April 23, 2022

I received a post from Melissa about the impact the Oklahoma Tribes are having on the state.  The Oklahoma Tribal Finance Consortium’s (OTFC) study found the 16 tribal Nations based in the state had a US$15.6 billion impact on the economy.  The study began in 2019 and was released on March 23, 2022.  The report shows an increase of more than $2.6 billion in economic activity from 2017 to 2019.  The Oklahoma tribes directly employ more than 54,000 people and provide 113,442 jobs to tribal citizens and non-citizens, accounting for over $5.4 billion in wages and benefits.  One advantage of the Tribes as an economic driver is they are a more constant and reliable partner than outside corporations.  Victor Flores, President of OTFC and Director of Tribal Services, said “Unlike corporations that move based on economic conditions, our tribes are here to stay.  Oklahoma is home, and we will continue to reinvest in our communities through job creation, critical service delivery and infrastructure development.”

One form of impact is Tribal health care, which includes more than 45 operating facilities.  Most of these locations provide care to both Native American and non-Native Oklahomans.  Another advantage is when Native Americans get health care at tribal health facilities, the entire cost of care is paid by the federal government.  During 2019, the tribes paid $232 million in Medicaid expenses.  This Oklahoma $86 million as the services did not require state matching funds.  In 2019 alone, there were 3.5 million patient visits at tribal health facilities in Oklahoma.  Those visits resulted in prevention and in improved health which potentially provide additional cost savings for the state.

Another revenue impact is the gaming compacts between Oklahoma-based tribes and the state which require tribal nations to submit a percentage of their gaming revenues for the exclusive right to operate casinos in the state.  Oklahoma sends the first $250,000 of these fees to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, and the remaining 88% of funds are used for public education supporting all Oklahomans.  The Tribes have paid more than $1.8 billion in exclusivity fees since 2006, with over $1.5 billion used for public education.  During 2019, an additional $84 million was paid to support Oklahoma schools, municipalities, and other community initiatives.  Another economic impact comes from the more than 75,000 people employed by the casinos, mostly in rural communities.  The monies generated build roads and hospitals, invest in our public schools and universities, and create programs to serve those who need assistance.  Matthew L. Morgan, Chairman, Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association said, “We are proud of our past, excited about things happening right now, and determined to leave the next generation an industry, and an Oklahoma, that they can take pride in.”

THOUGHTS:  Like any government study, the report on the Tribes economic impact was only partial, as only 16 of the 39 tribes based in the state provided financial data for the report.  That represents 41% of the Tribes responded and probably indicates the economic impact was much higher.  Additional data for the report was gathered from information on the tribes from other federal and state data.  A typical survey reply rate is in the range of 5% to 30%.  While the US Census Bureau claims over 99% of households are accounted for by their reports, the administration stopped the survey prior to its scheduled end date in 2020.  People could still fill out information online, but these are the same people who had avoided the survey for the previous six months.  The census is used to assign House of Representatives seats and determine where federal aid is needed.  No reason to get that information correct, right?  Act for others.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

April 22, 2022

Since today is Earth Day, it is appropriate to address an article in my local newspaper on the battle around Carbon Capture.  Ascension Parish is part of the 85-mile (137-kilometer) span between New Orleans and Baton Rouge officially called the Mississippi River Chemical Corridor, but more commonly known as Cancer Alley.  The region’s air quality is some of the worst in the United States, and in several places the risk of cancer is much higher than considered acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency.  This is also where a US$4.5 billion plant designed to capture carbon and make clean-burning hydrogen fuel is slated to be built.  The plant will be operated by Air Products and Chemicals and is designed to capture airborne carbon emissions during production and put them safely underground.

When I looked online, I found Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) before it enters the atmosphere, transporting it, and storing it (carbon sequestration) for centuries or millennia.  The CO2 is usually captured from sources like a coal-fired power plant, a chemical plant, or biomass power plant, and then stored in an underground geological formation.  The aim is to prevent the release of CO2 from heavy industry with the intent of mitigating the effects of climate change.  Although CO2 has been injected into geological formations for several decades, the long-term storage of CO2 is a relatively new concept.  CO2 can be captured directly from an industrial source using a variety of technologies, including absorption, adsorption, chemical looping, membrane gas separation or gas hydration.  As of 2020, about one thousandth of global CO2 emissions are captured by CCS and most projects are industrial.  A study in late 2020 by researchers from the University of California, San Diego, found over 80% of 39 projects that have sought to commercialize carbon capture and storage ended in failure.  The study cited lack of technological readiness as a top factor

Even if the technology was deployed successfully, several critics say the projects would pose threats to the public health of communities long plagued by air and water pollution.  First, any project that prolongs the life of an existing industrial facility presents additional environmental harm by extending the amount of time it pollutes a community.  Second, since carbon capture requires more energy to power equipment, it would result in more air pollution as the technology can only catch a portion of the facilities carbon emission.  Howard Herzog, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and pioneer of carbon capture and storage technology, disputed this in an interview with the AP.  But he acknowledged there is a risk in transporting and storing carbon.  At the point of capture, Herzog said, the technology poses a “very low” threat to public health. “There’s always a chance of some mishaps, but on the overall scale of chemical plants, (the technology) is fairly benign.”

THOUGHTS:  When I was researching a lead smelter in Utah, I tried to interview workers at a plant that had closed two decades earlier.  I was only able to find three workers who still lived in town, and they told me their friends had all died long ago.  One of the three died of cancer not long after my interview.  What I realized was the workers had been exposed to lead for long periods of time.  While lead poisoning was not listed as the cause of death, exposure to lead initiated the mortality.  The EPA determined that “prior protections” failed to prevent over 2,200 chemical accidents in the US during a 10-year period, including about 150 incidents per year that caused “reportable harm”.  “Fairly benign” seems to be a relative term if it happens to you.  Act for others.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

April 21, 2022

While Earth Day is not until tomorrow, it deserves advance notice to plan something special to help protect the environment.  Earth Day began as a US event in 1970 and went international in 1990 when it spread to 141 countries.  It now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org and includes 1 billion people in more than 193 countries.  The annual event on April 22 demonstrates support for environmental protection.  The landmark Paris Agreement was signed by the US, the United Kingdom, China, and 120 other countries on Earth Day 2016.  Signing satisfied a key requirement for the entry into force of the historic draft climate protection treaty adopted by consensus of the 195 nations present at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.

When I looked online, I found the concept for Earth Day was formed in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco.  Peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace.  This was to be observed on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere.  This day was later sanctioned in a proclamation written by McConnell and signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations.  A month later, US Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed a nationwide day as an environmental teach-in on April 22, 1970 and hired Denis Hayes as National Coordinator.  Nelson and Hayes renamed their event “Earth Day”.  The event grew beyond the original teach-in to include the entire United States.  More than 20 million people poured into the streets on the first Earth Day, making it the largest single-day protest in human history.  On Earth Day 2020, over 100 million people around the world observed the 50th anniversary in what is referred to as the largest online mass mobilization in history.

The theme for Earth Day 2022 is “Invest in Our Planet” and features several action options.  The Great Global Cleanup is a campaign to remove billions of pieces of trash from neighborhoods, beaches, rivers, lakes, trails, and parks.  Sustainable Fashion refers to the clothing industry being responsible for 8% of total greenhouse gas emissions and calls for a clothing supply chain that is ecologically and socially responsible.  Climate and Environmental Literacy is an attempt to create a generation of citizens, workers, students, and leaders ready for climate change, and understanding how to stop it.  Canopy Project recognizes forests as home to 80% of the world’s biodiversity and as collectively the second largest storehouse of carbon after the oceans.  Food and Environment emphasizes regenerative agriculture where practices such as no till farming and cover cropping reduce erosion and water pollution, while producing healthier soils.  If you are interested, see earthday.org for ideas.

THOUGHTS:  I learned this week my great niece submitted a picture depicting the effect of trash in our oceans for an Earth Day event sponsored by the Topeka (Kansas) Zoo and won first place in her division (2nd Grade).  This gives her a free pass to the Zoo on the 22nd, and a lifetime of memories for activism.  Raising generations of children with climate and environmental literacy is imperative if we are to be successful in saving our planet.  Raising generations of children with social and cultural sensitivity is imperative if we are to be successful in creating unity.  This is not either/or, it is both/and.  Act for others.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

April 20, 2022

When I headed for the market last weekend, I remembered hearing of the shortage of eggs as we neared Easter.  I always dyed boiled eggs with my son Alex when he was growing up and we were able to hide and re-hide eggs for the next week.  We kept them in the refrigerator, but I am sure it was not a sanitary practice.  This seems to be among the many food customs we “used to do” that are no longer considered safe.  I noticed a father who had opted for plastic eggs and candy to fill them.   I felt sad that he would was not able to participate in the bonding that was more of a part of the egg dying than the hunt ever was.  I had come to purchase eggs for the quiche I was making so I worked my way back to the cold section.  I found the stocker putting the last case of eggs on the empty shelves.  These were cage free eggs that sold for US$4.50 a dozen.  It was only later that I learned of the spread of bird flu.

When I looked online, I found the shortage of eggs was not due to supply chain issues.  Egg prices had doubled nationally in March, according to the Urner Barry Egg Index, due to the drastic measures taken to try to curb spread of bird flu virus (HPAI).  This is the worst outbreak since 2014-2015 and more than 24 million domestic chickens, turkeys, and other domestic birds across 17 states have been killed in the US since February.  No human cases have been documented from this strain of avian flu in the US, and only one has been reported in Europe.  Among birds, avian flu can be deadly and spread rapidly.  Federal rules in the US require the birds to be killed to try to stop the virus.  Response to the bird flu has varied.  Zoos in at least a half dozen states have shuttered aviaries to protect their birds.  Backyard flock owners are keeping their chickens in and trying to keep wild waterfowl out of farm ponds to protect their birds.

After the virus was reported in 41 countries during the latter half of 2021, US and Canadian officials began swabbing live birds and ducks taken by hunters to monitor for it.  The strain spread to North America in late November in great black backed gulls in Newfoundland, where birds sometimes land after being blown across the Atlantic from Europe.  By April 18, the virus had taken flight and had spread to more than 230 counties, in 37 US states, and in at least 6 Canadian provinces.  Maps of the outbreak this spring showed the flu moving along the Missouri River basin, “very clearly on the wings of migrating waterfowl,” said Bryan Richards of the USGS National Wildlife Health Center.  USGS data shows at least 32 species of wild birds have been infected in the US, including bald eagles, snowy owls, swans, and white pelicans.

𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦:  Among the latest victims of the bird flu outbreak is the Bald Eagle.  Eagles in 14 states have died after contracting bird flu, and eagles in two other states are suspected of falling ill with avian flu.  According to the USDA, 36 bald eagles have died since February.  Scientists are monitoring avian flu and other pathogens in animals more closely because of the rising threat the viruses could spread to people, or back and forth between people and animals, mutating into different strains as they go.  An example is the covid-19 virus, which was found in a host of captive and wild animals, including lions, tigers, gorillas, cats, dogs, deer, and mink.  Richards commented, “We’ve created opportunities where wildlife, humans and domestic animals literally share time and space.  Pathogens can leverage those opportunities.”  While pathogens leverage opportunities to spread, humans can take action to limit their spread.  Act for others.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

April 19, 2022

Driving home last weekend, we ran into a major traffic jam two miles from our house.  This was only the third time we had left Zena by herself and were trying to hurry back.  The first time we put her in the small bathroom with a bowl of water thinking there was not too much to tear up.   We were wrong.  The bathroom looked like a bomb had gone off when we got home.  The next time we realized Zena already slept on the floor in the bedroom at night, so we put her in our bedroom.  Zena quickly settled down and was sleeping on the floor in her bed when we returned.  Still, Melissa was antsy as we crawled along the road toward the accident.  The officers were trying to divert traffic to a side exit, but most drivers did not know where the road led and decided to wait until the accident cleared.  The ones who took the exit seemed to be locals who knew the directions to get around.

When we finally got close enough Melissa took off on the exit.  This was an area Melissa had grown up driving, although it had been a long time.  Since she thought she knew the directions around the jam, I did not try to pull up a map on my phone.  Quite a few others had taken the same route and traffic was again crawling along as we approached a “cross traffic does not stop” intersection.  Most were turning right but Melissa cut across to avoid the next snarl.  We wound through a series of back roads that seemed to be taking us away from our destination.  I finally pulled up my map to see where we were going and possibly find directions to take us home. What I discovered was we were lost.

When I showed Melissa the map directions, she asked me to navigate.  The GPS took us on a convoluted route through a subdivision that finally came out about 100 yards in the opposite direction than where we started.  However, the directions assured we could get home following the route.  We backtracked along the route we had come until we finally arrived at a “t” intersection.  We had turned left, and the directions now told us to go right.  Within a mile Melissa knew exactly where we were and within five minutes, we were home.  Once more Zena had done fine without us.

𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦:  I always hear how men struggle with asking directions, but that has never been my problem.  I was driving to a new location with my boss, and we were unsure where to turn.  I saw a sign on a house for psychic services and immediately pulled in.  I knocked on the door and asked for directions, which she gave me.  When we arrived at our destination, my boss asked how I knew she could tell us where to go, and I responded, “She would not be much of a psychic if she did not know directions would she?”  My GPS initially led us the wrong way but corrected and provided the right directions.  Other advisors people listen to give the wrong directions but rather than correcting their error, they deny they ever said it.  When the directions change the advice should change with it.  When it does not, you may want to get different advice.  Act for others.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

April 18, 2022

Last weekend marked the confluence of the Holy Days of four different faiths.  On Friday, Western Christians commemorated the crucifixion of Jesus, and on Sunday celebrated Easter marking Jesus’ resurrection.  Friday also marked the Jewish celebration of Passover Eve, which commemorates the exodus of the Israelites and the end of their bondage in Egypt.  Friday was another of the Muslim weekly Friday holidays during the month of Ramadan, which began on April 2 and ends on May 2.  Finally, Sunday marked the beginning of Holy Week for the Eastern Orthodox church, or Palm Sunday.  This confluence of dates is unusual and is only possible because of the different calendars used by these faiths.

When I looked online, I found the confluence of dates results as the Christian calendar is based on the solar year, while the Islamic calendar is aligned with the lunar year.  The twelve months in the solar year equal 365 days, but the 12 lunar months have 354 days.  This causes the Islamic Ramadan to move through the solar calendar over a thirty-year cycle.  The Jewish Passover and Western Easter occur close to each other in early spring, but rarely on the same day.  Christians have dated Easter to Sunday since 325 CE, specifically the first Sunday after spring full moon.  In the Jewish calendar, Passover begins on the 14^th day of the month, regardless of the day of the week.  Eastern Christian churches base their Easter date on the Julian calendar, which differs from the Gregorian calendar used by western countries.  That means Eastern Easter is often later than Western Easter.

Another confluence happens as Jerusalem has major significance for all three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.  Around 1000 BCE, King David captured Jerusalem and made it the capital of his Jewish kingdom, and Solomon built the first Temple 40 years later.  King Herod reconstructed the second temple in 37 BCE and added the retaining walls.  Jesus was crucified in the city around 30 CE and is said to have been resurrected.  The Islamic prophet Muhammad died in 632 CE and was said to have ascended to heaven from Jerusalem.  The city now lies on the boarder of Jewish Israel and Islamic Palestine.  Parts are controlled by each state, and both have claimed Jerusalem as their capital.  Bloody conflicts to control the city and the sites within it have waged for 1500 years.  The confluence of faith has not brought peace.

THOUGHTS:  Zena woke me early Sunday morning to let me know it was time to go outside.  I let her out and listened as music blasted off the hill overlooking town celebrating Easter Sunrise.  When I was in Cairo, I was awakened each morning by the call to prayer that was broadcast from each of the many mosques in the city.  The confluence of faith and the world often results in conflict.  That is true for Jerusalem, for the Middle East, and for America.  Some believe if we proclaim our message loudly, teachings of love and unity can be disregarded in favor of power and control.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

April 16, 2022

This morning’s NY Times feed featured the new “It” plant.  The article said succulents were the best plants to own because they are easy to care for.  The author went on to say even though she was a “clueless city dweller” she had been able to keep her nine plants alive multiple growing seasons.  Successfully cultivating an indoor garden of impressive plants accords bragging rights.  “It’s like your kids got accepted to an Ivy League college — they’re doing well,” one plant blogger wrote.  The proud “It”-plant cultivator knows the plant collection is really a testament to the gardener, or as the article said, the “plant parent”.

When I looked online, I found numerous websites dedicated to plant bloggers, including a page for the “Top 45 Plant Blogs and Websites.”  When I checked the blogs, they offered information, but the real purpose seemed to be selling training videos, or the sale of actual plants.  The blogs called succulents the popular choice for two reasons: they are beautiful to look at and nearly indestructible.  Succulents are easy to raise if you followed the “right” combination of the Big 5: light, soil, water, temperature/humidity, and fertilizer.  The light needs to be at least six hours of sunlight a day.  The soil is a fast-draining mixture specifically designed for cacti and succulents.  Watering should be to soak and allow the soil to dry.  Ideal daytime temps are 70F to 85F (21C to 29.5C) and between 50F to 55F (10C to 12.7C) at night, with 80 percent humidity.  During the growing season you fertilize as you do your other houseplants and stop entirely when dormant.

While this all seems easy to follow, I knew it was not the whole story.  Melissa has spent hours researching the right soil for the different plants, and the soil composition can change depending on the age and activity of the plant.  Some are summer growers while others prefer winter.  There are different temperature preferences when the plant is growing than when it is dormant.  The same is true for light, water, and fertilizer.  While you may be able to put a small succulent or cactus on the shelf and hope for the best, a true “It” garden needs constant monitoring.  There is no such thing as easy if you want your plants to do more than just survive.

THOUGHTS:  When I worked for the State of Utah, I bought a small cactus and placed it on the corner of my desk.  I wanted the plant to be easy to care for but wanted to add some color to my office.  The small barrel cactus seemed appropriate for Utah and for my gardening skills.  I took care of the cactus for the first months, and then it began to slip my mind.  One day I observed the plant had not changed for several months.  On closer inspection, I found the plant had died.  I had accomplished the near impossible.  I killed a cactus from lack of water.  Most things are easy once you know what you are doing, but there can be a huge learning curve before they become easy.  We need to take time to learn to treat others with respect.  We need to practice until it becomes easy.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

April 15, 2022

It has been a long time since Melissa has had a new puppy, so we are both having to relearn how to be parents.  Like any proud parents, we have been checking videos and websites trying to discover the best way to train Zena.  The first thing we discovered was she is a puppy.  Like a human child, there are some things she can comprehend, and others she is not yet old enough to grasp, even though we would like her to.  The other problem, like the “terrible twos” for a child, is there can be a difference between what we want Zena to do and what Zena wants to do.  We are determined to use the trend of positive reinforcement to train Zena rather than punishment.  This is not too far different than Dr. Spock’s recommendations on child rearing.

When I looked online, I found Benjamin McLane Spock (May 2, 1903 – March 15, 1998) was an American pediatrician whose book, Baby and Child Care (1946), is the second best-selling book of the twentieth century, after the Bible.  It sold 500,000 copies in the six months after initial publication in 1946, 50 million by the time of Spock’s death in 1998 and had been translated into 42 languages.  The book’s premise to mothers was that they “know more than you think you do.”  Spock was the first pediatrician to study psychoanalysis to try to understand the children’s needs in relation to family dynamics.  His ideas about childcare influenced generations of parents to be more flexible and affectionate with their children and to treat them as individuals.  Spock’s recommendations and advice revolutionized parental upbringing in the US. 

Spock advocated ideas about parenting that were considered out of the mainstream, but over time his books helped bring major change.  Previously, experts told parents babies needed to learn to sleep on a regular schedule and picking them up and holding them whenever they cried would only teach them to cry more and not to sleep through the night.  They were told to feed their children on a regular schedule, and that they should not pick them up, kiss them, or hug them, because that would not prepare them to be strong and independent people in a harsh world.  In contrast, Spock encouraged parents to show their children affection and see them as individuals.  At the time, his books were criticized by conservatives for propagating permissiveness and an expectation of instant gratification, a charge that Spock denied.  I am glad I was able to grow up as a child rather than the little adults of the previous era.

THOUGHTS:  One area where we have had success with Zena is getting her to go to her cage.  We started when she came in from going “outside” by saying “cage”.  She learned to go into the cage to get her treat for going outside.  While she still struggles with extended time in the cage, especially with the door closed, she freely enters and lays down.  Now she even goes into the cage on her own when she is exploring without being asked or in expectation of a treat.  Most researchers say much of human behavior is learned, and from a very young age.  Parents have the responsibility to train their children to be good stewards of both the earth and others.  The best way to do this is to let your child learn behavior in your own actions and words.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

April 14, 2022

When I woke up this morning Melissa told me we had forgotten to lock the door last night.  We usually leave the front door open with the screen closed so we can see outside during the day.  Now that we have Zena there is added incentive as she will go to the front door and look when she needs to go out.  I usually close the door and lock it when it gets dark so others cannot look in.  Melissa opens the back door to regulate the temperature for her succulents on the sunporch.  This also provides easy access for Zena to the pool deck.  At night she will lock the door when we no longer use it.  Apparently, we both forgot last night as the front was closed and not locked and the back was wide open.

When I looked online, I found that an overwhelming majority of burglars enter homes through the doors and windows.  Thirty-four percent use the front door, while 22 percent get in through the back door.  Another 23 percent use first-floor windows.  That represents 79 percent of all burglaries, and often those doors and windows are not locked.  Leaving items in your yard can be another target for burglars.  According to Leonard Sipes, former director of information services for the National Crime Prevention Council, “The overwhelming number of burglars are unskilled people who go through open or unlocked windows and doors.  Simply locking windows and doors will prevent most burglaries.”  Happily, despite failing to lock both doors we were not targeted for a burglary.

While research says 93 percent of Americans lock their doors, that means 7 percent do not, and whether you lock your door seems to be a cultural norm.  If you grew up locking your door, you continue to do so.  If you grew up not locking your door, you continue to do so.  For Americans 65 and over 12 percent do not lock, compared to 4 percent of those under 30, with other age groups in between.  Fourteen percent of those who live in rural areas do not lock doors but only 5 percent of city dwellers, 6 percent of suburbanites, and 7 percent of those who live in towns.  When I lived in the Bay Area every door on campus was equipped with an automatic door lock.  In the town where I now live residents leaving their garage open.  We had a rash of burglaries last year and no one could understand why.  Maybe it had to do with leaving the door open?

THOUGHTS:  When I was younger, I did not lock my car and at times left valuables in plain sight.  My mom noticed this as we drove into the church parking lot and suggested I lock my car.  I exclaimed, “We are at church, is someone here going to steal from me?”  Mom replied, “I am not worried about the ones in the building, I am concerned about those in the parking lot.”  While I locked the doors for her, I continued to not lock my car until someone stole several items I left on the front seat.  Now I always lock my car.  Times and cultures change.  Some say adjusting to these changes is just giving up, others will tell you it is being realistic.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

April 13, 2022

I ran across a report in the local newspaper about a taxidermy museum located in a warehoused in Bétera, Spain, which held 1090 animals.  While this is an impressive number of animals by itself, this private collection included 405 protected species.  The collection includes the scimitar oryx (North African oryx), which the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared extinct in the wild, the endangered Bengal tiger, and the critically endangered addax (white antelope).  They found specimens of lion, cheetah, leopard, snow leopard, lynx, polar bear, and white rhinoceros.  The collection contained crocodile skin chairs, stools made of elephant feet, and 198 ivory elephant tusks.  It is the largest discovery of protected taxidermy specimens in Spain and one of the largest in Europe.  Spain’s Civil Guard estimates the worth of the collection at 29 million euros (US$31.5 million).

When I looked online, I found taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal’s body by mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study.  Animals are often portrayed in a lifelike state.  The word taxidermy describes the process of preserving the animal but also to describe the finished product.  The word is derived from the Greek taxis (“arrangement”) and derma (“skin”).  Taxidermy is practiced primarily on vertebrates (mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and less commonly amphibians) but can be done with larger insects and arachnids.  Taxidermy takes several forms including hunting trophies and displays in natural history museums.  The museums use taxidermy to record species, including extinct and threatened species, in the form of study skins and life-size mounts. Taxidermy is also used to memorialize pets.

When we go to the local outdoors store, we like to browse the tanks of live fish and view the taxidermy that prowl the walls.  I never thought to question whether this was legal.  Migratory birds pose the biggest legal challenge for taxidermists.  You need a federal permit to mount migratory birds, and the person who owns the bird needs a federal permit to have it in their possession.  Larger animals also require a taxidermy permit, and the taxidermists are responsible to make sure the customer had the proper hunting tags, permits, or other documents to determine the animal was lawfully acquired.  It is a crime to be in possession of unlawfully obtained animal carcasses.  It is also unlawful to transport, ship, or receive an unlawful carcass.  Spain has similar laws, and it is illegal to possess many of the animal taxidermy found in the warehouse.  The cost of the private collection just went up.

THOUGHTS:  Violations of taxidermy law in the US can reach up to $500,000 and two years in jail, depending on the crime, the person or group committing the crime, and the frequency and number of criminal violations.  State laws and permits are also required, which makes the burden to stuff something illegally almost insurmountable.  Once stuffed, you need a permit to possess the dead migratory bird.  You cannot throw the stuffed bird out because the trash service does not have a permit.  If you discard the taxidermy in the garbage, you commit a felony.  If you sell the mount, it is a felony.  Similar laws govern the deer head that spooked you as a child.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.