LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

By Chuck Cox, Point Arena

Anderson Valley Advertiser - 4/25/01

POLLY WANTS PROTECTION

Dear Friends, Censors or Editors:

There is a parrot, macaw and amazon conservation breeding farm near Point Arena, Mendocino County, on California's North Coast which has been under eviction notice from the County government since January 2000. When Barbara and Geoffrey Gould relocated here from the Phoenix, Arizona, area with their endangered birds, they were advised by the county to buy agriculturally zoned land if they wanted to rescue, adopt, sell or breed these birds at their farm. It was the perfect place for them so they bought it and moved in. Not much later they were informed they would not be permitted to have parrots on ag land and also learned later from the proceedings that, in the county's opinion, parrots are not "birds"! One might seriously wonder if this had anything to do with it being right across the road from the big, British/French multi-national franchised turkey farm, where the patented genetically designed not-organic turkeys and their owners live.

This is a most distressing event for any land owner or law student to learn about, but more specifically, parrot and related bird enthusiasts will quickly see that the treachery involved in the Gould's current plight affects all of us who protect and adopt these beautiful creatures!!! Learn about this scorching example of misguided justice and all-too-blatantly obvious backroom corruption as it develops. Our Parrot Preservation Society friends are digging their feet in on this one, they bet the farm on it. Please examine their website and INFORM YOURSELF. You can't afford not to know what is happening here in Mendocino County, and I urge those of you with strong convictions to give these good people some support.

Concerned Citizen
Chuck Cox, Point Arena