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Send Your Letter Calling for Investigation!

Rare Lynx Hairs Found in Forests Exposed as Hoax

Congressmen Scott McInnis and Jim Hansen, respective chairs of the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health and Committee on Resources sent the following letter to Secretaries Veneman and Norton protesting the lynx hoax and promising an investigation and hearing. In an article reported in The Washington Times (http://www.washtimes.com/national/20011217-7117603.htm), federal and state wildlife biologists representing the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife admitted planting false evidence of a rare cat species in two national forests in Washington state.

Send your letter to USDA, Office of Inspector General and Secretaries of Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior demanding an investivation.

Read additional reports on the OutdoorWire:

Congress Protests Lynx Hoax
Western Lawmakers Want Biologists Fired

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USDA, Office of Inspector General
Room 9-E Jamie Whitten Bldg
1400 Independence Avenue SW.
Washington, DC 20250

Mr. Roger C. Viadero:

I read the enclosed news article that was published by The Washington Times. I find it extremely distressing that federal employees would be involved in blatant fraud as detailed within the news article.

As a taxpaying citizen, I expect to see federal employees actions that are above reproach. These actions bring serious doubt on the entire Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service and their actions to implement the Endangered Species Act.

These actions are the "smoking gun" that supports the multiple use community arguments that land management decisions have been based on bias and fraudulent data. That government employees would engage in these fraudulent actions calls into question each and every decision these employees and their supervisors have been involved with throughout their careers with their respective bureaus.

I urge you to initiate an immediate investigation into the Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service to determine the extent of fraud and reverse the land management decisions based on these fraudulent activities.

Sincerely,

<your name>

cc:
The Honorable Scott McInnis
Ann M. Veneman, Secretary, Department of Agriculture
Gale A. Norton, Secretary, Department of Interior

<insert your local congressional representative>

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Send your own letter, or Phone USDA, Office of Inspector General:
(202) 720-5677
Fax: (202) 690-6305

Congressional Addresses can be found at:
U.S. House of Representativies: http://www.house.gov/writerep/
U.S. Senate: http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
Daily Congressional Calander: http://thomas.loc.gov