Readers Column Already - An Idea for the Documentary!  Newbie 924 here. I know I'm new to the effort but I have a suggestion. In the documentary film please consider interviewing experts who run no kill ferret rescue shelters; like the "Hidehole" in PA. The operator of the ferret Hidehole has rescued several ferrets who were abandoned in the wild.
As an expert with over 20 years experience she can testify that domestic ferrets have lost the hunting instinct. Since that's what is scaring Fish & Wildlife then let's get testimonies & letters from ferret shelter operators as expert witnesses to dispute it. Just one interview on tape with several letters of testament from other ferret rescue operators to back it up should prove very formidable evidence.
Any judge would accept testimony from experts with years of hands on experience over book educated without practical experience. I'm sure Barbara would testify, it would mean that Californians could finally drive in & adopt her adorable rescue-es. I know I sure will, I prefer "for love rescue-es" to "for profit pet shop" adoptions on all my pets.
Thank you for your time considering my suggestion.
Marylou B
AKA: YarnFerret
Nobody sent in ferret photos - so I stole some! 
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| Ferret Documentary In The Works! We've hired Todd Dayton of Fallout Pictures to produce a documentary on California ferrets and their owners in conjunction with the Legalize Ferrets Revival to be held on September 25th in Concord. 
Todd described himself to us as: I'm a San Francisco-based producer and cameraman, and while I don't know much about ferrets, I do know a lot about video production, and what you've described sounds right up my alley. I'm a great interviewer and I can really bring out the passion in those I'm interviewing right away. It sounds like a passionate group you're involved with, and I think it would be a lot of fun.
A little about me:
I recently relocated from NYC, where I spent six years working in production, earning credits on networks like ABC, PBS, HBO, Bravo, History Channel, and others. I've also worked with dozens of non-profits and companies to create original message-oriented video projects. |
Todd's off-the cuff ideas are: I think a basic game plan would be to come to the event and ask you for a list of folks to talk to either because they're passionate about ferrets, well-spoken, funny, or any or all of the above. Then I'd go around and just shoot a dozen or so other interviews with other people, also getting their contact information so I could follow up by phone/email. I would also try to gather some basic shots of the gatherings, filming any presentations or speakers that might be useful. Within a few days, I'd also go visit some of the Bay Area people who seemed the most compelling, to see them in their home environment with their ferrets. I'd shoot some of that material to act as the real-life "glue" that would hold the video together. I'm thinking the finished video should be about 10 minutes long.
I was trying to think of some funny way to start the video, before getting into the more serious, pro-legalize material. Perhaps a take-off on that old adage about people looking like their dogs, maybe I'd have someone say, "You know, people say that if you have a ferret long enough, you start to look alike." Then we'd show some side-by-side photos of owner and ferret for a laugh or two. We are working on a budget of $2500 to produce this - so for Todd a lot of the motivation is the satisfaction of telling our story - a labor of love, instead of the big bucks. But I hope people reading this look forward to having our story told. This year's LegalizeFerrets Revival promises to be the best ferret event ever held in ferret-unfriendly California. Do keep the September 25th date free - we will be in the very convenient location of Concord in the SF Bay area.
Jerry Brown Gives Us The Brush Off - And Joe Ferret Isn't Happy! 
| Jerry Brown 2010
291 3rd St.
Oakland, CA 94607 |
It took four hours for the Jerry Brown for Governor campaign to respond to an email asking if he or a representative of his campaign would appear at our LegalizeFerrets Revival in September. The caller simply said "Jerry Brown can't make it." "We asked for a representative as well" I told the caller. "Sorry - too close to the election, we can't make it" was the final reply. We are being ignored - and we simply can't let that happen. Please feel free to politely (remember, we don't need enemies in the governor's office) ask Jerry Brown to support ferret legalization and that he or his representative is still invited to meet with us September 25th in Concord. Then I realized there is so much more we can do with this page - my Facebook skills aren't that great. I have hired a FB consultant to maximize our impact. He is just getting started - I am so enthusiastic about his ideas. Stay tuned as we try to get on Jerry Brown's radar screen. What About Meg Whitman? The Whitman campaign is much more professional (that isn't an endorsement) Her campaign took 4 days to send this reply: Thank you very much for inviting Meg to speak to the Legalize Ferrets Revival group in September. Meg greatly appreciates your kindness in extending this invitation and your thinking of her for this event.
Unfortunately, we cannot add this commitment to Meg's schedule at this time as it is too soon to commit to an invitation for September. However, as we begin to build the schedule for September, we will keep the invitation on file for consideration at a later date. If you have any questions or if we can be of assistance, please contact campaign headquarters at 408-400-3887.
Thank you again for the invitation and we will be in touch as soon as possible. | There you have it, our first attempts to contact our future governor. Let's put some grassroots oomph into this effort. Please ask either Meg Whitman or Jerry Brown to support ferret legalization - or at least meet some ferret owners at our September 25th event. Let's not repeat the mistakes of antagonizing either of these candidates! |
First Two and Half Speakers Confirmed For September 25th  | | Courtesy of the Small Animal Channel |
Bob Church has agreed to speak at the event. Bob is probably the foremost expert on ferrets. (notice the period) He has recently concluded research in New Zealand where ferret-polecat hybrids are called "ferrets" and they have had an impact on wildlife there. Here's a preview of his talk: I think I've figured out the conditions when a ferret can go feral and those conditions where they cannot. The risks of them going feral in the United States are not zero, but statistically speaking, the chances of them going feral are insignificant and far less than almost any animal currently for sale in California pet stores. New Zealand really was the key, but there were several historic events in the United States that firmed the evidence. There are good reasons why ferrets are not feral in the US and I believe I have a handle on the answer — at least as much as can be understood without an actual in-field experiment. Bob is my choice for the dinner speaker.  Dr Rene Gandolfi is also expected to speak. He is the number one exotic vet in the Bay Area. His ad runs in this newseltter every week. Dr Gandolfi has been very active in the ferret cause for many years. From the American Ferret Association:As an author, Dr. Gandolfi has contributed to Ferrets USA and Critters USA magazines as well as the California Veterinary Association Journal. Dr. Gandolfi's kindness and knowlege are well-known in the ferret community.In short, everyone loves Dr Gandolfi! First Event Will Be Free! I have invited Melinda T to develop a "What to Expect From Your First Ferret" presentation. I think Melinda has been under-appreciated for all work, style and sense of humor she has presented in many years of working on the ferret issue. We want to promote this part of the event as open to anyone who is curious about owning ferrets. I think Melinda can present a humorous (unintentionally on her part, no doubt) presentation on what every person considering a ferret should know. And for those of us already enjoying ferrets, sit back for the laughs. Besides Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman we have invited Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger to address the group. A certified letter went to him along with the open letter with 500 signatures from the recent OC Pet Expo. The Return Receipt showed up with no acknowledgement of delivery. I called the Governor's office who told me they did get it. I was told they don't answer this far from the date unless it is a definite "No." Don't hold your breath - but it could make it interesting.
In Conclusion Life is never more fun than when you're the underdog competing against the giants.Ross Perot (who I think is way out there and I never voted for, but I love this quote)
There is so much going on my head is spinning. Money is starting to be a worry again - but this group has been very supportive. Our Environmental Impact Report is the most important thing we have going on. Without that we have no base to argue and work for legalization. We are anxiously waiting for the third of four reports. Even with it, we're going to have to work hard and smart to get this done. And I do want to wrap this up! Be aware there is a lot of opposition to ferret legalization. The Sierra Club and the Audobon Society think ferrets are a threat to wildlife. Those organizations will not even discuss the issue so no way to change their minds. Those people will be manning the phone booths and walking precincts for Jerry Brown in the near future. The California Farm Bureau and the California Waterfowl Assoc believe ferrets will destroy the crops and eat the livestock. They will be writing checks for Meg Whitman. Of course Meg Whitman doesn't need their money ... but that is what Arnold Schwarzenegger told us! I had one idea for fundraising I'll submit as an idea - The LegalizeFerrets.org Celebrity Hunt. The idea is to produce a poster - and the idea is already here. "2011 - Isn't it time ferrets were legal in California?" And ask celebrities to sign it. Then auction off the signed posters. Do you know any celebrities who donate their signature to our cause? We are also going to start work on the 2011 calendar. We sold about 1,000 2010 calendars and gave 1,500 away. The cost to produce 1250 was just about the same to produce 2500. We did make a good amount of money on those calendars. Time to do it again and hopefully I can announce the photo shoot in next week's CLIFFNotes. To make the money situation a little better - please join the 3000 Club if you haven't already done so. I know money is tight, my 99 weeks of unemployment run out soon and I don't want anyone to feel bad if they can't afford it. But if you can afford it... I hope I haven't overloaded anyone. |
