March 11, 2013. Support a Carnivore Conservation Act for MA. Read below to learn more. Note: this letter is written by Rebecca Mullin, founder of the Massachusetts Coyote Conservation Alliance who is sponsoring this Act which I helped co-write. It will soon be completed and available for legislative review or for ballot initiative (hopefully in 2014 election cycle).
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Hello members of the MA Coyote Conservation Alliance,
I’m writing to inform you that Jon Way, Eastern Coyote Research and Louise Kane, Justice for Wolves have completed a petition for the first ever state Carnivore Conservation Act. Our MA Carnivore Conservation Act petition includes a draft of the Act’s provisions that will help to protect coyotes, bobcats, red and grey foxes and in some instances, raccoons. The protections range from prohibitions on baiting, reduced hunting seasons, defining and preventing cruelty to carnivores, eliminating hounding, and providing sanctuaries free from hunting.
We are hopeful that this Act may become a model for other state initiatives. The MA Coyote Conservation Alliance will be a sponsor of the initiative and will be seeking input and other signatories for the Act. We are currently researching the procedural requirements for obtaining signatures and for moving forward as a citizen’s initiative.
We believe that a simple website may be valuable to house the petition, to provide background information and to lend legitimacy to the effort. Several of us are willing to do the majority of the work for the website but we could use some minor start up funds. We are seeking donations. Any amount, even several dollars, will help.
Please indicate if you are willing to help by sending your pledge to Rebecca Mullin. Many thanks we know that there are many worthy causes competing for your funding!
If you are able to send a check, please know that MA Coyote Conservation Alliance is not a non-profit organization yet. If you would like to help with our ballot initiative driven carnivore petition and send a check, please write the check out to MA Coyote Conservation Alliance and send it to the following address: Rebecca Mullin, P.O. Box 403, Eastham, MA 02642
We greatly appreciate anything you can spare to help us get this petition kicked off so we can truly protect the carnivores of Massachusetts! Thank you!!!!
Thank you
Jon Way, Louise Kane, Rebecca Mullin
About Jonathan Way
Jonathan (Jon) Way has a B.S. (UMass Amherst), M.S. (UConn Storrs), and doctorate (Boston College) related to the study of eastern coyotes/coywolves. He is the author of the following books: 1) Suburban Howls, an account of his experiences studying eastern coyotes in Massachusetts; 2) My Yellowstone Experience, which details - in full color - the spectacular wildlife, scenery, and hydrothermal features that can be found in the world's first national park; 3) Northeastern U.S. National Parks: What Is and What Could Be makes the case to expand the National Park System in the Northeast by adding 3 new national parks that are 44,000 acres or bigger; 4) The Trip of a Lifetime: A Pictorial Diary of My Journey Out West consists of 560 pages and nearly 1,000 pictures of a 3.5 week trip out west in 2019, showcasing most of the large mammals found in North America; 5) Coywolf: Eastern Coyote Genetics, Ecology, Management, and Politics is a 280 page pictorial treatise of his over 20 years studying this creature; 6) Christmas in Yellowstone is a 200+ page, 259 picture book based on his 9 day trip to the park during the 2020 holiday season; 7) Mud, I mean April, in Yellowstone, which is a 330 page, 430 picture look at the park during the mud season when nature transitions from winter to spring; 8) Yellowstone Wildlife during Summer, which was a major project showing over 650 pictures of the park's amazing wildlife in over a decade of summers spent in the park; 9) A Yellowstone Summer with the Junction Butte Wolf Pack, which details, in 510 pictures, the life and times of a famous wolf pack followed during the summer by adoring fans; 10) Yellowstone in Winter: The Recovering Wolves of the Northern Range, which details, in over 450 pictures, the wildlife of Yellowstone, particular wolves and their prey, during the depths of winter; 11) Backpacking the Iconic Pemigewasset Wilderness, which describes my 3 day, 35 mile journey into the heart of the White Mountains, New Hampshire; 12) A Beary Special April in Yellowstone, which details his week and a half long encounter with a wild grizzly bear; and 13) Late Summer in Yellowstone. Jon founded and runs his organization, Eastern Coyote/Coywolf Research, where his goal is to conduct long-term ecological and behavioral research on eastern coyotes. He also supplements his research with regular trips to Yellowstone National Park and other national parks.
