In the Sunshine State , the “ Keep Florida Alive , Sign All Five ” campaign , which lumped disparate topics together into a single PR campaign , faced a mixed bag of results . The campaign consisted of five separate constitutional amendments , including a clean-water amendment , protection of “ iconic ” species , wetland protection , an end to “ canned ” hunting and , strangely , a toll-road issue . Failing to gather enough signatures for most of the issues , it has now morphed into a clean-water amendment only .

Both amendments pertaining to hunting would have caused issues for sportsmen and wildlife management . The “ iconic ” species protection would have prohibited hunting for already-protected species such as manatees and dolphins ,

but also would have put cougars and black bears on the protected list forever , regardless of population densities and issues . Cougars were recently cited in a study as the main predator of whitetail deer , replacing bobcats and even human hunters . Black bears in parts of the state are in dire need of management as conflicts rise . The amendment to ban hunting of released animals would have decimated quail plantations that supplement wild bird populations with released birds .

Oregon ’ s Initiative Petition 13 , which would have banned the killing of any animal for any reason other than selfdefense , also failed to produce enough signatures to qualify . The crazy initiative concretely stated the ultimate goal of the animal-rights movement , and would have equated humans and animals . Hunting , fishing , trapping , livestock slaughter and breeding all would have been punishable by law . The insanity presented was beyond absurd , but with Portland containing

“ Keep Florida Alive , Sign All Five ” would have banned bear hunting in the state forever , despite bear population growth . In Oregon , IP13 sought to equate humans with animals .

more than half the state ’ s population and a strong counterculture ethos , it couldn ’ t simply be discounted . Luckily , it failed to qualify , but the organizers have already initiated the process to appear on the 2024 ballot .

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