What do you all need me to do?

Everyone is talking about branching out into all kinds of different directions, when cohesion and centralization is what is needed.

I can set up a forum grouping strictly for legislative issues and create a separate forum for each state, as well as one for national issues and perhaps another for general discussions. More can be added as the need arises.

What I would recommend is that for each state forum, the initial posting should contain contact information for all of the state and local representatives. Further, a direct link to the appropriate legislative web site would be helpful as well.

I would recommend that this forum category be placed outside of the Reptiles & Amphibians group so that it is visible as a MAIN category, for all animal groups to perhaps take part in. But I am willing to accept a good argument to the contrary on this idea.

I can do this pretty much immediately, but you all have to tell me it's what you want and you will USE it. There are already a lot of eyeballs coming to this site, so perhaps it would be effective utilizing the existing traffic to get the word out.

IMHO.

I would be happy to get the Missouri portion underway. Because of my proximity to Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma, I would be willing to get those started too, if no one else jumped on them.

Rich, as the BOI gets the most traffic on your site, I think it would be a great help if you could have a semi permanent post there allowing people to give their info to be used in support of fighting legislation. I believe this is the only sensible way to go. There have been half a dozen attempts to start something up over the past few years by many people including myself and they all failed very rapidly. If you give people a simple way to help that does not cost money, need them to go anywhere or force them to do anything other than fill out a simple form, you will get it done. If you want to put in your post to email me with info, I would be happy to take it all in and collate it as I have said for over a month now. Just let me know. Evan

I have set up a major category grouping of forums entitled Laws, Legislative Issues & Alerts which will be on the main page of the forums. I'm not sure this is best, but my gut feeling is that these sorts of problems need to reach a broader audience than just the herp community. We're just too blasted small to make a dent anywhere. Of course, on this site, it is the largest community here, but I still lean towards making the forum group visible outside of this group. I am still open to opinions on this point.

I haven't opened it up yet, as I am still trying to got some feedback as to what is best to do. But in any event, this particular forum we are in right here will eventually be merged into the other category I just created.

As for posting in the BOI about this issue, I am ambivalent about that. Yes, by far it gets the most traffic over all of the other forums combined here, but I believe that most people going to the BOI will not be interested in messages of this sort. But I can put up a notice at the top of the forum that would redirect anyone interested in legislative issues to the new forum group. In any event, I would like to make an effort to get people going to the rest of this site anyway. Otherwise I can just start lumping all of the messages together into one HUGE single forum and call it all the "BOI".

Anyway, I have broken down the legislative category into multiple forums. One will be THIS forum, as a general discussion forum, then a forum for USA National issues. The rest of the category is composed of an individual forum for each of the states.

What I recommend is for each state forum to be populated with the following information:

• Existing laws on the books NOW.
• Links to the state legislature's information site
• Contact info for all state and local representatives
• Contact information for any herp societies or other animal clubs or groups
• Contact information for ANYONE within that state willing to act as a local liaison

This information can be stuck at the top of the state forum as a basic information resource guide.

Further, check with your local legislative information office. I believe that lobbyiests have to be registered with the legislature. See if you can get a list of lobbyists. Is there anyone lobbying for the pet trade? If so, whom do they represent? Might be worth contacting them to see if your help will get their help.

I can make changes as deemed prudent and logical to the structure, layout, or location of the forums. Right now, I don't know what will work best, so I'm shooting from the hip. Suggestions are welcomed, and participation is pretty much mandatory if you all want this to mean anything worthwhile. If you wait for the other guy to do it, it will all fail.

You suggested that the first post in any state forum be legislators contact info and state legislation website. I suggest that those posts be pinned so they are always readily available.

I can certainly do that, Richard. But looks like we have a long way to go before those state forums are filled with that sort of information.

As soon as the holiday weekend is over, I will get in touch with the Officer of Information at the capitol here in GA and have that info posted.

....Already in the process of getting all the info I can in regards to the legalities of keeping/breeding/sales of black rats so I'll post any links I find in Regards to herp related laws and regulations...Pinning a notice over at BOI would be a good idea; it really gets alotta traffic!...peace folks

Originally posted by WebSlave
What I would recommend is that for each state forum, the initial posting should contain contact information for all of the state and local representatives. Further, a direct link to the appropriate legislative web site would be helpful as well.


IMHO.

I'm working on the "appropriate legislative web sites " Part
I want to know if what I did with the first few states is okay with you? and everyone else? If that's ok let me know, and I will finish and edit my posts to contain the contact information for state and local representatives.

Looks OK to me. Thanks for your help!