The opposition is gearing up for a fight against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s proposed rule to end the failed “No-Otter” Zone. YOU can lend your voice to sea otters in support of returning them to their historical range and restoring the natural ecological balance to southern California’s nearshore coastal environment. The long term benefits of sea otters reclaiming their southern California habitat far outweigh the associated costs to the fishing industry.    

The otters can’t speak for themselves and that’s why we need you to be their voice!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has concluded that southern sea otter recovery and management goals CANNOT be met by maintaining the “No-Otter” Zone and is requesting comments concerning the following*:

1. The reasons why the southern sea otter translocation program, including the management and translocation zones and associated regulations, should or should not be terminated, including information that supports the need for any changes to the proposed rule;
2. Current or planned activities in the subject area and their possible effects on southern sea otters that have not been adequately considered in the proposed rule, revised draft supplementary environmental impact statement (SEIS), and initial regulatory flexibility analysis (IRFA);
3. Any foreseeable economic or other impacts resulting from the proposed termination of the southern sea otter translocation program that have not been adequately considered in the proposed rule, revised draft SEIS, and IRFA;
4. Any substantive information on real or potential effects on southern sea otters of the proposed termination of the southern sea otter translocation program that have not been adequately considered in the proposed rule, revised draft SEIS, and IRFA; and
5. Any actions that could be considered in lieu of, or in conjunction with, the proposed rule that would provide equivalent opportunity for the recovery of the southern sea otter.

*In addition, please include sufficient information with your comments to allow FWS to authenticate any scientific or commercial data you reference or provide.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would like to hear comments from the public on why you support ending the “No-Otter” Zone and allowing sea otters to expand their range naturally into southern California waters. There are no hard and fast rules for public comment, but making your comments relevant to the 5 issues above will carry more weight. Your reasons can be as vague as why you personally like sea otters, or as specific as the economic and/or ecological benefits associated with sea otters.

There are four ways you can make your voice heard…

BEST:

You can attend a public hearing and verbally make comments. This is the most effective way to make your comments known and your voice heard. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is holding three public hearings at which you can deliver your comments or show your support for sea otters by attending. A public informational open house will be held from 5-6PM, followed by the public hearing 6-8PM. The three public hearings are:

Tuesday, September 27th Channel Islands National Park Auditorium 1901 Spinnaker Drive Ventura CA 93001

Tuesday, October 4th Fleischman Auditorium Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History 2559 Puesta del Sol Santa Barbara CA 93105

Thursday, October 6th La Feliz Room Seymour Marine Discovery Center Long Marine Lab 100 Shaffer Rd Santa Cruz CA 05060

 Suggested Talking points/comments for USFWS public hearing

Want to attend but don’t have transportation? Check out our ride share resource here

BETTER:

Write a hardcopy letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Word document below contains some key points to help you think about the content of your comment letter. It is a good idea to look at our resources page to gain some background knowledge on the issues before writing this letter. Once you have composed your letter, send it to the following address:

Letter talking points for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Public Comments Processing
Attn: FWS-R8-FHC-2011-0046
Division of Policy and Directives Management
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Dr. MS 2042 – PDM
Arlington, VA 22203

OR

Upload your own comments. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has made available to the public a fast and easy way to electronically send written comments on the proposed rule and associated environmental documents.  Click here to view the Proposed Rule and Revised Draft Supplement Environmental Impact Statement on which you are commenting. Just follow these easy steps:

1. Go to the www.Regulations.gov webpage to submit comments. Please note there is a 20 minute time limit for this page so we suggest writing your comments first. Fill in the required information form. Then, you can upload your document (pdf preferred) or you can copy and paste your comments in the comment box. For an example of what to include in your comment box, read our issues page.

2. When you are done, make sure you click Submit!

VERY GOOD:

Write a Letter to your State Senators and Representative
This Word document contains text that you can use (or edit) to write a letter to your State Senators and Representative about the “No-Otter” Zone. To find out the contact details in your area/state, use the locator tool in the right hand column and fill out your home address.
Letter to your State Senators and Representative

GOOD:

Sign our petition below. By signing on, you are urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to finally end the “No-Otter” Zone and allow otters to expand their range naturally into southern California waters. By adding your name, you are supporting the recovery of southern sea otters and joining a community of otter lovers who want to see this species thrive in the future. We’ll be sure to submit this petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of our own comments.

 

That all sounds great, but is there any other way I can get involved with the “No-Otter” Zone issue?

You bet! Consider the following initiatives to help get the word out about this important issue.

Host a letter writing party 
Order some pizza and get together with your friends to write letters to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and your State Senators and Representative to let them know that you support the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed rule to end the “No-Otter” Zone. To get started, we’ve put together some text that you are free to use (or edit). To find out the contact details in your area/state, use the locator tool in the right hand column and fill out your home address.

Letter talking points for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Letter to your State Senators and Representative

Comment on forums and newspaper articles
Leaving comments on press stories relating to the “No-Otter” Zone will help raise awareness about the issue. Make sure to share your comments on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to help get the message out to your friends and family.

Hand out flyers at farmer’s markets in your area
Print out a flyer about the “No-Otter” Zone and distribute them in your local area at farmer’s markets, community events, cafes or your local college. To get you started, we’ve made double sided handouts and a poster that you can download in our resources section here.

Historically, the opponents to the southern sea otter recovery and expansion into the “No-Otter” Zone have been very outspoken on the issue and will attend the public hearings. If you can, Please show your support for sea otters by attending the information session and the public hearings!

For more information on the “No-Otter” Zone, please visit www.otterproject.org – current projects – habitat. If you would like help in preparing your comments, please use the Contact Us page in the top right hand menu to send us your queries or concerns.