Recent tetrataenia News

[GarterGuy17]

Restoring Sharp Park, California I was researching the subject further and came across this its interesting to see what's actually being done and as it says on the bottom Its prohibited to mow and use motorized gold carts also near nine gold course holes that are close to the wetlands. At least it's a step towards reverting it back to its natural habitat.

[infernalis]

That was then (kinda old news) it just got shot down in December.

Business as usual at the golf course.

[Jeff B]

In vetoing the legislation, Mayor Lee cited skepticism to any federal money becoming available to turn the golf course into federal parkland. "I believe in striving for an equilibrium between environmental and recreational needs," Lee wrote in his veto letter to the board of supervisors

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Why doesn't he just say what he really means, " I couldn't care less about a frog and a snake, well now thats settled, let's go golfing"

[kibakiba]

That would give him a bad public view. When they word things "right", they're hated a lot less.

[EasternGirl]

Yep...politicians know exactly what not to say and exactly how not to say things...

[EasternGirl]

Here's a link to the Mayor's Office.
I plan on crafting a professional message an sending it.

Office of the Mayor : Contact the Mayor

Maybe someone could write a letter on behalf of the forum...if that is okay with everyone...I know that the dipwad is probably too busy golfing and tripping over snakes and frogs to give a rat's behind what we think, but at least we could go on record as saying what we want to say about the situation... What do you guys think?

[PINJOHN]

Maybe someone could write a letter on behalf of the forum...if that is okay with everyone...I know that the dipwad is probably too busy golfing and tripping over snakes and frogs to give a rat's behind what we think, but at least we could go on record as saying what we want to say about the situation... What do you guys think?

I would wish to avoid too sever a criticism of another nations politicians but i am sure we would all agree politicians of any country are in the main a lot of self serving pompous windbags with inflated ego's
I would suggest the best way to handle this particular windbag would be to attempt to make him a figure of mirth [something politicians view with terror] any letters about this situation should always refer to him with a un glamorous/belittling name [the first one that comes to mind is the caddy because of his enthusiasm to tote the golfers interests] but i am sure you all could come up with something better[crueler].
mud sticks so if a particular name was used often enough then this enemy of all thing hepetological would have to decide whether his best course of action was a change of direction.
a person or group can put forward the most accurate cogent and damming arguments possible just to see them dismantled by these vile creatures using misdirection, false statistics,psudo science,and out and out lies.
All the groups fighting this issue should agree a title for this guy and use it every time his name comes up.
THE ONLY THING A POLITICIAN CANT HANDLE IS TO BE DEALT WITH AS A BUFFOON LIKE CHARACTER OF FUN

[PINJOHN]

Further to the points above i forgot to mention [as if you did not already know] that politicians have many layers of protection between them selves and the public they are suppose to serve.... So attacks on their alleged image as a person to be taken seriously is seen by them as lethal and will get their attention faster than a cheetah on a harley davidson.

[chris-uk]

I've just pinged an email...

Hi Ed,

I hope you don't mind me calling you Ed, this is a personal letter to you as Mayor of San Francisco, and not a letter to the office of the Mayor of San Francisco, so I think an informal start helps.

As a UK resident, who hasn't so much as visited San Francisco, I'm fairly sure that my views on your policy decisions are of very little importance to you and that my letter won't even warrent a response. However, you should take it as an indication that the only reason I know your name is because of a recent decision you made to veto the legislation to turn over a golf course to the National Parks Service. As an enthusiastic garter snake owner I find it more than a little ironic that there is more that I can do than my American friends, to ensure that the Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia doesn't become an addition to the extinct animals list. What dismays me is that the captive population in Europe is not sustainable in the long-term because it's been subjected to significant inbreeding, so in the long-term the survival of the San Francisco garter snake depends upon protection in its natural habitat.

I find it incredulous to read that you, as an individual, took a decision to veto legislation that would have helped to protect the San Francisco garter snake and potentially allow the population to expand. I imagine that the "golfing lobby" has some significant influence and you caved in to your golfing buddies. I don't believe that your motivation for this is financial (the Sharp Park golf course runs consistently at a loss, surely the best financial decision would be to abandon the course and let nature work to restore the damage done over the last 80 years?). Closing the golf course would of course upset a lot of golfers (who the SF Government subsidises to play there), however golfers will find another golf course to play on and at the end of the day there are a great many more golfers in the US and if you run out you can stick a golf club in any kid's hands and teach him to play - there aren't so many San Francisco garter snakes left in the wild and when they are gone there is no getting them back.

The impression that I get is that the City was willing to do something to redress the balance of nature in this unique habitat, but you, the Mayor, an individual, decided that it wasn't in the interests of San Francisco to protect the garter snake (arguably North America's most beautiful snake) named after the city. So, I'd like to finish by congratulating you on single-handedly making a policy decision that may be the beginning of the end for San Francisco's garter, and I hope that in years to come that this shameful decision doesn't become the stain on your career that you are remembered for (because it will become a stain on your career if the tetrataenia population dies out, and I'd rather see them survive than blight your political career).

Regards,

Chris Dibben

It doesn't have the ridicule that PinJohn suggested, but I wanted to make a point of making it personal. What makes it personal is that the mayor used a veto on the legislation, that was him acting as an individual (albeit an individual puppet with his strings being pulled out of sight) so he should take responsibility for overturning legislation that had been passed democratically.

[PINJOHN]

Further to the points above i forgot to mention [as if you did not already know] that politicians have many layers of protection between them selves and the public they are suppose to serve.... So attacks on their alleged image as a person to be taken seriously is seen by them as lethal and will get their attention faster than a cheetah on a harley davidson.