February 28, 2006

Volume III, No. 16

ISVMA To Hold Second Annual Lobby Day

The ISVMA Board of Directors and Legislative Committee are meeting in Springfield at 9:00 a.m. on March 16, 2006 for a legislative orientation session and to make appointments with their state representatives and state senators to advocate the ISVMA position on some important issues such as: 1) the ISVMA proposed amendment to clarify the sales tax law; 2) animal control; and 3) support for the University of Illinois.

The Lobby Day is a great opportunity to develop relationships with members of the Illinois General Assembly and to share the expertise of veterinarians on issues related to animal health and welfare, public health and the practice of professional veterinary medicine in Illinois.

Do you want to find out who your elected officials are? You can do it easily by clicking here to visit the new ISVMA Legislative Action Center. Use the "My Elected Officials" button to find out who represents your home and/or business.

If you would like to participate in the ISVMA Lobby Day, please send an RSVP to tina@isvma.org and also let us know which legislators you plan to meet.

ISVMA Spring Seminar Series - REGISTER NOW!

The ISVMA Spring Seminar Series offers you and your staff an affordable opportunity to experience a nationally-recognized speaker addressing issues that are important to both your practice and practice staff. This year's seminar will be offered twice:

April 9, 2006 at the Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, IL (west-suburbs of Chicago)

April 30, 2006 at the Northfield Inn & Suites in Springfield, IL

Charlotte Lacroix, DVM, Esq. will address three important issues that generate the most member inquiries to the ISVMA:

1. What Constitues Good Medical Recordkeeping?
   
   
2. Internet Pharmacies, Drug Compounding and the Boogie Man - What They Have in Common.
   
   
3. Ethical Practice - It Ain't Easy and It's Getting Tougher.

ISVMA is fortunate to be able to give our members an opportunity to participate in a top-notch educational program with one of the most sought after speakers in the country. For more information and to register for this seminar please click here. Registration is limited, so register early! This will be a very popular seminar series.

ISVMA would like to thank Ft. Dodge Animal Health for their sponsorship of the 2006 ISVMA Spring Seminar Series.

ISVMA Continues to Work on Veterinary Sales Tax Issue

ISVMA has developed a Fact Sheet that outlines the problems with sales tax application in veterinary practices and the ISVMA proposed solution. We encourage you to print copies of the document and share it with your state legislators and state senators. Click here to access the online ISVMA Library to get your copy of the "Fact Sheet On the ISVMA Amendment to the Revenue Code."

We plan to offer an amendment to an omnibus revenue bill before the end of the legislative session and it would help us immensely if you took the time to brief your local legislators on our effort to clarify the state sales tax laws as they apply to veterinary practice. We want them to recognize our amendment when it is offered and give us their support!

If you wish to obtain a copy of the ISVMA proposed amendment please send your request to info@isvma.org.

Executive Veterinary Program: Business Management

The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine’s Executive Veterinary Program (EVP) was developed in 1991 to enhance the business, communication, and planning skills of busy animal health professionals.

An exciting, new EVP scheduled to begin in August will provide participants with knowledge and skills needed to more effectively and efficiently manage a business. The modules will approach the topics from a general business perspective, allowing for a business management education in a non-species- or industry-specific environment.

Twelve interactive, two-day (Thursday and Friday) learning sessions are scheduled over a two-year period. The module arrangements allows for insight and understanding to build and grow throughout the program. Each interactive two-day session offers 12 hours of continuing education credit. To optimize the learning environment, enrollment is limited to 42 participants.

For more information about Executive Veterinary Program: Business Management, visit http://www.EVPIllinois.org/.

Call for Volunteers at College Exhibits

The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine is looking for a few College alumni to volunteer at the College's exhibit at an upcoming show in the Chicagoland area.

The 2006 Chicagoland Family Pet Expo is Friday, March 17, through Sunday, March 19, at Arlington Park Racecourse in Arlington Heights. Shifts are available each of the days: Friday, March 17, 2 - 7 p.m., Saturday, March 18, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. or 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 19, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. or 1 - 5 p.m. Planned special attractions at this show include Johnny Peers and the Muttville Comix, Frisbee Dog Show, Alex Rothacker and Sweet Pea, Dancing with Dogs, CFA Cat Show, Household Companion Cat Show, Lovable Pooch Contest, Hedgehog Olympics, Bird Show, and more.

If you're interested in volunteering, please contact Judy Sims at 217/333-2907 or judysims@uiuc.edu.

About the Photo in This Issue...

The Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) is a medium-sized bird with a buff-grey back and wings and whitish underparts that are washed with buff. Breeding birds have a white forehead, black on top of the head and thin black eyeline. Non-breeding birds and juveniles lack the black markings on the head and are buffier on their undersides. The species’ call is a distinctive low harsh krrip.

The species breeds in the western Great Plains, from southern Canada to Texas. The winter range is primarily in California but the species also winters in northern Mexico, southern Arizona and southern Texas. In Canada, the Mountain Plover breeds in southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan; birds in these two areas are considered two sub-populations of the species. The North American range has contracted from earlier times, especially along its eastern edge. In fact, the Breeding Bird Survey revealed that the decline in this species from the 1960s to the early 1990s was larger than that of any other endemic grassland bird (bird species restricted to grasslands).

Mountain Plovers inhabit flat areas with short vegetation (usually less than 10 centimeters high) and bare ground. Grazing animals and Black-tailed Prairie Dogs play important roles in keeping the habitat suitable for the species. Mountain Plovers prefer heavily grazed grassland, but areas with light grazing that have been burned recently can provide suitable habitat for the birds. Cultivated fields are also used for nesting, especially in the southern part of the North American range.

The decline in the population of Mountain Plovers is attributed to the conversion of native grassland to cropland, agricultural practices, management of domestic livestock, decline of native herbivores, and possibly pesticides. In Canada, the major threat is range management practices, which discourage heavily grazed grassland and thereby restrict suitable breeding habitat. The resulting small, isolated breeding populations are vulnerable to natural events such as weather extremes and predation.

The Mountain Plover was proposed for listing by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as a threatened species in 1999. In September 2003 the Service withdrew the listing, because new information indicated that the threats to the species included in the proposed listing were not as significant as earlier believed. The Service found that declines in local population numbers at specific locations are not supported by statewide estimates throughout the range, which suggest that the continental population has not changed significantly in the past decade. New information made available from many State and Federal agencies indicated that occupied black-tailed prairie dog habitat, which provides for nesting plovers, is more abundant that previously believed. In addition, a variety of conservation efforts initiated for mountain plovers and other species of the high plains in several western states benefit the mountain plover. The Mountain Plover is protected by the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act. Under this Act, it is prohibited to kill, harm, or collect adults, young, and eggs.

I photographed this basic plumaged Mountain Plover in Southeast Arizona in January 2006.

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