HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-07-22 Public Comment - Footloose Montana - Trapping ESTD 2007
FOOTLOOSE
MONTANA
Fight for wildlife. End trapping.
September 29,2022
City Commission
City of Bozeman
121 N. Rouse Avenue
Bozeman,MT 59715
Dear Mayor Andrus,Deputy Mayor Cunningham,and City Commissioners:
We write to you today to urge you to consider banning trapping on the city-owned land at the Sourdough Creek trail. As you
know,this is a popular trail where the citizenry of Bozeman spend much of their time recreating with family,friends,and pets.
This high-use area is open to trapping which become landmines hidden from view that are a disaster waiting to happen.
Ground set traps only need to be 50 feet off the trail and there are no setbacks for water set traps. The public safety issues
this raises are clear: small children who wander can easily get their foot caught in a trap as well as the hundreds of off-leash
dogs that run freely up there. There have been multiple family pets who have had their beloved dog caught in a foothold trap
or snare across the Gallatin Valley. The lucky ones survive with brutal soft tissue or bone injuries. Some require amputation.
Others not so fortunate do not survive the trauma endured.
The Sourdough Creek drainage is vital habitat in a key wildlife migration corridor that extends from YNP to the Gallatin range
to the Bridgers and beyond. Trapping is indiscriminate and non-target animals are often victims.With the exception of wolf
traps,there are no trap set check times that require a trapper to check his traps. Animals routinely suffer for days and are
forced to endure an agonizing death from either hypothermia,hunger/thirst,blood loss,or psychological trauma.
You have a unique opportunity here to achieve a victory in the community. All the regulations that guide trapping,as written
in the policies administered by Fish Wildlife&Parks, favor trapping as a"recreational pursuit"in the context of their entitled
cultural heritage. Please consider breaking from this historic tradition of 181,century barbarism. The cruelty and suffering of
trapped animals is significant and the public should not be forced to recreate in fear.
Less than 1%of Montanans are trappers. And yet they hold us hostage on our own public lands. Based on a recent meeting
with the Custer-Gallatin Forest Service management,they have indicated that the Forest Service will follow suit to ban
trapping on their lands just adjacent to yours. We are just hoping the City of Bozeman will take the lead and set the example
of how a modern mountain town conducts itself. Please consider our humble request to add this issue as an agenda item to an
upcoming city commission meeting. Thank you.
Grateful for your consideration,
Your Friends at Footloose Montana [501c3]
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• michael(W-footloosemontana.org • 415-440-3655
www.Footloosemontana.org • facebook.com/footloosemontana