PEGASUS FOUNDATION HIGHLIGHTS
February 2001
Vol. 1, Issue 1
NOTE: This is the premier issue of a newsletter highlighting some of the recent
activities and accomplishments of the Pegasus Foundation, a private independent foundation
committed to animal protection, environmental preservation and public education.
HIGHLIGHTS IN THIS ISSUE:
Major victories in manatee protection lawsuits
Wildlife advocate coming soon to Cape Cod
A new response for Navajo Nation stray animals
Foundation launches awards program
MAJOR VICTORIES IN MANATEE PROTECTION LAWSUITS
The Pegasus Foundation and our partners in a manatee coalition had major victories in
January in two manatee protection lawsuits. Just one year ago, 19 environmental
organizations, including the Pegasus Foundation, filed lawsuits against various federal
and Florida state government agencies for failing to fully protect manatees under the
Endangered Species Act.
A settlement between manatee coalition members and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt was reached on
Jan. 4. The settlement commits the Fish and Wildlife Service to a firm and rapid schedule
for the designation of an extensive network of new manatee refuges and sanctuaries
throughout Florida. Under the settlement, the Fish and Wildlife Service also agreed to
evaluate at a minimum the impacts on manatees and their habitat for all Army Corps of
Engineering permitting activities, including construction of docks, piers, and other
similar structures in manatee habitat. More details are available at: www.savethemanatee.org
On Jan. 24, an agreement was reached between manatee coalition members and the Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Under the agreement, the commission will adopt
additional slow speed zones in nine of Florida's coastal counties where current speed
limits are a danger to manatees. The commission will also designate 14 new safe havens
where motorboats will be off-limits or sharply limited. The intention is that a final
settlement will be filed with the court after the commission holds a series of public
workshops over the next two months. More details on the Florida agency lawsuit are
available at www.earthjustice.org
The Pegasus Foundation has been involved in the fight to save manatees since 1997. Our
efforts to protect the species from extinction have only just begun with the lawsuits. The
foundation's Florida representative, Cynthia Frisch, will focus her time on monitoring
progress on these recent actions as well as other manatee protection issues.
WILDLIFE ADVOCATE COMING SOON TO CAPE COD
The Pegasus Foundation has funded a wildlife advocate position for Cape Cod that will be
housed at the Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Wild animals living in
the Cape Cod area are faced with habitat destruction, illegal hunting, trapping, poisoning
and other hazards. Many injured animals are brought to the Cape Wildlife Center for
veterinary care, but the small staff and large workload have prevented the center from
focusing much of its efforts on preventing animal injury.
The addition of a wildlife advocate to the staff will allow the center to build its
educational and outreach component. Once hired, the advocate will take proactive steps to
educate the public about wildlife, demonstrate how people and animals can live in harmony,
and work to resolve human-animal conflicts.
More information on the wildlife advocate will be published in upcoming Pegasus Highlights
when the position is filled and the advocacy and education work begins.
A NEW RESPONSE FOR NAVAJO NATION STRAY ANIMALS
In continuing efforts to establish an effective, long-term response to the plight of the
estimated 160,000 stray dogs and cats on the Navajo Nation in the western United States,
the Pegasus Foundation is employing a new strategy this year. Wildlife veterinarian Mark
Johnson has been hired as a consultant to facilitate development of a multi-year,
comprehensive spay-neuter service plan that will control the Nation's companion animal
population and end the unnecessary suffering and deaths of stray animals.
Under the leadership of the Navajo Nation, Dr. Johnson is working with five service
providers and two funders to put together a coordinated schedule of spay-neuter clinics
throughout the Nation's 26,000 square miles. Service providers met at the end of January
in Albuquerque to discuss plans and review service agreements. Spay-neuter clinics will
begin this spring.
FOUNDATION LAUNCHES AWARDS PROGRAM
In November, more than a hundred people gathered at the Woman's National Democratic Club
in Washington, DC for the first Pegasus Foundation Awards Dinner Celebration. The event
gave the foundation an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of organizations and
individuals who exemplify our mission of showing compassion and respect for all forms of
life and making the world a more humane place for all living things. Awards and winners
were as follows:
Pegasus Activist Award - Julia Butterfly
Hill
Outstanding Elected Official - Massachusetts
Congressman Bill Delahunt, 10th District
Excellence in Companion Animal Services -- W. Mike Halona And Glenda Davis, Navajo Nation
Achievements in Wildlife Protection -- Dr. Emmett F. (Fran) Stallings, Florida
Environmental Activist
Leadership in Habitat Preservation -- Dr. John Kullberg, Wildlife
Land Trust
Accomplishments in the Business Community -- Meyer and
Glitzenstein Public Interest Law Firm
For more information on the Pegasus Foundation awards, click on Pegasus
Awards.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PEGASUS FOUNDATION, CONTACT:
Anne Ostberg
Communications Director
The Pegasus Foundation
27 Merrimack Street
Concord, New Hampshire 03301
603.225.3918 (phone)
603.225.4624 (fax)
aostberg@pegasusfoundation.org
www.pegasusfoundation.org