Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 22

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Gluesenkamp
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Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 22

Post by Gluesenkamp »

Just a quick reminder that the public comment period ends on January 22 at 5pm. Please consider taking *3 seconds* to register your comments at:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/fe ... eans.phtml
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TravisK
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Re: Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 2

Post by TravisK »

Is this a popular thing? I would hope that such a practice is illegal.
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chris_mcmartin
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Re: Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 2

Post by chris_mcmartin »

TravisK wrote:Is this a popular thing? I would hope that such a practice is illegal.
As I understand it:

If you read the applicable regulations, technically it already is...this would make it more illegal. :P

But seriously, it would be more specific by placing it into the TX Parks and Wildlife Code as a prohibited action (gassing burrows) rather than an EPA (or other) "spilling gasoline" law.

Expect copious opposition from the Sweetwater Jaycees. It must not occur to them that they can continue their carnival (which is largely what it has become) without needing to kill large numbers of snakes.
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justinm
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Re: Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 2

Post by justinm »

chris_mcmartin wrote:
TravisK wrote:Is this a popular thing? I would hope that such a practice is illegal.
As I understand it:

If you read the applicable regulations, technically it already is...this would make it more illegal. :P

But seriously, it would be more specific by placing it into the TX Parks and Wildlife Code as a prohibited action (gassing burrows) rather than an EPA (or other) "spilling gasoline" law.

Expect copious opposition from the Sweetwater Jaycees. It must not occur to them that they can continue their carnival (which is largely what it has become) without needing to kill large numbers of snakes.
There are a few Jaycees events up here my way that I avoid and tell everyone that this is a national organization that supports the Rattlesnake Roundups. When I show people the way they torture snakes they get upset and it does affect the local Jaycees here. Again their website says this is a national organization so I'm holding the local chapters feet to the fire for allowing this bullshit.

I'm pretty much in shock that in 2014 it's ok to dump petrol into the ground for any reason in any state.
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chris_mcmartin
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Re: Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 2

Post by chris_mcmartin »

justinm wrote:There are a few Jaycees events up here my way that I avoid and tell everyone that this is a national organization that supports the Rattlesnake Roundups. When I show people the way they torture snakes they get upset and it does affect the local Jaycees here. Again their website says this is a national organization so I'm holding the local chapters feet to the fire for allowing this bullshit.
Interesting angle. Perhaps you (and others around the country) can convince your local Jaycees to write to their Sweetwater brethren, pleading with them to consider holding a no-kill event because it's costing other Jaycees support (financial, volunteers, etc.)?
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 2

Post by BillMcGighan »

Unfortunately, feedback is apparently for TX residents only, so I didn’t respond.


I have a deep prejudice for the Jaycees from a lifetime of negative incidents going back 40+ years, so to keep this civil, this is a mild example of one of their fine acts; no where as bad when compared to Rattlesnake roundups:

In my area they would regularly have “turtle races” at their summer outing, where they would buy and import dozens of non-native turtles (which had to be over 4 inches by the 80s), keep them in over crowded tanks, use them for the races, then release them in the local waterways (DB record 58279), or give them to the public, to abuse for a while, then release them locally.

When asked if a less environmentally intrusive event would be better, these politically empowered, dumbasses generally discounted the importance of such animals and responded that the turtles were put on earth to serve man. :roll: :roll:
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Jeff
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Re: Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 2

Post by Jeff »

Yesterday I received a call at my agency from a gentleman from Texas, who wanted to know what he needed to catch rattlesnakes in Louisiana, and if you could still gas the dens. I guess he's feeling some pressure?

Jeff
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azatrox
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Re: Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 2

Post by azatrox »

That there's even a debate in 2014 that introducing toxic chemicals into the ground is an ecologically irresponsible practice is a sign of just how far we as a species have yet to go.

- Kris
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Soopaman
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Re: Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 2

Post by Soopaman »

Interesting response here on Texas Bowhunter:

http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/f ... p?t=432476
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azatrox
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Re: Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 2

Post by azatrox »

That "Texas Bowhunter" is always good for a few laughs....Seems that unless you agree that every snake needs to be slaughtered on sight, you're somehow a "libby Washington communist pinko Yankee"....The few that speak up in defense of sound wildlife policies are quickly dismissed as being "fringe" elements.

I'm anything BUT a "libby Washington communist pinko Yankee"....I love my guns, I fully support a sound, ecologically responsible hutning plan....I wouldn't even necessarily have an issue with the harvest of C. atrox IF such harvest was regulated and irresponsible methods of collection were prohibited. I obviously would never partake in said hunting of C. atrox, but utilized properly, they're a natural resource the same as any other animal that can be utilized for food, their skin/fur, etc.....My primary issues are that it's completely unregulated, the goal is to collect as many as possible and EVERY animal found is collected and killed via very cruel means.

If it were managed responsibly with an eye towards management instead of localized extirpation, then I wouldn't have an issue. But that won't ever happen in Tx...Or OK.

- Kris
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justinm
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Re: Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 2

Post by justinm »

This is my main complaint with a lot of hunters. They don't understand that nature isn't necessarily a renewable resource. They can't see the forest for the trees. As long as they have something to shoot at they're content that everything is alright. The opinions on this particular site have to be the most extreme of the hunting group. I saw a few voices of reason. I'm just glad my dick isn't so small that I feel the need to impose my will by rifle site on every animal I see.
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Mark Brown
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Re: Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 2

Post by Mark Brown »

It's a terrible, terrible shame when preserving our natural heritage ends up being a political football.

I wonder if all those folks (presumably conservatives) will own our natural disasters in fifty years when all speculation is a thing of the past and reality becomes obvious to even the most ignorant.
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Gluesenkamp
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Not just for Texans- public comment period ends 5pm January

Post by Gluesenkamp »

Online public comment is open to everyone, not just Texans. The box at the top of the page asks for county of residence, etc but you don't have to reside in Texas. Also note the comment box at the very bottom of the page, after the proposed rule in bold text.

The public comment period ends at 5pm tomorrow.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/fe ... eans.phtml


BillMcGighan wrote:BillMcGighan
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 2

Post by BillMcGighan »

Gluesenkamp
Online public comment is open to everyone, not just Texans. The box at the top of the page asks for county of residence, etc but you don't have to reside in Texas. Also note the comment box at the very bottom of the page, after the proposed rule in bold text.
Thanks for the correction. I'm happy to be wrong about that.
I made a public comment.


Wise laws often have been violated by folks who just didn't understand why the act was bad, until the law was enacted.
I saw a transition in the '60s and '70s in Florida among the mainstream of herp people, academic, commercial, and hobbyists, to where gassing was an accepted no-no.

This law may get outdoors folks in TX talking about it, and make the practice less common and less acceptable.
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Daryl Eby
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Re: Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 2

Post by Daryl Eby »

justinm wrote:I'm just glad my dick isn't so small
Congratulations. We're all happy for you! :lol:
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Gluesenkamp
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Re: Gassing Snakes- public comment period ends 5pm January 2

Post by Gluesenkamp »

Please note that this issue has been pulled from tomorrow's agenda. Hopefully, it will be back on the agenda for March 27, 2014. We will re-post a refined draft of the proposed rule and open *another* round of comments shortly Thank you for your patience and please keep the comments coming.
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