I need help finding answers to USFW's questions!

[SnakeGirl]

OK, so I know most of us are aware of the situation with the USFW and their proposals. Here in Tennessee the questions they are proposing are impossible to answer without knowing where to look. I have googled until I am ready to pull my hair out. I have sat in on the discussion in the chat room on kingsnake. I stayed after the chat on kingsnake to ask this very question to those people. All I could get was, "Just support PIJAC." I fully intend to support PIJAC on this, but I also want to send a letter of my own. It is my belief that if only PIJAC answers them, then USFW will be under the impression that only one person/organization cares about this issue; if a lot of people send letters to USFW, then to them a lot of people care about it. They said in the kingsnake chat that they do not take into consideration letters that do not answer their questions. Here are the questions they are seeking answers to:

(1) What regulations does your State have pertaining to the use, transport, or production of Python, Boa and Eunectes genera?
(2) How many species in the Python, Boa and Eunectes genera are currently in production for wholesale or retail sale, and in how many and which States?
(3) How many businesses sell Python, Boa or Eunectes species?
(4) How many businesses breed Python, Boa or Eunectes species?
(5) What are the annual sales for Python, Boa or Eunectes species?
(6) Please provide the number of Python, Boa or Eunectes species, if any, permitted within each State.
(7) What would it cost to eradicate Python, Boa or Eunectes individuals or populations, or similar species, if found?
(8) What are the costs of implementing propagation, recovery, and restoration programs for native species that are affected by Python, Boa or Eunectes species, or similar snake species?
(9) What State-listed species would be impacted by the introduction of Python, Boa or Eunectes species?
(10) What species have been impacted, and how, by Python, Boa or Eunectes species?

I need to know where else to look for these answers as I am now at a complete loss as to where to look. My only other idea is that perhaps my local library will have these answers and even that isn't a sure thing. Please only serious answers; I am as frusterated as you can get about what to do next. :frusty:

[Jarret]

Well really, you could only get information online for questions 1, 6, and 9. Considering 1 deals with state laws. 6 deals with state laws again. And 9, again, state laws.

The other questions are almost impossible to answer unless you could survey every single person/business in your state to get the statistics that they want.

Here is a link (http://tennessee.gov/sos/rules/1660/1660-01/1660-01-18.pdf) to a .pdf explaining some of the laws concerning Rules and Regulations of Live Wildlife.

I found the link by visiting the http://www.tennessee.gov site. In the search at the top of the page I typed in reptile laws (http://tennessee.google.cdc.nicusa.com/search?q=reptile+laws&btnSearch=Search&site=main&client=tennessee&proxystylesheet=tennessee&output=xml_no_dtd), the link with the .pdf was the first listing, but it looked like there were quite a few more listings.

Edit: Found another page (http://www.state.tn.us/sos/rules/1660/1660-01/1660-01.htm) with some more info pertaining to what you are looking for.

Edit: And another one (http://www.state.tn.us/twra/faqmain.html#Miscellaneous). Look at the first subject under the Miscellaneous heading. It pertains to contacting your county's wildlife officer. Not sure, but you may be able to receive some of the information that you are looking for from them.

[SnakeGirl]

Jarret, THANK YOU so much! I have browsed and browsed until I was completely frusterated. And the people in the kingsnake chat were no help and made me even more frusterated. I think I can work with this stuff. And as you emntioned, I can contact the TWRA's office for answers to some of those questions. Again, THANK YOU! You've been a lot of help! :clap2:

[Jarret]

No problem, glad I could help :)

If you need to find some more information, let me know and I'll see what I can come up with.