Leglislation heads up

This copy and paste from Caudata.org this morning:

SWEEPING BAN on salamander trade/transportation in effect this month

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(Note from the Founder of Caudata.org: We are alarmed by the Interstate Ban, not the importation ban. We are no more in favor of importing a disease than the writers of the bans.)

Injurious Wildlife: Listing Salamanders as Injurious Due to Risk of Salamander Chytrid Fungus

Interstate movement and importation of the following species is banned under the Lacey Act, effective January 28, 2016 (end of this month). Needless to say this is the end of a huge portion of the salamander/newt hobby as we know it.

http://www.fws.gov/injuriouswildlife...er-Species.pdf

The listing includes all species in these 20 genera:
Chioglossa, Cynops, Euproctus, Hydromantes, Hynobius, Ichthyosaura, Lissotriton, Neurergus, Notophthalmus, Onychodactylus, Paramesotriton, Plethodon, Pleurodeles, Salamandra, Salamandrella, Salamandrina, Siren, Taricha, Triturus, and Tylototriton

From http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=d7e8c81109173978c4240862c&id=dde2fe05f8

Salamander Injurious Listing

As posted on our Facebook page this morning, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will post tomorrow (1/13/15) in the federal register an interim rule listing 201 species (from 20 genera) of salamanders as injurious. This will prohibit importation and interstate transportation. The interim rule will be effective 15 days after posting in the register.

"This action is necessary to protect the interests of wildlife and wildlife resources from the introduction, establishment, and spread of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans [Bsal] into ecosystems of the United States." - FWS

This is an interim and not a final rule. There will be a 60 day comment period. USARK will post updates following the federal register posting.

See all species to be listed on pages 90-99 at the link below.

Read the pre-filing document at http://www.usark.org/wp-content/uplo...-Injurious.pdf.

More information at http://www.fws.gov/injuriouswildlife/salamanders.html.

View the USARK newsletter from December 2014 regarding Bsal at http://www.us4.campaign-archive1.com...&id=2a51d02304.

Donate to the USARK Legal Defense Fund

Information for making donations online and via check/money order can be found at http://www.usark.org/reptile-defense-fund-2/. You can make one-time, weekly, monthly or annual donations. You can also include a message that will be posted on the Legal Defense Fund Donor Wall at http://www.usark.org/usark-announcem...se-donor-wall/ for all to see. You can even choose to make your donation or donation amount anonymous. Thanks for your support as we battle FWS to restore the freedoms of the Reptile Nation.