| Audubon
of Kansas Legislative Efforts
Audubon of Kansas strives to develop sound legislation,
work closely with lawmakers, and lead a coalition of diverse organizations
and individuals in support of landowners' rights to manage and conserve
native wildlife resources on private property.
In January 2006, AOK Executive Director Ron Klataske appeared
before the Kansas House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture and
requested that two bills provided by Audubon of Kansas be sponsored by
the committee for consideration by the Kansas Legislature.
One bill would have simply repealed all of the antiquated
eradication statutes (K.S.A.
80-1201 thru 80-1208) used by overzealous township boards or county
commissioners to destroy prairie dogs on private property--without any
regard for the destruction of native wildlife resources or for private
property rights.
The second bill would have revised K.S.A.
80-1201 in order to change the language from a mandate to destroy
prairie dogs to an authorization to manage, conserve or control prairie
dogs. We asked for the introduction and consideration of the two bills
separately or as side-by-side alternatives because either approach would
accomplish the goal of bringing the State of Kansas into the 21st Century
on this subject.
On February 13, 2006, Ron Klataske and numerous partners
testified in a hearing of the House Agriculture Committee in support of
House
Bill 2783 (the second bill described above) designed to promote the
modification of the eradication statutues.
--Read a summary of
the hearing.
--Read Ron's statement to
the committee.
--Read a letter from a Kansas
landowner.
--Read a letter from a
Missouri hunter.
Audubon of Kansas has written a series of bills and has
been working with the legislature since 1999 to seek repeal or changes
in the statutes. We believe that the best legislative language was the
bill introduced as Senate
Bill 257 on February 2 in the 2007 session.
Learn More About
What You Can Do
Learn More About Our Other
Legislative Efforts
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