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<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'>BCN</span></font></st1:PersonName><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'>net people;<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>This was released by F&W yesterday and clarifies the legal status
of non-native birds.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Regards<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=EmailStyle20><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Donald R. Dann<o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=EmailStyle20><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Highland Park/Lake County
</span></font></span><font size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>For your information US Fish & Wildlife Service posted their final
list of non-native bird species. Information of the release follows: <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 3.0pt;
margin-left:3.4pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>March 15,
2005
Contact: Nicholas Throckmorton, (202)<br>
208-5636<br>
<br>
SERVICE PUBLISHES FINAL
LIST OF NON-NATIVE BIRD SPECIES<br>
<br>
<br>
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today published in the Federal Register<br>
a final list of the bird species to which the Migratory Bird Treaty Act<br>
(MBTA) does not apply because they are not native to the <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>
and<br>
have been introduced by humans everywhere they occur in the nation. The<br>
list is required by the Migratory Bird Treaty Reform Act of 2004.<br>
<br>
<br>
Most migratory bird species in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> are protected by the
MBTA,<br>
which prohibits take of protected species, their nests and eggs except as<br>
permitted by regulation. The MBTA implements treaties for the protection of<br>
shared migratory bird resources signed by the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United
States</st1:country-region> with <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>,<br>
<st1:country-region w:st="on">Japan</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Mexico</st1:country-region>, and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<br>
<br>
<br>
“By declaring that the MBTA does not apply to nonnative human-introduced<br>
species, the Reform Act has restored the historic status of the MBTA and<br>
enabled State and Federal Agencies to resume effective management of native<br>
wildlife populations,” said Service Director Steve Williams.<br>
<br>
<br>
Williams noted that the publication of today’s final list is for public<br>
information purposes only as required by the Reform Act and has no legal<br>
effect.<br>
<br>
<br>
The actual list of migratory birds protected by the MBTA is published in<br>
the Code of Federal Regulations (Title 50, Part 10.13). When it became law<br>
late last year, the Reform Act excluded any species from protection not<br>
specifically included on the Title 50, Part 10 list.<br>
<br>
<br>
Of the 125 species on the final list of species exempt from MBTA<br>
regulation, only 17 are known to have established self-sustaining breeding<br>
populations in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Only one of the 125 species
has ever<br>
been treated as federally protected under the MBTA. The mute swan was<br>
afforded protection beginning in December 2001 by order of a Federal court.<br>
Other prominent and well-known species on the list are the Eurasian<br>
collared-dove and rock pigeon.<br>
<br>
<br>
The exclusion of these species from the MBTA does not change the<br>
protections that they might receive under other laws or treaties such as<br>
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna<br>
and Flora (CITES), the Endangered Species Act, or the Wild Bird<br>
Conservation Act. In addition, States and communities may protect<br>
nonnative, human-introduced species at their discretion.<br>
<br>
<br>
Numerous other introduced species--including such widely distributed<br>
species as ring-necked pheasant, European starling, and house<br>
sparrow--don’t belong to families covered by the MBTA and thus are not<br>
affected by this notice.<br>
<br>
<br>
The notice is available on the Internet at <</span></font><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><a
href="http://migratorybirds.fws.gov"><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>http://migratorybirds.fws.gov</span></font></a></span></font>>.<br>
<br>
<br>
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency<br>
responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and<br>
plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American<br>
people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge<br>
System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small<br>
wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national<br>
fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 ecological<br>
services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws,<br>
administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations,<br>
restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife<br>
habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their<br>
conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program,<br>
which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on<br>
fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.<br>
***************************************************************************<br>
News releases are also available on the World Wide Web at <br>
<font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><a
href="http://news.fws.gov"><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>http://news.fws.gov</span></font></a><br>
<br>
</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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