Opinion Piece and Petition By Randal South – March 9, 2019 – Go to this site to sign petition: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/613/953/649/stop-bird-hunting-on-the-lake-earl-wildlife-refuge/ To be delivered to Jeffrey Stoddard, Program Manager, Charlton H. Bonham, Director, Governor Gavin Newsom, The California State House, The California State Senate. We the undersigned request that California Department of Fish and Wildlife end hunting on the Lake Earl Wildlife Refuge. Hunting defeats the purpose of a tax payer supported wildlife refuge. As grounds for this petition we request the state of California to take notice of the following: 1) Prior to 1971, Lakeview Drive, formerly known as Lake Earl Road, did not dead end at the lake, resulting in a walk of more than 1,000 feet. The exercise of the county's easement to the lake has significantly increased hunters, fisherman, and crime. 2) Little if anything that is killed along the lake is ever taken home and a number of pictures proving this are in the possession of the originator of this petition. 3) Residents along Lakeview Drive have had to contend with an ongoing traffic problem from hunters and fisherman who use the lake, as well as those who visit the lake after dark to do their drug deal. 4) The whole concept of hunting on a taxpayer supported Wildlife Refuge defeats the purpose of having the wildlife refuge and the California Dept of Fish and Widlife has a conflict of interest because they receive money from hunting licenses which support staffing and officers to visit the lake.