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January 22, 2008
Bill Vasconi
Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn
PO Box 27494
Las Vegas, NV 89126-1494
Dear Mr. Vasconi:
You have made several unqualified statements in Nevada news publications
that stand to do much harm to the livestock and wool growers throughout this
state.
I dispute your statements in The Nevada Rancher,
January 2008 regarding bighorn sheep decline. You cite "two primary
factors that caused the decline. One was the influx of miners who found
the sheep to be easy prey and who also drained their water supplies."
"The other reason was the vast array of ranchers that had domestic sheep.
There's no immune system in our wild sheep. Many were lost by diseases
from domestic sheep."
Besides rubbing hips with NDOW veterinarian Mark Atkinson and Department
spokesman Martin Olson to give your unqualified statements credibility, you
discredited the Nevada livestock industry in the process by laying the blame on
them and at the same time blowing the horn for NDOW and The Fraternity of the
Desert Bighorn. It is absolutely unconscionable to think that the entire Nevada
livestock industry should suffer such a blow by a few agenda driven mendacious
people like you and sympathetic agency biologists and veterinarians.
I expect an answer to
my letter and this question: Show me scientific proof that you or NDOW
veterinarian Mark Atkinson or NDOW Dept. spokesman Martin Olson or anyone else
for that matter can substantiate factually what you said in those two
statements above. I wait your reply, Mr Vasconi.
Sincerely,
Jacob "Bud" Sonnentag
PO Box 72
Gabbs, NV 89409
cc.
Ken Mayer, Director, Nevada Department of Wildlife
Russ Mason, Chief of
Big Game, NDOW
Mark Atkinson, DVM,
NDOW
Martin Olson,
Department Spokesman, NDOW
Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners
Jelindo Tiberti, President, Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn
Larry Johnson,
President, Nevada Bighorns Unlimited
Anette Rink, DVM, Nevada Dept. of Agriculture
Nevada Cattlemen's
Association
Nevada Wool Growers Association
Beth Clifton, The Nevada Rancher
Leana Eardley, The Progressive Rancher
Tami Jo Blake, Agri-News
George Dovel, The Outdoorsman
Ed Snook, The US Observer
The USA Tomorrow
Paul Walter, News With Views Internet News
James Slinsky, Outdoor Talk Network
Robert Fanning, Friends of the Northern Yellowstone Elk Herd
Robert Fithian, Alaska Professional Guides Association
Stephen Mohr, President, Pennsylvania Woods and Waters
Dr. Matt Cronin, Alaska Ecologist
Dr. Valerius Geist, British Columbia Canada Ecologist
Dr. Charles Kay, Utah Ecologist
Dr. Eric Rominger, New Mexico Bighorn Sheep Biologist
This letter was entered as received correspondence into the minutes of
the Wildlife Commission meeting of February 8, 2008 as noted by Chairman Clint
Bentley.
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