===== A message from the 'makahwhaling' discussion list ===== ADIOS, AHDUNKO- PART TWO ----------------------------------------------- (Excerpted from Peninsula Daily News, June 8, 1999) Makah tribal leaders search for a replacement for ex-police Chief Lionel Ahdunko, who stepped down from his post last week. Ahdunko, convicted of a felony recently in an incident that occurred at his old police-chief job in Nevada, is temporarily replaced by office Eric Svenson... Ahdunko announced his resignation early in May. The chief didn't actually give up the job until last week. "They asked different guys in the force," council member Keith Johnson said of the council's appointment of Svenson. "He was more or less the one willing to take it." Acting chief Svenson has his own legal cross to bear as the focus of a current fourth-degree assault case in federal district court. The charge stems from a Nov. 1 protest during which Svenson arrested members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Shea determined from video tapes of the arrests that Svenson used unnecessary force when detaining the two. Tribal chairman Ben Johnson, Jr. has said the tribe would be willing to consider hiring Ahdunko to some other tribal position. "If a position becomes available, we'll encourage him to apply." ***** PORT ANGELES RALLY! -------------------------------------- Turnout to the Port Angeles rally was excellent! Thanks to all of you who re-worked their schedules, took personal days off, and made the commitment to come out and show your support. Both Chuck Owens and Captain Paul Watson rallied the troops with words of support, and we definitely left an impression on the commissioners! One may have to search the Clallam County archives to find a livelier, more emotional meeting... Good News/Bad News: The Clallam County commissioners did NOT adopt a resolution opposing the hunt, but it was obvious some very powerful seeds were planted. With the exception of Commissioner Boardman, who left the meeting halfway through (someone offended her by using the word "hell"), the other two commissioners were given a detailed list of grievances by dozens of speakers from California, Oregon, Washington, Canada and Europe. Our sources tell us that some behind-the-scenes negotiations are underway- we may yet see a resolution from Clallam County! We ask all of you to continue the good work- call, fax and e-mail your RESPECTFUL comments, ESPECIALLY any changes in travel plans you may have made, to: COMMISSIONERS: Carole Boardman (D) Mike Doherty (D) Martha Ireland (R) Telephone: (360) 417-2233 Fax: (360) 417-2493 E-mail: commissioners@co.clallam.wa.us ***** CLINTON NAMES NEW ENVIRONMENTAL ASSISTANT ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- President Bill Clinton has named Roger Ballentine as the new deputy assistant to the President for environmental initiatives. Ballentine is currently special assistant to the President for legislative affairs. Ballentine will coordinate the Clinton administration's efforts on climate change and the President's billion dollar Lands Legacy Initiative. He will be working closely with George Frampton, acting chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality. ***** NO WONDER CONGRESS DOESN'T HAVE A CLUE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following is the weekly CRS marine mammal summary provided to the U.S. congress, by Eugene H. Buck, Senior Analyst Environment and Natural Resources Policy Division Congressional Research Service Marine Mammals: Most Recent Developments Recent new info and changes are bracketed {...} Most recent new info and changes are double-bracketed {{...}} MARINE MAMMALS... ...{Gray Whale Mortalities. As of June 1, 1999, at least 65 dead gray whales have been reported dead along the Mexican coast so far this year, with an additional 20 in CA, 7 in BC, and possibly as many as 16 in WA. Scientists speculate that the poor nutritional (emaciated) condition of these dead whales indicates that the population may exceed the food available in the Bering Sea causing the whales to starve.} [Assoc Press, Seattle Times] ***** A RESPONSE TO THE L.A. TIMES -------------------------------------------------- By Captain Paul Watson Founder & President Sea Shepherd Conservation Society June 8, 1999 Leave it to the Times and the National Marine Fisheries Service to conclude that the deaths of gray whales in record numbers must be all their fault and none of our own ("Deaths May Signal Too Many Whales for the Ocean," Jun. 6). The theory that an estimated 26,000 whales are somehow exceeding the carrying capacity of the Pacific Ocean is almost unworthy of response. The Pacific Ocean -- specifically, the Bering Sea -- once sustained both Eastern and Western stocks of gray whales. The Western Pacific whales are now virtually extinct. With so much less competition, how could the Eastern Pacific gray whale now be starving? And how do we surmise that 26,000 whales is "too many?" The man best able to estimate the 19th century "pre-exploitation" number of gray whales -- as he himself lived in that century and was probably responsible for killing more gray whales than any other individual -- was Captain Charles Scammon. He counted 40,000. If the Pacific cannot now sustain half that number from a single stock, then the ocean and the whales both have a problem. In attempting to dismiss my observation that gray whales must twice yearly traverse the length of the coast of California through the most intense toxic agricultural runoff in the world, NMFS calls this an unlikely cause in the rise in whale deaths because the whales don't do the majority of their feeding here and there has been no sharp increase in runoff this year. I would advise the federal biologists to acquaint themselves with the concept of "cumulative effect" if I did not already know the extreme unlikelihood of a scientist in the employ of the government citing human activity as the probable cause of an environmental crisis. This would indicate the existence of a problem that would require alterations in the behavior of government or industry to remedy. And that would never do. ***** BREAKING NEWS FROM SEA SHEPHERD- STAY TUNED! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- FLASH!! JUNE 8,1999 1650hrs PDT MAKAH MAY ATTEMPT ANOTHER KILL THIS WEEK! (DETAILS TO FOLLOW AS INFORMATION BECOMES CLEARER) http://www.seashepherd.org *****