Friends of Animals (FoA) needs the help of the non-hunting majority of Connecticut residents to speak up in an online Town Hall launched by the CT Dept. of Environmental Protection to collect feedback on hunting, sporting and trapping issues in our state. Residents can access the Town Hall forum website and leave comments and suggestions at www.cttownhall.org.  Let’s make it known that CT residents are pro-animal and anti-hunting once and for all. Silently opposing hunting creates an environment where hunting can progress unopposed!

Did you know that a measly 1.4 percent of Connecticut’s population hunts, yet hunting is already allowed in all but three of the state’s 32 state forests? The James L Goodwin State Forest, Massacoe Forest and Preserve Forest are the only forests left in Connecticut where human and non-human animals are truly safe.

The voice of the non-hunting majority needs to be heard to prevent Connecticut’s common recreational areas from becoming war zones. In fact, it’s time to start taking back our forests. Why not just ban hunting in our state forests altogether? We are working to get legislation introduced in Connecticut that would do just that.

In the meantime, wildlife watchers, you can make a difference. Reach out to your local elected officials and participate in the DEEP’s online Town Hall and let it be known that you do not support hunting or trapping.

While the DEEP does not typically have a formal mechanism for public participation when it’s going through the process of determining whether its lands are suitable for hunting, it does consult with local elected officials. In Connecticut it is even possible to reverse a decision and eliminate hunting from an area. The public can petition the DEEP commissioner under the Statute Section 26-67c (a).

The DEEP’s Town Hall website will stay “live” until Jan. 8, at which point comments will be reviewed. The Town Hall Forum is being conducted as part of an overall study being conducted by DEEP on issues related to sportsmen’s activities. The goal of the study is to assess the need for firearms and hunter safety education in the state, interest in hunting and sport shooting opportunities, and the extent to which demand for such opportunities is being met or falling short.

Stand with Friends of Animals and let DEEP know the non-hunting majority’s needs are not being represented in Connecticut.