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A most welcome response from the USFWS Division of Management
Authority today indicates that they will issue guidance to the ports
about implementing the exemption for "dead museum specimens, dead
scientific specimens, and products manufactured from such birds."<br>
<br>
They say that they will do this quickly and they say they will share
it with the regulated community. That way you can know what will be
expected of you when you or your import arrives at the port. <br>
<br>
I obviously can't quantify "quickly." Please realize that in the
federal government, multiple levels of review are mandatory for most
policy processes. I don't know if that will be the case here. And
before the matter even gets to review, the discussions between two
divisions (here, Division of Management Authority and Division of
Law Enforcement) can take quite a bit of time. In fact, even
discussions within a single division can get bogged down for months
or years. We are experiencing that with several matters involving
the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. So quickly is a relative term. <br>
<br>
So where does that leave you?<br>
<br>
Well, this is what I hope is common-sense advice based on
experience. That's all it is. Advice. Feel free to ignore me. I'm
used to being ignored. <br>
<br>
After all, there have been very few problems in all the years since
this glitch occurred, suggesting that most inspectors "know it when
they see it" and that this is likely to continue to be the case,
especially with known institutions. If you are at a lesser-known
institution or a university, perhaps you could carry with you copies
of accession records, letters from faculty advisors, or copies of
grant awards for research involving those species. You may be
thinking "well obviously anyone at a university would be importing
for scientific research." Not everyone at a university is a
scientist. In fact, not everyone at a museum is an ornithologist!
What about your anthropology and archeology people who import
artifacts that contain bird feathers? I get questions from those
folks every so often. So you can see why LE can't just say "Oh, this
guy is with the Smithsonian so this material is obviously scientific
research material." <br>
<br>
Material that either has some clear physical characteristics that
suggest museum specimen (dry skin with museum labels) or that has no
other use (blood, plasma, excreta, genetic material) is unlikely to
cause concern. Loose feathers or casques from certain species might
be of more concern, depending on the identity of the sender and the
recipient. Coming into your "home port" where you are known is less
likely to be a problem than coming into a different port or using
FedEx or a customs broker. If you have a CITES Appendix I permit,
that indicates that the USFWS recognized that this is a scientific
import from the start. Moving material on a COSE might be an
adequate indication, as it means the material is moving between two
CITES-registered scientific institutions. <br>
<br>
In the meanwhile, if you feel your best option is to get the WBCA
permit, please know that the form is <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.fws.gov_forms_3-2D200-2D47.pdf&d=AwMDaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=lxJzGjohOrxBr2AUvi1r7sD-IUg5Knz_M2K7VYwK72o&s=1zfgWv4X1rsSYcdvcz-0xqJzN7OpUttb24Ky0q3_F84&e=">3-200-47</a>. <br>
<br>
In order to use this form prospectively, i.e., so you can have the
permit before you leave for your collecting trip, most of it will
have to be "unknown" or "estimated" or "per export permit limits"
because you won't know hatch dates or approximate hatch dates. You
may not have date/location collected or will have to approximate.
Quantity might be "as authorized by export permit" because you won't
know how many you will have in advance. All you know is that you
can't export more than the export permit allows. In the case of a
COSE, where you are exporting accessioned scientific specimens,
there is no permit and therefore no permit limits. You might want to
guesstimate the number of samples generously. If your in-country
collecting permit has not yet been issued, at least include a copy
of the application and note "awaiting issuance." I know that in some
countries, you can't obtain your permit before you get there. <br>
<br>
Allow 90 days for the issuance of the WBCA permit. Maybe quickly
will be less than 90 days and it will turn out you don't need to
worry about it after all!<br>
<br>
Ellen<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Ellen Paul</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Executive Director</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.nmnh.si.edu_BIRDNET&d=AwMDaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=lxJzGjohOrxBr2AUvi1r7sD-IUg5Knz_M2K7VYwK72o&s=EN1g5VvyILjcpkD_kkCLzuQDPG3EQiLz4Ol_xum269A&e=">Ornithological
Council</a> <br>
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Providing Scientific Information about Birds</p>
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