USDA does backdoor contracting with Local State and Federal Gov. Your right that USDA cannot take part in bidding. That's why the backdoor is used.
Of course they don't call it "contracts". Their term is "Cooperator Service Agreements" According to several lawyers I have dealt with on this, it means Contract.
Just political double talk.
Don LaFountain

Dear NYSWMA Members,

I have very troubling news; a once positive bill in the New York Assembly and Senate has taken a turn in the wrong direction. The original intent of the bill was good. But now they have excluded private wildlife professionals and academic institutions from qualifying as “certified nuisance wildlife specialists. Even though many of us (over 2000) have been tested and licensed by the DEC to control nuisance wildlife.

Here is the language in the assembly bill that is most troubling; It will eliminate our ability to do certain nuisance wildlife work and give USDA Wildlife Services even more leverage to compete against us. It will also restrict cities, towns, airports, and private citizens to choosing only one service provider(USDA Wildlife Services).

Assembly Bill # 8646B
“ 3 § 11-0522. Cull permits to certified nuisance wildlife specialists.
4 1. For the purposes of this section, "certified nuisance wildlife
5 specialist" shall mean an employee of the federal or state government or
6 any city, town, village or county, responsible for wildlife management
7 and acting pursuant to a wildlife management plan, who complies with the
8 criteria established by the department, in rules and regulations, that
9 at a minimum require……….”

Here is a link to the complete text: http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?default...r%26nbspVotes=Y

We need you to call the Assembly bill sponsor Assemblywoman Pamela J. Hunter and tell her how this bill will negatively affect your ability to operate, and allow USDA Wildlife Services a monopoly on providing nuisance wildlife services.

Please call her Albany Office at; 518-455-5383 and her District office at; 315-449-9536

We still support the bill in the senate as it was originally voted on, however on Monday Senator John A. DeFrancisco will be submitting a new bill to align with the assembly. It is vital that he knows our concerns and does not put in language that eliminates us from providing nuisance wildlife services or restricting activity to Government Employees like the assembly bill does.

Please Call his Albany office at (518) 455-3511
And his District office at (315) 428-7632

Also please call your local Assemblyman and Senator and ask them to help amend or stop these bad bills.

It is vital that we come together as an industry to protect our rights, our business, our employees, and most of all the ability to prove professional and ethical nuisance wildlife mitigation.
Please make sure you take the time to call on MONDAY, Tuesday may be too late.

Please call your friend and share this email with them. Their voice is needed too.

Thank you for your help, understanding, support, and for being a member of NYSWMA. If you have any questions please call my cell# 607-760-8748

"Cull permits". I am assuming they are referring to white-tailed deer culling?

http://cnycentral.com/news/local/residents-on-oneida-lake-upset-after-wildlife-officials-mute-swans

Swans

Deer and Coyote

Geese
http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/38471533/s...sion-euthanized

Deer, coyote, mute swans, resident Canada geese. What's the problem? People call USDA when they can't find anyone else who can/will do it in a professional manner.

52carl that is not the case at all, there are plenty of companies that can take on contracts
That fish and wildlife have sucked up and the general public aren't allowed to even bid on.

If there are private companies which can take on capturing large flocks of Canada geese, trapping coyotes, and doing deer culling, but are not in on the bidding for the work, then those companies are not applying themselves fully.
All they have to do to shut out USDA from the process is to force the institution into advertising a bid for the work. USDA cannot bid on work.

Won't linger on this topic for more than a moment, a point of clarity "fish and wildlife" would typically mean US Fish and Wildlife Service, not USDA Wildlife Services.

To your point Carl, while there are certain issues with them bidding, it is easy enough if a municipality or potential client wants a quote but not officially, can literally just
say "well I know you can't bid, but can you tell me what it would cost if you had done the work?" On the govt. end, easy to also say "I can't bid on your contract, but if we
did the work it would cost $X.00.

Loopholes.

That said, I know many many many state directors and other govt. supervisors who don't want this type of conflict and will point people who want the work toward private industry.

If however private industry doesn't have their "stuff" together to take it on at the time and place in a competent way and it is done and not to satisfaction, they can then go back to govt. for help
with no constraints.

Just in my "small" state, I heard first hand conversations from state directors and supervisors telling potential clients they had to go to private first. If that failed they could come back. But they had to show they had done it to avoid these issues. Everything from pigeons to prairie dogs, so despite the fact it does happen and yes there are some who will gladly step over or on the private guys to get the contracts, there are as many or more who have no desire or interest in having these debates and issues with private industry.

Beaver seems to be the real smoking gun back east and I know folks who definitely have a right to be angry at whats happened with some potential contracts and work who are skilled private industry folks and friends.

Just be sure if you are grinding an axe in your area you already know it needs to be sharp otherwise your wasting your time and air on an issue that for everyone does not exist.

Also while there are plenty of companies who are well insured, well trained, plenty of experience, there are plenty who won't even realize they need more insurance, more skills and equipment and other to take on certain types of work and show they can deal with possible liability! Those hurdles can take some sole proprietors right off the board for a client who is looking at all the details!

Ok, back to your regularly scheduled program.....

Well said HD. There are some good guys out there.

Not sure what this will meen to us. But it may give usda a head acke.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/anim...f-wild-animals/

So if this article is based in fact, and results in the elimination of Wildlife Services, do you believe that the private sector will then be able to swoop right in and do all of that nuisance work without any reprise by these same people trying to take out Wildlife Services?

Yes, we are indiviual companies, and we follow the law. but we need to be vigilant.
M

Wonder if this went out to bid?
https://mdcoastdispatch.com/2018/07/04/290-geese-removed-from-ocean-pines-euthanized-by-usda/

How does being an individual company shield one from the action of zealots? They do not care about how or who euthanizes animals.
What do you mean when you throw "vigilant" into an already clumsily organized, fragmented sentence?

Do you, or anyone that you know catch Canada geese during the molt?

My son recently received a 32-page packet from Jefferson County, Alabama. It contained an INVITATION TO BID (ITB) for BEAVER CONTROL SERVICES- ITB NO 62-18 at various sites in Jefferson County. They do not seem to be inviting USDA-Wildlife Service to bid. The contract is too large for my son to handle. Maybe you, or another forum member, can handle it.

Even if USDA-Wildlife Service was invited to bid, they cannot.

Then why did they bid on this work?

http://www.wvdispatch.com/ed_letters/a-call-for-information-on-geese-gathered-in-greenwood-lake/