IDA - Bay Area Events

IDA EVENTS
1. Gopher Gardening at Ocean Beach
2. 3rd Annual National Feral Cat Summit Coming to Bay Area
3. SFVS & IDA Co-Present World Vegetarian Day in San Francisco
OTHER BAY AREA EVENTS TO HELP ANIMALS
1. Compassionate Cooks' July Cooking Class: "Burgers & Backyard
Bites"
2. Book Group Discussion - "The Pig Who Sang to the Moon"
3. Good News for the Oakland Animal Shelter
4. Help End Pound Seizure in Sacramento
5. Keep Petting Zoos and Pony Rides from Becoming a Cruel
Tradition

IDA EVENTS

1. Gopher Gardening at Ocean Beach

Join the San Francisco Wildlife Protection Project, an effort by
the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department to create a
wildlife "sanctuary" along the Great Highway. By landscaping the
area according to the Parks Department's specifications,
volunteers create a habitat for native gophers and prevent them
from being trapped and killed. This is an ongoing monthly
effort, and usually takes place on the first Saturday of each
month.

What: Gopher Gardening
When: Saturday, August 5th, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Where: Corner of the Great Highway and Wawona Street, San
Francisco, at the small brick Recreation and Park maintenance
building. Click http://tinyurl.com/4hnh2 for directions to this
event.

For more information, please contact Melissa Gonzalez at
melissa [at] idausa.org or (415) 388-9641, ext. 228.

2. 3rd Annual National Feral Cat Summit Coming to Bay Area

IDA is proud to co-sponsor the 3rd Annual National Feral Cat
Summit this September in San Francisco. This one-day conference
will feature presentations and workshops by feral cat experts
and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) leaders from around the country as
well as a special welcome address by IDA founder and President
Elliot Katz, DVM. Presentations will emphasize practical
information and instruction to help participants more
effectively advocate for feral cats and implement TNR programs
in their communities.

What: 3rd Annual National Feral Cat Summit
When: Saturday, September 9th, 2006 from 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Where: South San Francisco Conference Center, 255 South Airport
Blvd., South San Francisco (click
http://www.ssfconf.com/accomodations/accom_directions.asp for
directions)

Registration is $40 before August 1st and $50 thereafter (the
registration fee includes a vegan lunch). For the complete
program and to register, please click
http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/special/nfc_summit_2006.htm .

3. SFVS & IDA Co-Present World Vegetarian Day in San Francisco

San Francisco, California -- named for Saint Francis, patron
saint of animals -- is one of the most vegetarian-friendly
cities on the planet, making it a fitting location for a World
Vegetarian Day celebration co-presented by the San Francisco
Vegetarian Society (SFVS) ( http://www.sfvs.org ) and IDA.

SFVS and IDA's World Vegetarian Day celebration will take place
at the San Francisco County Fair Building in beautiful Golden
Gate Park (click http://tinyurl.com/pbrzd for a map) on
Saturday, September 30th and Sunday, October 1st from 10:00 a.m.
to 6:00 p.m. The North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS)
( http://www.navs-online.org ), which started World Vegetarian Day in
1977, declared SFVS's 2005 celebration a winner in their Best
World Vegetarian Day contest (group/institution category). Last
year, approximately 3,000 visitors enjoyed SFVS's World
Vegetarian Day festival. With IDA on board, we hope this year's
event will be even bigger and better!

SFVS and IDA's World Vegetarian Day celebration will feature:

- World-renowned speakers John Robbins ( http://www.foodrevolution.org ),
Howard Lyman ( http://www.madcowboy.com ), Dr. Alan Goldhamer
( http://www.healthpromoting.com/Articles/articles/meet.htm ), Dr. Joel
Fuhrman ( http://www.drfuhrman.com ), Dr. Doug Graham
( http://www.doctorgraham.cc ), Kenneth Williams
( http://www.idausa.org/kgw_frame.html ) and more

- The OrganicAthlete ( http://www.organicathlete.org ) Conference on
Saturday, September 30th with speakers and presentations from
top vegan athletes

- International vegan cuisine and healthy food demos

- Vegan vendors and non-profit booths

- A fabulous eco-fashion show

- Live entertainment

- A catered vegan dinner (Saturday at 6:00 p.m.) for $12

World Vegetarian Day is free to kids, students and seniors. It
is also free to everyone who comes before 10:30 a.m., after
which a $5 donation is suggested.

OTHER BAY AREA EVENTS TO HELP ANIMALS

1. Compassionate Cooks' July Cooking Class: "Burgers & Backyard
Bites"

Join IDA-sponsored Compassionate Cooks for their next vegan
cooking class, "Burgers & Backyard Bites," and learn to make
five delicious, nutritious dishes including mushroom pecan
burgers, spicy black bean burgers, tantalizing Thai slaw,
perfect potato salad, classic chocolate chip cookies. This class
will also feature a special taste test of non-dairy ice creams.
Using local, in-season, mostly organic ingredients,
Compassionate Cooks features easy-to-prepare recipes and debunks
myths about plant-based diets. Join the class in July for yummy
food samples and a lot of fun!

What: Compassionate Cooks' July Cooking Class: "Burgers &
Backyard Bites"
When: Saturday, July 22nd, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Where: The First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th Street
(at Castro), Oakland (click http://uuoakland.org/directions.htm
for directions)

Be sure to register in advance either online at
http://www.compassionatecooks.com/reg.htm or by calling (510) 531-COOK.
The $45 cost of the class includes instruction, food samples,
copies of recipes and much more.

2. Book Group Discussion - "The Pig Who Sang to the Moon"

Join Bay Area Vegetarians (BAVeg) ( http://www.bayareaveg.org ) in a book
discussion of "The Pig Who Sang to the Moon: The Emotional World
of Farm Animals" by acclaimed author and psychologist Jeffrey
Moussaieff Masson. This first-of-its-kind book is about animals
who most people eat but never meet. Masson interweaves
fascinating facts and history with compelling stories of the
individual cows, chickens, sheep and pigs who populate the
book's pages. In doing this, he shows how these animals relate
to each other and ultimately to us, providing a deeper
understanding and appreciation for the emotional lives of
non-human species.

Read this powerful and highly recommended book and discuss it
with others while enjoying delicious vegan ice cream at
MaggieMudd ( http://www.maggiemudd.com ). Click http://tinyurl.com/z8qmv
to order a copy of the book - now out in paperback - and to read
reviews.

What: Book discussion - "The Pig Who Sang to the Moon: The
Emotional World of Farm Animals"
When: Saturday, July 22nd starting at 3:00 p.m.
Where: MaggieMudd, 903 Cortland Avenue, San Francisco (click
http://tinyurl.com/nfkpm to view the evite invitation, get
directions and RSVP for this event)

This book discussion is part of BAVeg's Compassionate Living
program, which is typically held on the 2nd Sunday of each
month. BAVeg started this program to provide an opportunity for
people to examine different topics related to vegetarian living,
education, and advocacy via speakers, discussions, and films.
Click http://bayareaveg.org/cl.htm to learn about other upcoming
events in this series

3. Good News for the Oakland Animal Shelter

In last month's Bay Area Alert
( http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=4191064#8 ),
we informed our supporters that Oakland City Manager Deborah
Edgerly had rehired Rashon McClarty, the Animal Control Officer
who was suspended for alleged animal cruelty and mismanagement
during the time he was acting Director at Oakland Animal
Services. We are now pleased to report that McClarty has since
resigned his position as Animal Control Officer Supervisor and
will be moving into another line of work that doesn't involve
animals. Thank you to everyone who responded to our alert urging
City Manager Edgerly to replace McClarty. While it was
McClarty's choice to quit, the added pressure on Oakland
officials likely influenced the outcome of this situation.

In February 2005, the City of Oakland had placed McClarty on
paid administrative leave while police investigated cruelty
allegations brought against him by former city animal control
officer and veterinary technician Lori Barnabe. The charges
included euthanizing 26 dogs in one day even though the shelter
had run out of sedatives, having adoptable dogs put down,
returning animals to guardians without spaying or neutering them
and accidentally piling still-living dogs in the freezer with
euthanized corpses. During his involuntary leave, the City of
Oakland paid McClarty a $50,000 salary not to work while the
shelter remained understaffed.

McClarty's resignation falls fast on the heels of other major
changes at the shelter, including the abrupt resignation of
shelter Director Alan Davis last month, who had been on the job
only since March 2006. Oakland Police Sergeant David Cronin will
fill in for Davis until a replacement can be found. He promises
that the embattled shelter -- which has an annual budget of $3
million and takes in about 8,000 animals a year -- is going to
improve its performance and be more accountable to the animals
and the community.

While problems persist at the Oakland Animal Shelter, at least
they have made improvements since moving from their old facility
several years ago. For example, a law enforcement background is
no longer the main criteria for hiring new staff, and a tracking
procedure to prevent unnecessary euthanizations has been
implemented. Bay Area animal advocates can help the shelter
continue to move towards better care for the animals by taking
action.

What You Can Do:

Click http://ga0.org/campaign/OAS3/udinnk21tnkb57? to politely urge Oakland city officials
to ensure that those hired to replace McClarty and Davis have
the experience and animal care qualifications they need for
these important positions that affect the lives of thousands of
animals. You can also contact her by postal mail, phone, fax or
email.

Oakland City Manager Deborah Edgerly
One City Hall Plaza, 3rd floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Tel: (510) 238-3301
Fax: (510) 238-2223
Email: dedgerly [at] oaklandnet.com

For more background on the animal abuses alleged to have
occurred at the Oakland Animal Shelter during McClarty's tenure
as Director, read the story "Bye Bye Doggie" in the East Bay
Express
( http://www.eastbayexpress.com/Issues/2005-02-09/news/bottomfeeder.html ).


4. Help End Pound Seizure in Sacramento

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will hold a hearing
early next month to discuss a new regulation that would no
longer allow UC Davis to acquire animals through pound seizure
for use in experiments. If it is approved, UC Davis will only be
allowed to accept animals from area shelters for veterinary
research that benefits animals.

Experimenting on animals to find cures for human diseases is
cruel and wasteful, as well as increasingly obsolete. In recent
decades, scientists have developed numerous humane research
techniques that are more reliable and applicable to human
medicine than animal experimentation. Epidemiological studies,
in vitro cell cultures and clinical trials with human subjects
are just some of the alternative methods that have yielded
promising results and enhanced medical knowledge.

It is tragic enough that millions of healthy, adoptable animals
are euthanized every year because homes cannot be found for
them; we must not compound their suffering by torturing them to
death in the name of pseudo-science. The new regulation ending
pound seizure is a step in the right direction and will prevent
the needless suffering of animals.

What You Can Do:

Click http://ga0.org/campaign/poundseizure/udinnk21tnkb57? to urge members of the
Sacramento Board of Supervisors to approve the new regulation
ending pound seizure for UC Davis and oppose Sutter Health's
continued use of shelter animals in research. You can also
contact them individually by postal mail, phone, fax or email.

Board of Supervisors
(Supervisor's name)
700 H Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Roger Dickinson
dickinsonr [at] saccounty.net
Tel: (916) 874-5485

Illa Collin
Collini [at] saccounty.net
Tel: (916) 874-5481

Susan Peters
susanpeters [at] saccounty.net
Tel: (916) 874-5471

Roberta Mcglashanr
macglashanr [at] saccounty.net
Tel: (916) 874-5491

Don Nottolid
nottolid [at] saccounty.net
Tel: (916) 874-5465

All Supervisors can be reached at the same fax number: (916)
874-7593. To send a fax, write "attention all members of the
Sacramento County Board of Supervisors" on the cover sheet and
include their names in your fax heading.

5. Keep Petting Zoos and Pony Rides from Becoming a Cruel
Tradition

In 2006, for the first time in its 23-year history, the annual
San Anselmo Art & Design Festival in Marin County hosted pony
rides and a petting zoo.

The physical and psychological well-being of animals used in
petting zoos and for pony rides is often compromised by frequent
handling and human contact. Children learn nothing about
animals' natural intelligence or behavior by seeing them in such
displays and, in fact, are likely to be miseducated about
animals' normal eating habits, social interactions and living
environment. The ponies used for rides are tethered tightly and
forced to plod in endless circles, and they can suffer hoof
disorders, saddle sores, and mouth and tooth ailments because of
ill-fitting equipment.

All the animals who were used at the festival on June 24th and
25th were forced to endure constant interaction in temperatures
exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Reportedly, the only shade
provided for the animals was a small tent that still left them
sitting on hot concrete.

In addition, petting zoos pose serious health risks for
children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
other state health departments have issued warnings after
numerous children fell ill as a result of touching animals and
their surroundings at petting zoos. Because young children's
immune systems are inherently weaker than adults, they are much
more vulnerable to contagions.

What You Can Do:

Click http://ga0.org/campaign/SanAnselmoFestival/udinnk21tnkb57? to politely ask Steven
Restivo Event Services, which produces the festival, to
eliminate petting zoos and pony rides from future festivals. You
can also contact the President of this company directly by
postal mail, (toll free) phone, fax or email.

Steven Restivo, President
Steven Restivo Event Services, LLC
P.O. Box 151017
San Rafael, CA 94915
Tel: (800) 310-6563
Fax: (415) 456-6436
Email: Steven [at] SRESproductions.com

Please also contact the President of the San Anselmo Chamber of
Commerce and tell her that you won't support the festival until
it drops these callous animal exhibits.

Connie S. Rodgers, President and CEO
San Anselmo Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 2844
San Anselmo, CA 94979
Tel: (415) 454-2510
Fax: (415) 258-9458