June 29, 2007

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Raise the Roof, Open the Cages. All of the acts were fantastic: The Barb Henry Trio (featuring Mark Reinhardt), Rockaphonics, The New Rome and List of Lead. The roof was indeed raised, as were as a few bucks for RMAD so that we may continue opening cages. A heartfelt thank you to Ann and Peter Swissdorf for pulling the whole thing together.

Ann is, as always, so busy it will make you dizzy. Not only is Ann a rock star RMAD activist, she is the mother of a rock star. In addition to the weekly fur protest in Denver, Ann organizes potlucks, vegan meetups, fundraisers and much more. She’s also organizing the July 4^th HEALTH Picnic in Morrison, for which more information is available below.

Do you have any fur coats lurking in your closets that you’d like to get ride of? If so, please contact Ann. We’re also looking for a few willing and capable seamstresses/tailors to help out with some small tasks as needed, so please let Ann know if you can help.

Ann and Peter are organizing an Evolution Dog Food order. If you’d like to get a bag of the healthiest, best-tasting (according to our furry informants) cruelty-free dog food, contact Ann for an order form.

RMAD’s been working on a number of projects and tasks, including but not limited to: revamping one of our websites, a project with Boulder’s open space and prairie wildlife, the Greenwood Village coyote debacle, our forthcoming teen vegetarian guide, fielding requests for assistance from the public, not to mention all the behind-the-scenes administrative work required to keep the organization functioning.

We’re already strategizing our approaches to the annual Ringling Bros. visit (October), Fur Free Friday (November 24) and The Stock Show (January 2008). We are organizing an RMAD Action Committee to create a vision for these events; the first meeting will take place in late July and if you’d like to participate, please contact Lynne Sprague.

As always, thank you to each and every one of you for joining with RMAD in advocating for the rights of animals. We truly appreciate your passion and compassion.

Have a good Fourth of July – Here’s to celebrating the liberty of all beings!

6.14.07

Please join us tonight for Raise the Roof, Open the Cages, an evening of music ranging from jazz to all-out rock. This event takes place at Arvada’s The D Note, 7519 Grandview Ave, at 7 p.m. The D Note offers a delicious vegan-friendly pizza selection. Don't miss this chance to have a fun night out while supporting RMAD's work.

Take action! Don't Let Congress Undo State and Local Animal Laws. According to an alert issued by the Humane Society of the United States, a small provision – Section 123 – tucked into the pending Farm Bill in the U.S. House of Representatives would prohibit states and localities from banning activities they deem to be contrary to public health, safety, and morals. Section 123 would undo bans on horse slaughter, intensive confinement of pigs and calves raised for veal, force-feeding of ducks and geese to make foie gras, and other important laws. It’s an outrageous power grab that would undermine the democratic process and deny citizens the right to pass state or local laws on issues of humane treatment or food safety.

Please make brief, polite phone calls to your two U.S. Senators and one U.S. Representative and urge them to oppose Section 123 of the House Farm Bill. You can reach your federal legislators by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, or click here to find their Capitol office phone numbers.

A group of activists will be holding Ringling Bros. demonstrations in Colorado Springs this Saturday, June 16, at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The shows are at the World Arena, 3185 Venetucci Blvd. For more information please email Ann or Sisley. Thank you to Ann and Sisley for leading this demo, and also big thanks to Jeri McGinnis, owner of Gigi's: The Animal Lover's Gift Shop, located at 728 Manitou Avenue in Manitou Springs, for paying for an anti-Ringling ad in the local paper.

RMAD board member Mark Reinhardt has been writing his vegetarian humor column On or Off the Mark for more than 20 years. These articles are now being re-published as a blog and you can read and comment on them here.

Thank you to Daniel Ziskin and Boulder East Community Transportation Options for working together to make the Bike and Walk to Work Day 7^th Annual Great 55^th Street Egg-less Relay a cruelty-free event. The contestants will have to navigate an obstacle course while balancing a plastic egg on a spoon. You can still sign up, so pull a team together and get that egg to the other side of the road.

June 6, 2007

Hello, friends.

Thanks to efforts by pro bono RMAD attorney Karen Breslin, the trapping of coyotes along Greenwood Village’s Highline Canal has been stopped. Karen met with the Tri-County Health Department, who felt that the appropriate number of "aggressive" coyotes had been killed. The Health Department official then contacted the trapper and told him he could not take any more animals and to remove the traps. However, this is not the conclusion, and RMAD is currently exploring legal options. We’ll keep you informed of our progress.

Thank you to everyone who has contacted the city council, mayor and staff of Greenwood Village. Your letters and calls have certainly made an impact. And if you need a great attorney, please contact Karen. More info on her firm, Progressive Law Center LLC, can be found here.

Another opportunity to make a big difference with prairie wildlife will happen this weekend. Prairie Dog Action is seeking help with a prairie dog relocation in Westminster. PDA only has until June 10th to try and relocate nearly 200 prairie dogs on the SW corner of 136th and Huron and we cannot stress how crucial volunteer help is in this relocation. If you have any time to spare for these animals, please contact Deb Jones (303-439-9264) or Pam Wanek (303-507-8580).

The Summerlee Foundation is offering complimentary tickets for the screening of "Companions To None" at the Breckenridge Film Festival, Saturday, June 9 at 11:00 am at the Speakeasy Movie Theatre. This film looks inside the companion animal overpopulation and abuse crisis in Mexico, and the people dedicated to fighting it. If you would like to take advantage of this offer, please email Chris.

RMAD is seeking speakers for our Humane Education Speakers Bureau. Join with other animal advocates in giving talks to classes of all ages We’ve created a form for potential speakers to fill out, which can be found here.

We’ve got some great events coming up, so be sure to check out the RMAD home page, calendar, and information below.

Thanks for reading.