BILL ANALYSIS 1
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| SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WATER |
| Senator Fran Pavley, Chair |
| 2009-2010 Regular Session |
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BILL NO: AB 1956 HEARING DATE: June 9, 2010
AUTHOR: Monning URGENCY: No
VERSION: May 11, 2010 CONSULTANT: Bill Craven
DUAL REFERRAL: No FISCAL: Yes
SUBJECT: California condors: feeding.
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW
Existing law prohibits the transport of a dead animal to any
place, other than to a licensed rendering plant, licensed
collection center, animal disease diagnostic laboratory,
crematory, or approved destination in another state, unless a
waiver is granted by the state veterinarian for certain
specified purposes.
Existing law also authorizes the Department of Fish and Game
(DFG) to provide for the feeding of game birds, mammals or fish
when natural foods are not available and to provide suitable
areas for such feeding.
PROPOSED LAW
This bill would authorize, but not require, DFG to enter into a
memorandum of understanding with the state veterinarian, federal
wildlife agencies, and other participants in a condor
preservation program. The bill would also exempt the condor
program, which is operated by DFG, from state veterinarian
waiver requirements. Recent amendments deleted previous mandated
components of any such memorandum of understanding.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
According to the author, existing law ignores the foraging needs
of California condors and prohibits the transport of dead
animals and their use as food for other species, including
endangered species, which he believes is contrary to the spirit
of the state Endangered Species Act.
The Ventana Wildlife Society, which has assisted for years with
the condor recovery effort, states that this bill would enable
DFG to authorize the feeding of condors and is therefore an
important step in advancing the recovery of this species.
Defenders of Wildlife states that dead livestock and road-killed
wildlife offer an ample food supply for condors but are often
unavailable to free-ranging California condors due to existing
collection and disposal procedures.
Sierra Club California believes that current law requiring
disposal of dead carcasses is contrary to the spirit of the
state Endangered Species Act in that these carcasses can not be
made available to condors, a federal and state listed endangered
species.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION
None received
COMMENTS
Currently, DFG has a memorandum of understanding with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service for contracting organizations to help
re-establish the condor in the wild.
As of 2007, major expenditures for the recovery effort came from
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Los Angeles Zoo, the San
Diego Wild Animal Park, The Peregrine Fund, the Ventana Wildlife
Society, Pinnacles National Monument, and the Oregon Zoo. These
participants maintain captive-rearing facilities, release sites,
or both. In 2008, the total funding for this effort from public
and private sources was $5.34 million.
SUPPORT
Defenders of Wildlife
Ventana Wildlife Society
Sierra Club California
Audubon California
OPPOSITION
None Received
All previous opposition is now neutral.