IDA's Bay Area Events

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IDA's Bay Area Events

 

Table of Contents

1. Attend California State Fair Meeting

2. Come to a 3-in-1 Day of AR Activism in SF

3. Watch " Echo of the Elephants " on The Discovery Channel

4. Protest UCSF's Experiments on Dogs

5. Gopher Gardening at Ocean Beach

6. Tell Your Assemblyperson to Vote YES on AB 1685

7. IDA's May 2005 Auction for the Animals

 

 

1. Attend California State Fair Meeting

 

The Board of the California State Fair is meeting on Friday, May 20,

giving people a chance to speak out about how animals are used at the

annual event. Rodeos, exotic animal acts, petting zoos, horse racing,

and animal " birthing " exhibits are typically featured at the fair. In

addition, while there will be no elephant rides this year, advocates

need to make sure they aren't brought back next year. The Fair's

27-member " Animal Welfare Advisory Committee " (AWAC) meeting last week

didn't do too much to help animals, so your voice is especially needed

now. Come to the Public Forum part of the meeting and be a voice for

the animals to ensure a permanent ban on elephant rides at the fair.

 

What: California State Fair meeting

When: Friday, May 20th at 12:30 p.m.

Where: California Exposition & State Fair, 1600 Exposition Blvd.,

Sacramento (visit www.calexpo.com/html/Directions.html for directions)

 

For more information, visit www.calexpo.com. To view the meeting

agenda, click " Public Meeting Notices " on the left hand column.

 

 

2. Come to a 3-in-1 Day of AR Activism in SF

 

Join Bay Area Vegetarians (BAVeg) this weekend for a full day of

activism and food featuring three consecutive events. Everyone is

welcome to attend one, two, or all three of these exciting

back-to-back events.

 

First, stick up for chickens abused by Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) at

a protest outside the notorious fast food franchise. Join the

nationwide effort to educate the public about how the Colonel treats

chickens wrong! Posters, leaflets, and other materials will be

provided.

 

What: KFC protest

When: Saturday, May 21st from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.

Where: KFC, 1900 Irving St. (near 18th Ave.), San Francisco. Click

here (http://tinyurl.com/8brrv) for directions.

 

Next, relax with friends and enjoy a delicious vegan lunch at

Shangri-La, winner of the " Best Lunch " category in BAVeg's 2003

vegetarian restaurant contest.

 

What: Vegan lunch at Shangri-La

When: Saturday, May 21st from 1:15 to 2:30 p.m.

Where: Shangri-La, 2026 Irving St. (at 21st Ave., three blocks west of

KFC), San Francisco

 

Finally, learn how to write letters that really help animals at a

special half-hour workshop presented by veteran animal rights activist

Nora Kramer. Learn the secrets of getting your letters published as

magazine and newspaper editorials and making the most efficient use of

your writing time. After the presentation, apply what you've learned

by writing personal, handwritten, high-impact letters to editors,

legislators and corporations about issues that affect the lives of

animals. Alerts from IDA and other organizations, as well as paper

supplies, will be provided.

 

What: Letter writing party, with special half-hour letter writing presentation

When: Saturday, May 21st from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. (presentation on

letter writing from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m.)

Where: Red Vic Peace Cafe, 1665 Haight St (at Cole), San Francisco.

Click here (http://tinyurl.com/7cn5p) for directions, or join the

lunch group on the short bus ride from Shangri-La to the Red Vic

 

 

3. Watch " Echo of the Elephants " on The Discovery Channel

 

Watch the third in a series of documentaries about the elephant

matriarch Echo and her family on the Discovery Channel at 9:00 a.m.,

Sunday, May 22nd. Conservationist Cynthia Moss and cameraman Martyn

Colbeck have been documenting the lives of this family of African

elephants in Kenya's Amboseli National Park for 14 years. The first

film, " Echo of the Elephants, " was broadcast in 1992, and the sequel,

" Echo of the Elephants: The Next Generation, " was shown in 1995. The

latest installment in the series, " Echo of the Elephants: The Last

Chapter? " catches up with the family after a gap of seven years. As

with the first two films, never-before-filmed elephant behavior is

revealed, enhancing our understanding of these fascinating and complex

animals.

 

What: " Echo of the Elephants: The Last Chapter? "

When: Sunday, May 22nd at 9:00 a.m.

Where: The Discovery Channel

 

 

4. Protest UCSF's Experiments on Dogs

 

IDA is co-sponsoring a protest at the University of California, San

Francisco (UCSF) to turn a bright spotlight on the University's

determination to conduct cruel and painful heart experiments on

hundreds of dogs. This event will be similar to the Dog March that we

held last month, which successfully drew public and media attention to

the plight of UCSF's animal victims. To keep up the pressure on UCSF

to stop these experiments, we need as many participants as possible to

ensure that all the local media cover the story. We also encourage

advocates to bring their dogs to remind people that the animals used

in experiments are living beings with feelings and personalities. Be

aware that this event will take place on a busy thoroughfare, and that

dogs must be leashed and kept under control for their own safety.

 

What: Protest against UCSF's dog experiments

When: Wednesday, May 25th from 9:45 to 11:00 a.m.

Where: UCSF Medical Sciences Building, Cole Hall, 513 Parnassus Ave.,

San Francisco. Click here (http://tinyurl.com/9jq2g) for directions.

 

If you can attend the protest, please call (415) 388-9641 ext. 228 or

email alicia to RSVP so we can let you know if there are

any changes. The demonstration will be rescheduled if it rains.

 

 

5. Gopher Gardening at Ocean Beach

 

Join the San Francisco Wildlife Protection Project, a joint effort by

IDA and the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, to create a

wildlife " sanctuary " along the Great Highway. By landscaping the area

according to the Parks Department's specifications, volunteers create

a habitat for native gophers and prevent them from being trapped and

killed. This is an on-going monthly effort, and happens on the first

Saturday of each month. Please give us a hand so we can help the

gophers.

 

What: Gopher Gardening

When: Saturday, June 4th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

Where: Corner of the Great Highway and Wawona Street, San Francisco,

at the small brick Recreation and Park maintenance building. Click

here (http://tinyurl.com/4hnh2) for directions to this event.

 

For more information, please contact Kevin Connelly at (415) 388-9641,

ext. 226 or kevin.

 

 

6. Tell Your Assemblyperson to Vote YES on AB 1685

 

Please help ensure the passage of AB 1685, an important bill

introduced by Assemblyman Johan Klehs that will go to the floor of the

Assembly sometime before June 3rd. If passed, AB 1685 will end the

slaughter of animals on school property and allow students to opt-out

of certain portions of the agricultural curriculum - such as

castrating piglets or dehorning cattle - that they find morally

objectionable. While California enacted a law two decades ago that

permits students to opt-out of dissections on moral grounds, no law

currently exists to allow students in agricultural classes to opt-out

of other practices that cause harm to animals. Animal slaughter on

high school campuses is more widespread than many people realize:

Approximately 30% of high schools surveyed slaughter animals on campus

as part of their agricultural curriculum. Killing animals in school

desensitizes young adults and destroys their natural affinity for

animals while sending them a dangerous message that torturing animals

is acceptable.

 

What You Can Do

 

Click here (http://ga0.org/campaign/AB1685) to urge your

Assemblyperson to vote Yes on AB 1685. To have an even greater impact,

please call or write a letter to your Assemblyperson. You can get your

Assemblyperson's contact information by clicking here

(http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/home.html) and entering your zip

code, or by calling the Government Information Hotline at (916)

322-9900 and giving the operator your address.

 

 

7. IDA's May 2005 Auction for the Animals

 

Support IDA's mission to defend the rights, welfare and habitats of

animals during IDA's Auction for the Animals on eBay for the month of

May. The auction gives you the opportunity to help IDA help animals

while having fun bidding on a wide selection of over 250 elegant,

exciting and unique items. The items, valued at more than $45,000,

have been donated to IDA for this very special online fundraising

event.

 

While the auction started on May 1st, the third wave is going on right

now with new items that were added on May 15th. There are many

fabulous items to bid on, including fantastic travel and accommodation

packages, special celebrity memorabilia, and tickets for great

entertainment and sporting events. Visit www.ebay.com/ida to see

what's available. Once you find an item that you like, click on the

link to view its description, the current bid price, and how much time

is left until the bidding ends. Place your bid and keep an eye on it

to make sure that, by the time the bidding ends, it's YOURS.

 

We are still accepting donated items to sell during the auction, so if

you have an item that you would like to contribute, please contact

Nicole Otoupalik at (800) 338-4451. All donations are tax deductible.

If you already sell on eBay, now is a great time to designate 10-100%

of your own auction proceeds to IDA by registering at

www.missionfish.org, the partner of eBay Giving Works.