Letter to the Editor: County wildlife group opposes Measure 5

In action at its monthly membership meeting last week, the Cass County Wildlife Club voted to oppose Measure 5, a ballot initiative related to penalties for animal cruelty.

"As sportsmen, we are committed to preserving North Dakota's proud outdoor traditions, and caring for animals, such as our hunting dogs and horses are part of those traditions," said Cass County Wildlife President John Matheson.

But club members agreed that Measure 5 will not protect animals or support the standard of stewardship that they uphold, as it leaves out the most frequently occurring kinds of animal mistreatment.

"We are also skeptical about the initiative's ambiguous language and the challenges it could present for a wide range of animal stakeholders," Matheson said.

The fact that the Humane Society of the United States, an out-of-state animal rights group, has been involved with the writing, promotion and funding of the ballot initiative also concerns Cass County Wildlife Club members. "The organization is widely known for its anti-hunting and ballot initiative campaigns across the country," Matheson said.

The Cass County Wildlife Club was founded to provide a common meeting ground lobbying arm. for sportsmen and wildlife conservationists and to unite and organize efforts for the propagation, conservation and protection of all forms of wildlife in North Dakota. It has approximately 200 members.