Florida Senate - 2017                                    SM 1328
       
       
        
       By Senator Artiles
       
       
       
       
       
       40-01665A-17                                          20171328__
    1                           Senate Memorial                         
    2         A memorial to the Congress of the United States,
    3         President of the United States, and National Park
    4         Service, urging that the National Park Service be
    5         directed to allow hunting of exotic invasive species
    6         in national parks and to research the effectiveness of
    7         hunting and other methods in eliminating or reducing
    8         exotic invasive species on national park lands.
    9  
   10         WHEREAS, South Florida contains more exotic invasive animal
   11  and plant species than any other area in the United States, and
   12         WHEREAS, these exotic invasive species are reproducing at
   13  uncontrolled rates because this state lacks the natural
   14  predators that would limit the ability of these exotic invasive
   15  species to multiply uncontrollably, and
   16         WHEREAS, the proliferation of these exotic invasive species
   17  in South Florida threatens the Florida Everglades and the native
   18  species that live there, and
   19         WHEREAS, many national parks throughout the United States
   20  face similar threats to their ecosystems from exotic invasive
   21  species, and
   22         WHEREAS, allowing the hunting of exotic invasive species
   23  would be an effective measure to reduce these threats, and
   24         WHEREAS, additional research into hunting and other methods
   25  of exotic invasive species control may reveal additional or more
   26  effective methods to control or eliminate such species, NOW,
   27  THEREFORE,
   28  
   29  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   30  
   31         That the National Park Service be directed to allow the
   32  hunting of exotic invasive species on national park lands and to
   33  issue permits to individuals who wish to hunt on those lands
   34  and, further, that the National Park Service be directed to
   35  research the effectiveness of hunting and other methods in
   36  eliminating or reducing exotic invasive species on national park
   37  lands.
   38         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State is
   39  directed to dispatch copies of this memorial to the President of
   40  the United States, to the President of the United States Senate,
   41  to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, to
   42  the Director of the National Park Service, and to each member of
   43  the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.