FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, October 15, 1997
CONTACT:
Jon Schottland, (802) 387-4827, peace@together.net
Virginia Mead, (603) 788-3750, cs@ncia.net
MONTPELIER, Vt. -- On Friday, October 17, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., members of the Vermont Wildlife Education Network, The Fund for Animals, Green Mountain Animal Defenders, and many other concerned groups and individuals will gather on the lawn of the State House for a candlelight vigil. Holding a giant banner that reads, "SAVE VERMONT'S MOOSE," the wildlife advocates will protest the state's aggressively expanding moose hunt.
Says Jon Schottland, spokesperson for the Vermont Wildlife Education Network and former member of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife's Moose Advisory Committee, "When the moose hunting season began in 1993 it was limited to 30 permits and confined to the Northeast Kingdom. Four years later, the number of permits has more than quadrupled to 165, and the hunt is taking place in central and western parts of Vermont where moose populations are very sparse."
Adds Virginia Mead, Vermont/New Hampshire Coordinator for The Fund for Animals, "According to the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife's own survey, there has been a 32 percent decline in moose sightings since the hunt began. Vermont residents and tourists enjoy seeing live moose, and this enjoyment should not be jeopardized by any actions which negatively impact the moose herd."
