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WILD BIRD CONSERVATION ACT 

 OVERSIGHT HEARINGS 



September 28, 1995 



Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans 

 U.S. House of Representatives 



Testimony of Frank M. Bond, General Counsel 

 North American Falconers Association 



Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, I appreciate the opportunity to present 

 testimony this morning. I am Frank M. Bond, and I serve as General Counsel for the North 

 American Falconers Association ("NAFA"). I appear today on behalf of NAFA's President, Dr. 

 Ken Felix, and its 2,600 members in the United States and throughout the world. For the most 

 part, my testimony will focus on the application of the Wild Bird Conservation Act ("WBCA") 

 to birds of prey, frequently referred to as raptors. 



Anyone who deals with birds of prey are subjected to the regulations promulgated under 

 the authority of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The falconry community of the United States 

 in licensed through a federal and state permitting process under 50 CFR 21 .28, 21 .29 and 22.24, 

 and for our members, and for others who are also captive propagators, they must comply with 

 the standards of 50 CFR 21.30. These regulations do not distinguish markedly among wild 

 harvested and captively propagated birds. Further, with certain species of raptors the full force 

 of the Endangered Species Act ("ESA") applies, and finally for import and export of raptors, 

 the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species ("C.I.T.E.S.") and its attendant 

 regulations control all movement. The regulatory burden imposed by these laws on raptors is 

 staggering. 



The stated purposes of the WBCA are to promote conser.'ation of exotic (non-U. S.) 

 species of birds by: (1) ensuring that all imports into the United States of species of exotic birds 



