I have learned an awful lot about advocating over the years as a wolf advocate – including respect for the advocates themselves! A person can’t help but become passionate about wild animals and show compassion for ALL wildlife! But it takes more than just words on a screen, to be a true advocate! This is not to say it HAS to take money! There are so many free things you can do to become an advocate and help wildlife. All it takes is dedication and devotion to wolves!
For instance, you can use the power of online petitions to spread the word about a worthy cause! There are so many to chose from, or if you feel creative, you can always create your own! There are numerous sites that make it easy for you to do just that! First pick your battle, and research it as much as possible! Be sure to know who/what can make this happen and target them in the petition! Gather as many facts about it, and make notes of what you intend to do with it, and how your cause can be supported! Consider what methods can help the most! How to create a petition via care2: Log in http://www.thepetitionsite.com/ Step 1 – basic petition information including person/agency you are petitioning – it is helpful if you can enter the known name and/or email address etc but most times they will take care of that for you Step 2 – choose a photo for petition – under 1mb – or leave empty and they will use a generic photo, also you can edit ANY info at this point, and can make up a thank you note that gets sent out automatically when someone signs petition, and then you can write the full letter about the petition as well Step 3 – post and share Step 4 – making updates or closing the petition – follow instructions BUT MOST OF ALL - Get involved!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Another similar thing to do is use email campaigns to stand up for your cause, or just create your own email campaign. The magic of this is you can do it the way YOU want to! I suggest using RAW feelings rather than numeric facts to get your point across! Once you create your own masterpiece, you can have other friends share the same email to the same people – it works just like a petition! You can also go 1 step further with this. (See Below!) How to write an Letter To The Editor or create an email campaign: Source – https://wolvesofdouglascountywisconsin.com/ Search… Submit Home About YOU ARE HERE: HOME » HOW TO WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR How to write a letter to the editor A letter to the editor is one way to keep your social cause, in this case wolf advocacy, in the public eye through your local newspaper. Every newspaper has a section for opinion editorials or letters to the editor, read as many letters to the editor until you feel comfortable and then get to work on writing one of your own letters. Find an opinion editorial you want to respond to. The following is a recent article to read as an example for a response; Causes unclear as wolves kill a record number of hunting hounds (copy and paste that title in a Google search bar) and read it. Look for main points that you want to respond to in your letter to the editor. The following are examples of the points in the article, “Causes unclear as wolves kill a record number of hunting hounds.” Main topic; The state’s wolf population has grown while regulation of hunting dogs has been relaxed, but it’s not clear what factored into the increased dog deaths, said DNR large carnivore specialist David MacFarland. Supports main topic; “It’s too early to say what’s causing it, or if it’s really a significant difference or not,” MacFarland said. “It could be just one pack being more aggressive than in the past.” Supports main topic; And while state law was changed in 2015 to end a license requirement for the summer dog training season, it’s not known if more dogs are being run, he said. Supports main topic; The bait also draws wolves that will defend the sites, leading to conflicts with hunting dogs released in those places to pick up bear scent, … Supports main topic; The wolf population estimate this year is the highest yet for the endangered species, but little growth has occurred in northern areas where almost all of the dogs were killed, MacFarland said. Summary of main topic and supporting points; Still, compared to the small army of men and woman who hunt deer each year, the number of bear hunters using dogs is small, at least in part because of the expense of purchasing, training and feeding the dogs, he said. The use of dogs for hunting is controversial on several levels. In 2014 a state appeals court ruled that hunters can train dogs to chase down wolves, rejecting arguments from humane societies… Now get to work on writing your letter… Read the article, then write a response that supports why you agree or disagree. Letters are no more than 250 words, spelling and grammar count. Use a grammar & spell checker or have a friend read your letter over to catch any errors. Stick to your main topic, and support that topic in your response. Example; I’m writing a response to the article, “Causes unclear as wolves kill a record number of hunting hounds.” By (add the author and date) I disagree with the statement that, it’s not clear what factored into the increased dog deaths. It’s obvious to me that bear hounders are causing the deaths of these dogs….now add your points to support your main topic…as to why…give examples…over baiting…too many dogs being run…no regulation… Main point/thesis statement Support it/body of letter Summarize/conclusion Summarize, repeat your main point and state what your solution could be…dogs are dying because of all the baiting of bear that attracts wolves…limit baiting…or dogs are dying because of all the dogs running thru…limit training…regulate it… Write at least two drafts of your letter, it’s alright to re write, edit and write a final draft. Submit your letter to the paper. Every paper has directions on how to send your letter. Always sign it and put what town you live in. They won’t accept your letter without a signature or address (they won’t publish your full address, just your town or city and state) Stick to your main point, support it, and summarize….edit for errors, re read it…submit it… Again - Get involved! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can take the email you created and print it off, or even start from scratch and write up a letter to mail to whom ever you feel is appropriate! Write in legible hand writing and send in a standard business envelope! If you desire a reply – be sure to include your contact info, but if you are sending this to a government agency, you might want to re-think that part! There are rallies held for wolves and/or wildlife and/or their habitats all over – and MOST are free to attend! You can get a list of phone numbers that you can use to contact your local congressmen (women), senators and any other officials you feel fit the situation negatively or positively! NOTE: WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU USE RAW FEELINGS AND HARSH LANGUAGE BUT ALSO AVOID CURSING OR MOST LIKELY YOU WON’T BE TAKEN SERIOUS!
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