February 3, 2013 Chief Pete Hendrickson Holley Fire Department 7 Thomas St Holley, NY 14470 Dave Knapp, President Holley Fire Department, Board of Directors 7 Thomas St Holley, NY 14470 Dear Chief Hendrickson and President Knapp, On behalf of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation’s largest animal protection organization, I am writing to respectfully request that the Holly Fire Department reconsider its annual “Squirrel Slam” fundraising event scheduled for February 16th. The Squirrel Slam has attracted significant attention with hundreds of letters, emails and phone calls being directed to your attention from concerned citizens worldwide. We were recently contacted by members of the Holley community who were upset about the event and requested that we contact you directly. The HSUS shares their concerns; we believe that a contest kill for cash or other prizes is not a sensitive way to raise important funds for the Holley Fire Department and negatively reflects on the life-saving services that your department provides to the community. Contest kills are outdated and unpopular with most of the public because of their disregard for the lives of living creatures. Declaring someone a “winner” for killing the most animals influences children and the wider community to believe that wildlife is unimportant and killing for a monetary prize is meritorious. The fact that baby squirrels can become orphaned by this event makes it all the more distasteful. The HSUS understands and supports your sincere call for the public to “respect the freedoms and rights of those who choose to participate and support this event.” We equally request understanding the concerns of those who work tirelessly to rescue wildlife that may be left critically injured as a result of the Squirrel Slam and the infant animals abandoned to suffer and die without care from their mothers. Certainly, this is not the intent of those who participate, but it is in fact an unfortunate consequence of this event. The HSUS respectfully encourages the Holley, NY Fire Department to forgo sponsorship of the “Squirrel Slam” event given the aforementioned reasons. We hope you will consider staging a community fundraiser similar to the one held last year for local firefighter Cody Coopenberg, the brave young man who was critically injured while serving our country in Afghanistan. Thank you for the opportunity to share the perspective of our local members and constituents. The Holley Fire Department provides a vitally important service to the community. We sincerely hope that our request for an alternative fundraiser will be given due consideration from your board and membership. Sincerely, Brian Shapiro New York State Director
