Mary Cummins Wildlife Rehabilitation Animal Advocates News Los Angeles California: permit

Showing posts with label permit. Show all posts

Friday, October 4, 2019

1,700+ mountain lions killed in California with depredation permits last 18 years. Only 4,000 left. Spending millions on a wildlife crossing may be moot

california department of fish wildlife, game, fish & game, depredation permits, mountain lions, california, killed, shot, murdered, wildlife crossing, hit by cars, freeways, mary cummins, animal advocates

The California Department of Fish & Wildlife gave depredation permits to people in California who killed 1,702 mountain lions from 2001 to 2018. California's statewide lion population is estimated to be approximately 4,000 animals and dropping. 42% were killed with depredation permits alone in the last 17 years. The number killed being hit by cars is minuscule compared to these numbers. While wildlife crossings are important it's questionable to spend millions on a crossing over the 101 freeway to save five mountain lions when 1,700+ will be killed with depredation permits. Makes more sense to focus more energy to limit the depredation permits which are unnecessary anyway.

One big issue is what happens after they cross over the Wildlife Crossing? They'll just be in more developed area. They're more likely to die by car strike, poison and depredation permits.Maybe they are safer in more wildlife areas away from development. Maybe the crossing will cause more to come into harms way and die. Time will tell.

The Wildlife Crossing will of course save more than mountain lions. There are many other species which will benefit from the crossing not to mention the reduction in car accidents from animal strikes. I believe wildlife crossings should be considered when they first design any new highway or freeway. Currently there is the Liberty Creek culvert which goes under the 101 freeway in that area. There is also Liberty Canyon Blvd which goes under the 101 freeway right where the Crossing will be built. Liberty Canyon is 40' wide under the freeway and 76' wide just south of the freeway, see photo below. Mountain lions have used the culvert. In fact a pet tiger used the culverts to cross under the freeway and highways for almost two weeks in that area. Other wildlife have been recorded using the culverts.

Below is the Liberty Creek and I assume the culvert exit. It's just west of Liberty Canyon.

Here is a 2015 study that goes into the main causes of mountain lion deaths. The current main causes of death are depredation permits, vehicle collisions, rodenticide poisoning, intraspecies conflict, illegal shooting, public safety in no particular order.

A person can apply for a depredation permit if a mountain lion has killed or injured their livestock. Killing a mountain lion will not prevent other mountain lions or other animals from killing other animals. It clearly makes more sense to protect your livestock with bars and enclosures. They should make it mandatory to protect your livestock. In actuality someone who leaves their livestock unprotected is creating the problem. The chart and numbers are of the least amount of mountain lion killed. The actual numbers are higher.

https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=171192&inline&fbclid=IwAR2EJv38R2h8D0fZvtH6xvdJ9IufLJJi22Havj4l4CB4YabzJ7Y8o2DsZg0

"Pursuant to California Fish and Game Code Section 4802 (et. Seq.), the Department of Fish and Wildlife shall, upon request, issue (depredation) permits to individuals reporting livestock loss or damage caused by mountain lions, if the loss or damage is confirmed by CDFW staff to have been caused by mountain lions."

https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Mountain-Lion/Depredation

In 2017 they modified the depredation permit. The person must first do everything possible to protect their livestock. If that's the case, they should never give a depredation permit. This is the process to currently get a depredation permit for a mountain lion from the link below.

"GUIDANCE FOR MOUNTAIN LION INCIDENTS

Receiving reports of Mountain Lion Sightings, Depredation, Potential Human
Conflict, or Public Safety Situations (for non-sensitive populations refer to
Department Bulletin 2013-02)

STEPWISE PROCESS FOR MOUNTAIN LION INCIDENTS IN THE
IMPLEMENTATION AREAS

1) First Depredation Event
a. Confirmation of depredation. Per Fish and Game Code section 4803, a
mountain lion depredation must be verified by a responder.
b. Oral authorization. Per Fish and Game Code Section 4805, oral
authorization to pursue (haze) the depredating mountain lion may be
granted if the immediate pursuit will assist in the non-lethal removal of the
mountain lion from the property. A depredation permit shall be issued as
soon as practical.
c. Education. The responder should discuss site-specific options for
managing mountain lion depredation with the RP and educate the RP
regarding mountain lion behavior. Additionally, the responder should
communicate that as a condition of any depredation permit, the property
owner should institute logistically and economically feasible measures
designed to reduce the potential for attracting mountain lions. Potential
measures include, but are not limited to: 1) removing the carcass and
carcass parts of depredated animals; 2) install/repair/replace fencing or
other shelter designed to exclude mountain lions from the attractant; 3)
removing potential suitable habitat (e.g., cover) from the immediate vicinity
by clearing brush or removing lower limbs from shrubbery.
d. RP requests a permit. If the RP requests a depredation permit, the
Department shall issue a permit. The Department should issue a ‘nonlethal’ depredation permit to pursue/haze the mountain lion. Measures that
could be part of a permit include, but are not limited to: 1) deploying
temporary deterrent systems (e.g., motion-sensitive lighting, loud music),
and 2) the use of livestock protection dogs, etc. Such permits shall explicitly
indicate that no mountain lion shall be intentionally killed during this phase
of the permitting process. Unique characteristics or specific collar/tag
information on suspected lions shall be noted and monitored by the
Department when possible.

2) Second depredation event. If a mountain lion depredation is reported at the
same physical location (e.g. reported on animals owned by the same RP within
the same geographic ownership or area) within a time period strongly
suggesting a lion’s affinity for the site, the Department will confirm the reported
mountain lion depredation, and issue, if necessary, oral authorization in
accordance with Sections 1(a) and (b) above.
a. RP requests a permit. If damage is confirmed, and the property owner has
demonstrated that all reasonable preventative measures recommended by
the Department were implemented, the responder should modify the
existing permit or issue a new non-lethal depredation permit specifying
additional measures not included in the previous permit (e.g., use of beanbag shots). Such permits shall explicitly indicate that no mountain lion shall
be intentionally killed during pursuit.

3) Third depredation event. If a mountain lion depredation is reported a third
time at the same physical location (e.g. reported on animals owned by the
same RP within the same geographic ownership or area) within a time period
strongly suggesting a lion’s affinity for the site, the responder will first verify the
reported mountain lion depredation in accordance with Section 1(a) above.
a. RP requests a permit. If damage is confirmed by the Department, the RP
has demonstrated that all reasonable preventative measures required in
the existing permits were implemented, and the RP requests a lethal
depredation permit, the Department shall issue a depredation permit to
lethally remove the mountain lion. This permit could be via oral
authorization per Fish and Game Code Section 4805.
4) Terms and conditions of mountain lion depredation permits. Only one
mountain lion may be killed under a depredation permit. In order to ensure that
only the depredating lion will be taken, the permit shall: (1) expire 10 days after
issuance; (2) authorize the permittee to begin pursuit of the depredating
mountain lion not more than one mile from the depredation site; and, (3) limit
the pursuit of the depredating mountain lion to within a 10-mile radius from the
location of the reported damage or destruction. If damage continues to occur
following the killing of a mountain lion under a permit, the Department may
issue an additional depredation permit, o"

https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=153021

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Google+ Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, wildlife, wild, animal, rescue, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator, fish, game, los angeles, california, united states, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, manual, instructor, speaker, humane, nuisance, control, pest, trap, exclude, deter, green, non-profit, nonprofit, non, profit, ill, injured, orphaned, exhibit, exhibitor, usda, united states department of agriculture, hsus, humane society, peta, ndart, humane academy, humane officer, animal legal defense fund, animal cruelty, investigation, peace officer, animal, cruelty, abuse, neglect #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit

Mary Cummins

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate Services has been in real estate since 1983, over 35 years. She is licensed by the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers. Mary Cummins was an agent and broker licensed with the California Department of Real Estate selling residential income, commercial buildings, raw land and homes for Merrill Lynch Realty in Beverly Hills and Westside Properties in Los Angeles before concentrating on appraisals. Mary Cummins currently provides real estate appraisals, expert witness testimony, historical research, legal real estate research for mortgage brokers, banks, lawyers, factors, insurance companies, financial consultants and private individuals. Mary Cummins was born and raised in Southern California. Cummins attended Beverly Hills Good Shepherd Catholic School and Beverly Hills High School. Besides being on the Dean's list, Mary Cummins was a top ten national swimmer and competed on the men's water polo team. Mary Cummins began college at the age of 15 attending the University of Southern California on scholarship, majoring in Psychology/Sociology. http://www.animaladvocates.us http://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdvocatesUSA

Friday, February 3, 2017

Animal Advocates starts the #USDAchallenge as USDA removed all inspection, permit info from website

USDA AWA Animal Welfare Act APHIS Donald Trump removes all permit and inspection reports Mary Cummins Animal Advocates #USDAchallenge

UPDATE: 02/22/2017 USDA returned some documents 02/17/2017. They are here.

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalwelfare/sa_obtain_research_facility_annual_report

Here is the notice that some documents have been returned.

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/newsroom/news/!ut/p/z1/vVLLbsIwEPwajpadR_M4hooGEIVKECC-RJvYFBdih8SQ8vd1UC9QQdVLfdrVznh3dhZTvMZUwkm8gxZKwt7kKfWyycx9tvpzMolf3gYkSmbj_mhKbDJ9wqtrwGw59Eg0WCSLaWD1R6GD6WP-ElNMC6krvcUpVFvRZIWSmkud7UVeQ33ukQYyydumVqq8JI2GHd-qPeN1BlKqoyx4aRjNpZqfMwaadzGyieVfAmL3CLSAWp43QnN0rDpM17sqBMOpwyAgIWfICmwfuX5OULhxCuR6PnMs2LAQ4FbrTzGdVnLnRcTw6fU6brdlfwMe_JGaGfx7M8Sxh1cnwVucSFWXxr_5HyUOCR7_Zpm5CfFxONDIGNdZ9anx-t-dq8qkDJwz2m1eB45L0y8kEbZR/dz/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/?urile=wcm%3Apath%3A%2Faphis_content_library%2Fsa_newsroom%2Fsa_stakeholder_announcements%2Fsa_by_date%2Fsa-2017%2Fsa-02%2Fawa-website-update

02/08/2017 We uploaded some of the missing USDA files here.

https://archive.org/details/USDA_files

More files here

http://thememoryhole2.org/blog/aphis-annual-reports

We filed a FOIA request for all correspondence, email, faxes, voicemail in regard to the removal of the information from the USDA website. We also requested access to or a digital copy of all the items removed. Here is our FOIA request. We'll update this page with any responses to our request.

http://animaladvocates.us/foia_usda_02032017.pdf

Today the USDA just removed all permit information and inspection reports from their website. If you try to search for them, you get this message.

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalwelfare/enforcementactions

"Last Modified: Feb 3, 2017 Print
Courts are continuously issuing decisions that provide agencies with guidance on interpreting and applying laws applicable to the release of information to the public by the Federal government, including the Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act. In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice maintains comprehensive guidance involving the Privacy Act, Freedom of Information Act, and other laws, and updates such guidance based on legal developments. APHIS, with the support from the Office of the General Counsel, continuously monitors these sources of information and makes refinements to APHIS’ practices, as needed.

Based on our commitment to being transparent, remaining responsive to our stakeholders’ informational needs, and maintaining the privacy rights of individuals, APHIS is implementing actions to remove documents it posts on APHIS’ website involving the Horse Protection Act (HPA) and the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) that contain personal information. These documents include inspection reports, research facility annual reports, regulatory correspondence (such as official warnings), lists of regulated entities, and enforcement records (such as pre-litigation settlement agreements and administrative complaints) that have not received final adjudication. In addition, APHIS will review and redact, as necessary, the lists of licensees and registrants under the AWA, as well as lists of designated qualified persons (DQPs) licensed by USDA-certified horse industry organizations to ensure personal information is not released to the general public.

Those seeking information from APHIS regarding inspection reports, research facility annual reports, regulatory correspondence, and enforcement records should submit Freedom of Information Act requests for that information. Records will be released when authorized and in a manner consistent with the FOIA and Privacy Act. If the same records are frequently requested via the Freedom of Information Act process, APHIS may post the appropriately redacted versions to its website. In addition, some enforcement records (such as initial decision and orders, default decisions, and consent decisions) are available on the USDA’s Office of Administrative Law Judge’s website (https://www.oaljdecisions.dm.usda.gov). For more information on preparing and submitting Freedom of Information Act requests, please visit https://efoia-pal.usda.gov/palMain.aspx."

This is most likely related to Donald Trump. He told all federal agencies such as the USDA not to give out any information. The USDA permit search is also down. It was here.

https://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/Warning.jspx;jsessionid=7f00000130d877a4b47a2b9d4b9ca181bc36536f1dce.e38Obx8Sb3yQby0Obh0Qe0

We have a USDA Class C exhibitor permit in order to keep sanctuary animals. We always post our permits and inspection reports as we've never had a violation ever since we first had the permit in 2003 14 years ago. We will continue to do so. Any organization that doesn't post their own USDA permits and inspection reports should be suspect. People shouldn't donate or give money to any organization, sanctuary or zoo that doesn't post their permits. Our permits and inspection reports are posted below. All of the documents online were redacted. Here is one such document. They never included our home address, any personal information or even copies of the signatures.

Animal Advocates hereby challenges all over USDA permit holders to post all of their permits and inspection reports. Please, share this post. #USDAchallenge #PostYourInspectionReports

For those that need permit or inspection report information, here is a sample Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request letter I sent. Edit this to suit your needs then email it to FOIA.Officer@aphis.usda.gov. Not having that information online is going to cause USDA to get bogged down with FOIA requests. That's why they put the information online in the first place.

December 1, 2014

USDA, APHIS, Animal Care
FOIA REQUEST
Tonya Woods, FOIA Director
Legislative and Public Affairs
Freedom of Information Act
4700 River Road, Unit 50
Riverdale, MD 20737

Dear FOIA Officer:

Pursuant to the federal Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, I request access to and copies of All emails, letters and faxes to/from/within the USDA which mention Tawni Angel, Jason Nester, Tawnis Ponies and Petting Farm, any other business name they have used for anything related to her cancelled USDA permit, current permit or any complaints. I specifically want to see her exhibiting, dealer, breeding and transport permits.

I would like to receive the information in electronic format. (Via email to ***.) I agree to pay reasonable duplication fees for the processing of this request.

If my request is denied in whole or part, I ask that you justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the act. I will also expect you to release all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material.

I of course reserve the right to appeal your decision to withhold any information or to deny a waiver of fees.

I look forward to your reply within 20 business days, as the statute requires. Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Mary Cummins

USDA Animal Advocates permit inspection reports #USDAchallenge Los Angeles, California Mary Cummins

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Squirrel plays with stuffed animal, toys - Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates

Google+Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, wildlife, wild, animal, rescue, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator, fish, game, los angeles, california, united states, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, manual, instructor, speaker, humane, nuisance, control, pest, trap, exclude, deter, green, non-profit, nonprofit, non, profit, ill, injured, orphaned, exhibit, exhibitor, usda, united states department of agriculture, hsus, humane society, peta, ndart, humane academy, humane officer, animal legal defense fund, animal cruelty, investigation, peace officer, animal, cruelty, abuse, neglect #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit

Mary Cummins

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Today is squirrel appreciation day. Animal Advocates Mary Cummins in Los Angeles, California

Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day! Share these cute squirrel photos and ask your groups to "like" Animal Advocates so we can rescue more squirrels. Thanks!