From Vicki McCawley:
A Letter To My Harford County Town:
Dear Bel Air,
As a local resident, I wish to express my disappointment that you will be hosting another ‘frog and turtle race’ at the Independence Day celebration in town. Every July fourth, in an effort to bring the community together, we find children gathering on a dry surface clumsily handling these living creatures. The scene appears charming, with people clapping and cheering, but this event is not all that innocent.
For the species involved, it’s a terrifying experience. These are animals who have been captured and removed from their natural habitats. They have been rallied to ‘play’ in the hot summer sun. They are goaded and screamed at in an effort to make them move across a ‘finish line’. In an online video supplied by The Baltimore Sun, a man who appears to be the father of two young girls can be heard telling them, “It’s your job to scare ’em…scare ’em, scare ’em!” This ordeal is traumatizing, and it subjects the animals to harm regardless of how carefully the contestants try to manage them.
Aside from the animals’ welfare, this event teaches the children involved that other species are ours to trifle with. Rather than educating the participants in a way that would make them good stewards of the earth, this ritual imparts the idea that exploiting a sentient creature for entertainment is acceptable and fun. We should be training our youngest to respect all living things who hop, crawl, or run beneath our feet. We should be teaching our children to respect nature by not disturbing it.
Please let this be the beginning of a new era. Perhaps we could have a race where the children simulate the hop or crawl of our indigenous frogs and turtles. Maybe we could have wildlife leaders share some knowledge, after all, America is home to a wealth of nature. The children could leave the celebration with a newfound understanding of how to observe and care for our country’s precious treasures. The crowd could carry home with them the notion that freedom, in all the ways it can be applied, belongs to everyone, and I’m certain that with a little nudge, our children could appreciate that even the smallest among us deserve dignity. Wouldn’t this be a more beneficial experience?
For decades you have hosted the Turtle Derby and the Great Bel Air Frog Jumping Contest, and yes, I understand the benefit of tradition. A quick glance at Mirriam-Webster tells me that tradition is a way of thinking, behaving, or doing something that has been used by the people in a particular group, family, or society for a long time. Traditions can be comforting, educational, valuable.
But I also know that information is valuable. I have been enlightened by scholarly research that informs me that we are perceived as predators by the very animals who are invited to these races. The animals feel threatened and completely vulnerable in our presence. Given the fact that there were 178 entries in the frog jumping contest and 140 turtles entered in the derby in 2013, that’s a lot of trifling with nature. With the swelling number of participants, it’s time The Bel Air Independence Day Committee Inc., which hosts the events, becomes enlightened to the facts, as well.
Most of us realize that Earth is feeling the strain of our footprint. Choices we make every day, even the little ones, weigh in. In this biosphere we call home, a balance must be maintained. A change in one small piece of the chain can have a devastating effect upon our future. Everything matters here, the frogs and the turtles, every living thing. So, to treat nature with reckless abandon is foolish and damaging.
Bel Air is a humble town in the heart of Harford County, Maryland. We are home to roughly 10,000 citizens. We are just a modest part of the more than 300 million people who populate our country. But decisions made by every small group form the significant whole. No group is too small to elicit a change, for better or for worse. How we behave in our town matters.
Our children are so impressionable. I hope you will consider that these children in Shamrock Park on July 4th–our future generation–will hold Earth’s destiny in their hands some day. While their hands are tiny, while they are learning, let’s not give them permission to abuse it. They need to learn as early as possible that treading gently upon our planet is the wisest choice.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Vicki McCawley
I very much agree with you on this topic. But, this again shows how so many adults have truly no respect for animals or living things. And just because a frog or a turtle is a small animal that does not “talk” or cuddle with you, does NOT mean that these animals cannot be hurt or afraid. It shows again, the typical mismanagement and ridiculous “customs” that are brought to events, without caring about living things.
” A change in one small piece of the chain can have a devastating effect” – Not every human being is actually on top of the food chain and folks like Vicki would have perished just a couple generations ago by sheer stupidity alone. Pacifists need someone to protect them. Vicki needs others to cloak, feed, dress and deal with a complete sphere of reality. Please save us from her like multiplying.
Really ‘Top of the Food Chain’? You sound like an immature child. Grow up.
To put it bluntly, who cares what was happening two generations ago? They didn’t have our technology, our information, or our way of life. Why, without any further reason, must we obey the past? Anyway Vicky thrives just fine in today’s world, and that’s all she needs to do. Your attempted ‘natural selection’ argument doesn’t bear scrutiny. Besides that, ‘pacifist’ doesn’t mean what you think it does.
Hows about a new tradition. Annual frog legs and turtle soup dinner.
The comment from “top of the food chain” can only come from one who is unable to comprehend scientific data which explains how our biosphere is interconnected. And never in this essay was there an implication of humans and their position on the food chain. What is being implied in this letter is that humans have altered Earth’s landscape in far-reaching ways, ways that have jeopardized our planet’s health. (Think deforestation, hunting/poaching, acidification of our oceans, CO2 in our atmosphere). What is being implied is that every individual has a responsibility to act in a way that will reduce our charge toward a 6th extinction. Education is important. Giving children an hour to watch heat-stricken amphibians race for their lives is not education. It is environmentalists (pacifists) who will be saving people like “top of the food chain” someday.
I just let out a huge fart, after eating some spicy nachos.
I’m doing my part to make sure that Ozone layer hole keeps getting bigger.
Vicki,
As soon as you posted concerning C02 it confirmed you were a wacko – not to mention the “save the planet” twaddle, preserving every delta smelt or other. A lot of us were environmentalists long before you could probably spell the word. We just want to keep our gasoline driven cars while not paying a fortune in carbon taxes to heat our homes or have idiot windmills blighting our mountain tops.
Incidentally, My initial comment got 21 likes and one wonders about the set of the system to hide it. In fact, the total number of likes and dislikes makes it one of the more interesting posts ever made in this forum.
You must be new to Dagger or have T Rex complex?
I fail to see the great danger ms. mccawley claims the children wiil inflict on these animal. There are more frogs and turtles and other animals run over everyday in harford county that are running free. Most of the frogs and turtles are released by the participents back into the wild ms mccawley needs to get a life!!!
Well, dear “Farmer”, the point is not that these animals might be run over or perish when living free. Of course that happens, that is the way of life. The point is that children are taught to not have any respect for a living thing by mistreating it to try to run a race so they can win some kind of stupid price. Humans have a brain and feelings and have the responsibility to respect nature and its inhabitants. To willingly mistreat a living thing, even if it is a little animal, that you most likely could care less about, is teaching kids NOT to respect life and feelings. YOU are a disgrace to the human race, dear Mr. Farmer. I hope you are not a real farmer that mistreats animals he owns just to make a buck. There is a civil and human way to do things and there is a nasty and wrong way to do things.
Funny how liberals think they know what the kids are being taught at home. never met a liberal that didn’t think he was the smartest in the room. Condescending pricks
Be careful of that wildly swinging knee. In the talking point world where everyone lives on the extremes and nobody really thinks about much of anything liberals protect wildlife and the environment and conservatives hunt anything that moves without concern. Most people live in the middle – at least most thinking people and many conservatives that may even hunt would still agree that there’s very little point to rounding up wildlife, tossing it into a ring and scaring the crap out of it so that it runs. There are lots of other ways to get your jollies. Those that think it harmless don’t know very much about frogs or box turtles at all.
Braveheart,
Notice how all the folks who claim to love animals and the planet are the most judgmental and cruel to their own kind…. “YOU are a disgrace to the human race” – so says Irene.
These are the people who would run over a human with a car if they saw a person crossing the road to go hunting.
Vicki McCawley, how can you sleep at night knowing that you have been driving on roads that caused nature to be displaced and disrupted, and may have run over frogs, snakes, and other precious creatures? Shame on you, you monster!
However, I am happy to see that you “have been enlightened by scholarly research” and I am impressed that you can look words up through “a quick glance at Mirriam-Webster”. I can’t help but agree that if you find something distasteful, we should all be stopped from participating in it. Thank you so much just for being you. Now please excuse me as I have some tasty animals on the grill waiting to be devoured.
You spelled “Merriam-Webster” wrong. That’s the name of the dictionary. Your opinions on anyone else’s writing style is now invalid.
The real irony… Joe Belair copy and pasted the misspelled word from the letter written by Ms. McCawley. So either you did not read the original letter or are flagrantly being dishonest with your criticism. In either case, since the original letter has it spelled wrong, and proper spelling is crucial to being accepted… my question: Should Ms. McCrawley’s letter be tossed based upon your standard?
You subject and verb do not agree. Talk about irony.
Acidification of the ocean? Wow. That’s some real world stuff.
Excuse me while I crank out of the black smoke in my diesel pickup truck while mealing down on a fried chicken sandwich.
Vicki McCawley, what storm drain should I change my oil and flush my antifreeze over top of?
#Froglivesmatter.
Hey lady, perhaps spend some of your scholarly blathering into educating people about the crap they dump down the drain. Most ponds in and around the development envelope in Harford are devoid of most amphibians. All because little princess snowflake insists on putting fertilizer on her lawn. Go check it out, take a walk to a pond. Do something besides hate on children.
BTW. Turtles are reptiles, therefore cold blooded. Hot sun does them good. But your Scholarly research probably didn’t tell you that.
I couldn’t agree with you more, pesticides and toxic waste are horrible, and I have ‘blathered’ about that! And to be clear, I have not blamed children for anything, they are innocent players in all this. 🙂 The only time I used the word ‘amphibian’ was in my comments, where I’m referring just to frogs, but I didn’t make that very clear. Honestly, I’m sorry people have been offended by my effort to keep wildlife wild.
#froglivesmatter for sure.
Vicki,
I congratulate you on a very well written and informative letter.
Most (if not all) civilized humans would tend to agree with you and your observations.
As far as the others….ignore their ignorance and arrogance.
Vicki the worst thing facing our country are left wing nuts like yourself.
That certainly was a useful opinion that added to the debate around how we should treat non-human animals! Thanks, friend! 🙂
This is Scott McDaniel, president of Susquehannock Wildlife Society, a local non-profit formed here in Harford County. Vicki,thank you for your courage. It’s not always easy to speak up when there is a vocal opposition. Folks, we all understand that you are used to a tradition that has been around for a long time and fond memories are embedded along side those events. Let’s all take a step back from the political lashing here and look at the science behind this. I have had the opportunity to work with folks who have participated in the events, the organizers, Maryland DNR, biologists, universities, turtle enthusiasts, Harford County students and teachers. I will leave out the comments on animal ethics for now and focus strictly on the event’s impact on local wildlife populations.
The comparisons many of you have made in reference to roads and pollution hurting wildlife populations are accurate in the sense that those things have a major impact and have reduced our native species. Roads aren’t going away so telling someone not to drive on them is not a feasible conservation measure. Once can offset the impact of roads by using caution and helping wayward turtles across the road in the direction they were heading. Pollution is a much larger and complex problem that will require a great deal of time, money, and effort to lessen but we have already proven that it can be done as has been seen with the elimination of pesticides like DDT which have allowed the return of the bald eagle and peregrine falcon among others. There are so many things stacked against our native wildlife that are difficult or even impossible to reverse while we are still on this planet, the turtle and frog races however, are not difficult to reverse. Just stop doing it. Change the rules that allow native species to be used or just delete that line on the list of 4th of July events and we will have one less threat to local wildlife.
Why stop doing something that we as a community have done for many years? Perhaps the most eminent issue is that there is a disease that affects reptile and amphibian populations that most of you probably have never heard of called the Ranavirus. I have seen first hand what this virus does and it is sickening. Think of something like ebola that spreads through a wetland ecosystem and wipes out entire populations of frogs and turtles once it spreads. Luckily if left alone, the virus is usually contained to that area and if there are any survivors they may have enough immunity to slowly rebuild that population. What happens when an infected turtle or frog is brought into a ring and allowed to mix in with other animals? The transmission of disease is high in such stressful situations where animals are kept in close quarters and feel threatened by what they perceive as predators and “race” to seek shelter. Many people say the races are harmless because they release their turtle directly after the race. If you release a now infected animal back into the ecosystem, it is not harmless. It’s also illegal in Maryland to release wildlife back in the wild if it has come into contact with other animals during its captivity which is the nature of the event.
Let’s shelf the disease topic for a minute and just talk about taking turtles from the wild which is our biggest issue with the event over all. Most of us, myself included had pet turtles growing up. What I didn’t know then and know now is that with declining populations in the wild from habitat loss, fragmentation, road mortality, disease, nest predation, and a number of other threats, we don’t need to add one more thing that reduces the survival rate of wildlife. Many folks believe that they are “saving” an animal from the wild but ecologically speaking, whenever you remove an animal from a population is now ecologically dead. It will no longer breed, lay eggs, eat plants and animals or become food for predators. This is a problem. If one wants a pet there are many captive bred options available, many of which at no cost because they have been surrendered to a rescue like http://www.matts-turtles.org. Turtles are tough pets to property care for. Some live for over 100 years and have very specific housing and dietary requirements to remain healthy. It’s worth researching thoroughly before taking one in as a family pet.
So what about tradition? I have never understood why protecting the environment or caring about wildlife has to fall on one side of the political spectrum. Isn’t wildlife part of our heritage as Americans? What is our national symbol? It’s not a dollar sign, it’s not a highway, it’s not a city skyline but a bald eagle. To us, wildlife embodies what our country was founded on – freedom, strength, and survival. We should want to protect and respect our wildlife just like we do our flag and constitution. We are all part of America and its legacy.
Where do we go from here? Our organization has been working closely with MD DNR to pass a regulation that will no longer allow use of any native reptiles and amphibians in the events. After this 4th of July, if you have a captive-bred species that is not natively found in Maryland then it may be allowed but gone will be the days of going out into the county park or a local pond to pick out an animal to race. It’s a threat that our local populations can no longer bare and we have to move forward as a community in the right direction. We need to teach our kids to respect and care for the natural world, not use it for amusement. Our group will continue to reach out to the public and our youth in many new and exciting ways as we seek to connect the public with our native wildlife. Want to see turtles and frogs? Join us for an educational hike and see them first hand in their natural habitat.
Here is a link with more information including a video created by the students of North Harford High School.
http://www.susquehannockwildlife.org/derby/
Scott McDaniel
President
Susquehannock Wildlife Society, Inc.
“We need to teach our kids to respect and care for the natural world” – So, now that we protect and preserve everything, what is your answer to the over population of deer? What is you answer to coyotes now running amok in MD or the bear population getting out of control?
I hunt but you are out there dude.
Although he is at the top of the food chain, I guess he and his other two computers dislike hunters.
I wanted to follow-up to the comment about us wanting to teach children to respect and care for the natural world meaning that we are against hunting. Most folks that we meet who hunt typically do just that with their children and have a reverence for nature. As an organization we are not against hunting. I personally choose not to hunt but I am friends with many sportsmen who have the same respect and concern for wildlife that I do. The state sets regulations for what portion of certain wildlife species need or can be removed to maintain a healthy population and we typically agree with that for most species. When you mention us protecting all species, as an organization that is true. We protect wildlife in need if it becomes hurt, stranded, or orphaned. We work to preserve habitat to keep populations healthy. Because in the last few centuries we have removed native wolves, cougars, and other predators from the food chain we have had to fill that role to help protect populations so they don’t outgrow their food sources and become sick. It is tough to compare the protection of turtle and frog species to deer or other game species that historically have been increasing in numbers. Turtles and frogs still have plenty of natural predators that prey upon them from the time they are eggs to adulthood. Humans are not required to maintain an overpopulation of these native species. In fact, that is why we have urged that the derby events restrict use of native species, because they are declining and need us as a community to step up and remove one of the threats we can easily, and cost effectively eliminate.
Sus,
“The state sets regulations for what portion of certain wildlife species need or can be removed to maintain a healthy population” – Well, I guess the population of deer in Harford County isn’t quite healthy enough yet and neither is the bear population in WMD.
You know we had our first person killed by a bear in Jersey just a few months back. Of course the left wing government hacks just wrote it off as being a rare incident. Those morons failed to note that it is only historically rare because historically there haven’t been any bears.
plenty (could use a few less),
Go back to Jersey and make some more history.
“Where do we go from here? Our organization has been working closely with MD DNR to pass a regulation that will no longer allow use of any native reptiles and amphibians in the events.”
If you are left wing and can’t get the public on your side, take it to a non-voter controlled government organization not for a law (which would not pass) but for a regulation. Make me wonder if we should be checking on their 501(c)(3) status regulation against politics. They just got a bunch of State Land (ie: land belonging to the people for the benefit of elitist) from the DNR and now they are cozy enough to mandate regulations.
Time to lay off some bureaucrats and get rid of some departments.
While he doesn’t claim to be “enlightened by scholarly research” (how condescending does that phrase feel?), Scott McDaniel is obviously well educated. He makes a very logical case without appeals to emotion that, especially when dealing with animal rights topics, can easily appear irrational and cost credibility. McCawley should have hired him to write the letter.
This letter is a load of crap.
I wish folks were as passionate about the waste, fraud and abuse going on in our system of government as they are over the feelings of frogs and turtles. I guess everyone has their hot-buttons though. Some issues result in tyranny if left unchecked, others will lead to a rise in animal psychotherapist jobs. To each his/her own I suppose.
Mmmm, frog legs and turtle soup.
Heard there was some gators some hillbilly had as pets in Edgewood. Gator jerky, mmm mmm.
Now that you have all taken turns making fun of this passionate woman, I now get to call you all a bunch of As_holes. At least when I am on here laying the smack down, I have reason to do so and aim my comments at those who deserve it. You are all making fun of this poor woman and are just plain vicious. Nice letter Vicki, it is good to stand up for what you believe in. All the rest of you who are belittling this poor woman, please GFY’s………..
I would love to link how this tradition needs to change, how we need to grow and become something different with the Mt Soma and Wal-Mart comments about how we should NEVER change. Some of the environmentalist in this county used to participate in this event, now they vow to stop it. It was good for them to touch and feel wildlife for them to learn to love it, but not kids nowadays. Not in this day of “I.m more enlighten cause I don’t eat chicken” people coming to make the rules.
In the interest of full disclosure, Ms. McCawley perhaps should have informed the readers that she is vegan.
Meanwhile loaders, bulldozers, and other construction equipment timbers and pushes around dirt in large acre lots all around Harford County. Think of how many wild and native species of animals are displaced and killed so that yuppies can live in a $350,000 cookie cutter home.
Get a Frick in life!! Maybe you can date Mikulski?
If you had enough, why don’t you take your angry man act and hit the road?
Dear Vicki,
Where did you bump your head at? “Bel Air is a humble community…” You couldn’t be any more wrong. I lived in and around Bel Air for over 50 years it is filled with pretentious, proud, spoiled brats. I know I was one of them along with almost everyone I know in the town As far as the turtle and frogs…my father helped start that event. He did it so father’s could spend more time with there kids. He always thought it was more important to save the child…then to save a frog.
As a spokesman from the wild, and racoon who loves a frog or turtle treat.
Taken from the USGS site regarding the Ranavirus.
“Massive die-offs of amphibians are often caused by ranaviruses. USGS scientists have isolated ranaviruses associated with die-offs in over 25 states involving more than 20 species of turtles and amphibians in mortality events ranging from one to thousands of individuals affected. Some events may involve a single species, others may involve multiple species. Frogs and salamanders in the same pond, for example, may die from ranaviral infections at the same time.
Ranavirus-caused die-offs in amphibians have occurred on private, State, and Federal lands, including several National Parks and Wildlife Refuges. Many of the amphibian species involved in die-offs are fairly common and widespread in the United States, but some are either declining in number or are already threatened or endangered.”
if we screw it up we wont have any to play with.
i think this is a concern, and it isn’t about politics or spelling.
The Virus apparently didn’t take the classes on rhetoric or debate.
It just keeps doing what it does even when liberals or conservatives argue.
This isn’t a make believe conspiracy issue.
Its just a virus, doing what a virus does.
It would be like if someone with Ebola was running in the Harford 5K.
If only Michigan J. Frog was able to sing us out a melody…
-GLM