarian Living has seen great success in its first month of existence, with hundreds of copies being distributed and throughout Colorado and the country. Email me if you’d like a copy.Lots going on, and lots more to come, so thanks for reading and keeping informed.

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

-- Chris

January 2, 2007

Happy New Year!

RMAD’s office staff took a much-needed break over the holidays, and now we’re back in the swing of things. We’re also recovering from our fantastic joint holiday party with our friends at Southern Plains Land Trust. Some 125+ supporters, friends, and guests were in attendance. Thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered, and celebrated with us.

Ann Swissdorf would like to thank everyone who braved over two feet of snow for December 23rd’s All-Day Pre-Holiday Demo. “You are troopers,” Ann says. “We had about 15 people coming and going through the day and we had 12 people all together for 2 hours toward the end. It was an awesome demo with overwhelming support from passersby. It was the best holiday present ever.”Indeed, a huge thank you to everyone who attended and to Ann for dedication. I’ve posted some photos of this event as well as some from the recent AETA Rally. They can be seen here.

In response to the National Western Stock Show’s arrival next week, we’ve created StockShowInfo.com. The stock show and rodeo are a celebration of a culture of death, consumption, short-sightedness and domination, and exploits the traditions of animal agriculture while propounding the myth of the hero cowboy. Visit StockShowInfo.com for RMAD’s critique.

In case you missed it, RMAD’s very own full-color, 32-page guide to vegetarian living in Colorado has arrived and is flying off the shelves. If you’d like a copy and/or would like one sent to someone else, please email me with your/their current address.

Thanks for reading and for staying active!

-- Chris

December 15, 2006

Hi Everyone –

We have just a few major announcements for you. First, our joint Holiday Party with Southern Plains Land Trust is happening tomorrow night at the Crawford Hill Mansion in Denver. We’ll be here through late afternoon in case you want to call (303-449-4422) and purchase tickets at the discounted price. You can also still purchase them at our online store. More information about the party in the Calendar Features, below.

Second, RMAD’s very own full-color, 32-page guide to vegetarian living in Colorado has arrived! Compassionate Living was created and developed by volunteers and staff and is a complete resource for anyone seeking more information about the plight of animals, the environment, the ill effects meat and dairy has on our health and how to live a more compassionate lifestyle. If you’d like a copy or would like someone else to receive a copy, please email me (chrisj@rmad.org).

RMAD has also acquired six colorful and rugged media boxes for distributing Compassionate Living free of charge in the Boulder and Denver area. It will be on the streets soon!Third, as you may know, the National Western Stock Show is coming to Denver in January (the 6 th through the 21 st).

As in years past, RMAD again will protest this event. Now, exactly how we’re going to protest is yet to be decided. We’ve got ideas, and we’d like to hear yours. This could be the usual demonstration or perhaps a parade, a celebration of compassion, a vegetarian food event... there are many possibilities. Please share! Let me (chrisj@rmad.org) know what you think. And if you’d like to be part of the planning committee, please let me know as well.

Thanks for reading.

See you Saturday!

-- Chris --