From Jil. Also - see below for announcement about October native grasses
program.

-----Forwarded Message-----
From: Defenders of Wildlife
Sent: Aug 17, 2006 9:55 AM
To: elytra@...
Subject: Goodbye, Maryland terps?

If you can not read this message for any reason, you can view
it online now...

[alert_banner.jpg]





Help Save Maryland Terrapins

Diamondback Tarrapin (Photo: NOAA)
Commercial harvests threaten Maryland’s official state reptile. You
can help save them!

Take Action small red button

Terrapins need friends, too. Please forward this message to your
friends, family and co-workers.

Dear Jil,

The Maryland terrapins are in trouble, but it has nothing to do
with college sports.

Take action now to save Maryland’s diamondback terrapins. Send a
message to the Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Service
and urge them to stop the commercial harvest of this vanishing
reptile.

Maryland’s official reptile and the University of Maryland’s mascot
is in decline, due to over-fishing, habitat destruction and other
factors.

The demand for live turtles from Asian markets has increased
dramatically in the last few years, and commercial fishing is
taking a particularly heavy toll on Maryland terrapins.

Commercial fishing may be one the greatest threats to terrapins,
but it is also one of the easiest to correct.

Stand up for Maryland terps! Urge the State to ban the commercial
harvest of terrapins.

The slow maturity and low survival rate of young terrapins mean
that a local population that is over-fished will take decades to
recover. A study of the Patuxent River shows a 75% decline in
terrapins over the last twenty years.

Fortunately, the state has approved emergency regulations that
shorten the terrapin harvest season and protect the largest female
terrapins. But even under these new regulations half of all
breeding age females can still be caught and killed.

We have to act now to save Maryland’s terrapins. Please send your
message right now and urge state officials to get terrapins out of
soup pots and back on the road to recovery.

The state is only accepting comments on more permanent regulations
to protect terrapins through next Monday (August 21st), so please
send your personalized comments today.

Maryland’s terrapins need our help. Let’s not drop the ball…

Sincerely,


Caroline Kennedy, Defenders of Wildlife Caroline Kennedy
Senior Director, Field Conservation
Defenders of Wildlife

[PixelServer?j=Sx2zYwXIgrfYjRmMp0Ej-A..]
Privacy policy | Contact Us | Donate | Defenders Home


The 5th Eastern Native grass Symposium is scheduled for October 10-14 in
Harrisburg, PA. There will be a great opportunity to network with others
who are planting/managing native grass-based cover for a host of purposes;
50+ oral presentations and 30+ poster papers. Several field trips and
workshops have been arranged to cover a variety of uses. The cut-off for
early registration (with $50 savings) is September 1. To view the latest
information and program schedule, go to:
http://www.pa.nrcs.usda.gov/engs.html