To all Representatives and Senators of North Carolina             1 of 2

The North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission is a division set up to protect North Carolina wildlife, however in recent years they have been exerting their authority outside their judicial boundaries. The NCWRC should regulate animals in the wild or animals coming out of the wild, not animals raised for meats and/or public viewing (exhibits). The ranchers, farmers, private landowners, and exhibitors of North Carolina would like following law passed:

The NCWRC claims all wildlife until it causes problems. Then they say, "Let nature take its course," If they don't intervene at both ends of the spectrum then they shouldn’t intervene at all! In other words, if they are in control of the animals in the wild and collect money from hunting and fishing licenses, then they should pay for the damage the wildlife causes. There have been several articles in the newspaper about the approximately $54 million they have, so please don’t give them any money.

The NCWRC should expend their efforts and monies in wildlife matters. There is a tremendous amount of work to do in such areas as deer overpopulation, beaver control, and rabies. The NCWRC should adopt a plan to remove deer in problem areas: if they don’t they should pay the insurance deductible for the damage or accidents caused by deer. The NCWRC and Ducks Unlimited released the beavers in the 1960’s; therefore they should establish a program to remove problems beavers, if the landowner desires, at the NCWRC’s expense! If not they should immediately start paying for the crops and thousands of acres of timber destroyed because of the beavers. Rabies is a naturally occurring disease due to overpopulation. The NCWRC should promote trapping and fur-bearing clothing, as well as create a statewide vaccination policy; the state of Texas can help.

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture should regulate us; however, they say their budget has been cut. Commissioner Phipps agrees if these animals are raised like livestock they should be regulated like livestock. With your votes and orders the NCDA can do this job. To get them some money elected officials need to change the accounting formulas of sales and fuel tax and move money from the NCWRC to the NCDA. By moving this money, approximately $150,000.00, you will not increase taxes on your voters. However you will start the beginning of the second chapter in the Alternative Livestock business, which is already a 5 million dollar business in North Carolina, with growth potential to 10 to 15 million a year.

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The NCWRC should not regulate Alternative livestock for the following reasons.                                                                                                                                        

1) They are going to cost the NC economics 5 million a year with                a potential growth of 10 to 15 million a year by closing the alternative livestock ranchers.

2) The NCWRC has little concern of anything except hunting and fishing license revenue.

3) They have not handled the Rabies problem.

4) They have not handled the Beaver problem.

5) They are doing a poor job on the deer population - high or low

6) They do not have the education, facility, or manpower to handle a possible National Disease "Chronic Wasting Disease"

7) The money they are going to lose is approximately 45 million because of lawsuits.

8) Enforcements officers need to be protecting the wildlife, not pen raised animals.

9) The amount of power they have to enforce a law before a man has been convicted.

They killed seven deer 12/13/02 on private property before the defendant even went to Court. They think that the "due process" does not apply to them.

10) The NCWRC has personnel that directly & indirectly misleads not only the public but also the Wildlife Commissioners.

11) The NCWRC say they will start destroying approximately 2400 deer and elk in North Carolina, if we, the Ranchers don’t comply with their temporary laws, with a six month notice. Few of their laws, permanent or temporary make any sense, except no importation of any cervidae into North Carolina.  This law should stay in place for the next five years, or until the USDA has a live test that works according to their standards.

12) The NCWRC believes it is wrong to raise deer & elk behinds fences, in N.C.

Sincerely ,

James Bass II, Director Jambbas Ranch Tours Please call 910-484-2702