Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on bear hunting:
POLITICS
Environmental advocate, 10, touches leaders with bear plea
By Mike Salinero | Tribune Staff
Published: March 2, 2016
Updated: March 3, 2016 at 06:58 AM
TAMPA — Ten-year-old Megan Sorbo touched the hearts of Hillsborough County Commissioners on Wednesday when she urged them in a passionate speech to oppose state-sanctioned black bear hunts like the one held last October.
Megan, who brought her own stool so she could be seen over the speakers’ podium, said there was no scientific basis for a hunt that outraged animal rights groups and citizens around the state. The bears, who for decades were listed as endangered and couldn’t be hunted, occupy just 18 percent of their historic range in seven isolated population areas around the state, the girl said.
“Can you imagine having the size of your home and yard reduced by over 80 percent and then having people wanting to come into your now-small home to hunt while you were doing nothing wrong?” she asked. “I highly doubt anyone would like that, but that is what has happened to our bears”
She pointed out that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had set a bag limit of 320 bears but sold 3,778 hunting licenses.
“How could anyone consider that fair to the bears, especially in the mind of hunters who call themselves sportsmen,” Sorbo said.
Commission Chairman Les Miller called Megan back to the podium after she finished and walked back to her seat. Miller congratulated the girl for taking on a tough issue and advocating for the bears in a clear and convincing fashion.
“A lot of older folks don’t get involved in the process and you, at the age of 10, are already involved in the process and we ask you to please keep it up,” Miller said. “It’s an important issue to you and it’s an important issue to this state.”
If the youngster sounded polished, it’s because she has spoken out on environmental issues before. Her mother, Tina Sorbo, said Megan spoke at a state Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting in September regarding safeguards for the Florida panther.
In January, she addressed the Broward County Commission in opposition to oil drilling and fracking in the Everglades. On the same day, Broward commissioners banned fracking — a practice in which water and chemicals are pumped underground under high pressure to remove oil and natural gas from shale rock.
And last month, Megan spoke at a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service meeting, opposing the proposed down-listing of manatees from endangered to threatened status.
Tina Sorbo said her daughter researches and writes her speeches. The mom’s only contributions are typing her daughter’s work — Megan “prefers typed copies,” Tina Sorbo said — and driving her daughter to meetings. Megan is home-schooled, which gives her the freedom to attend meetings within driving distance from the family’s home in the Orlando area.
“I’m willing to take her within a few hours driving distance to bring awareness,” Tina Sorbo said. “So we’re going to hit all the ones we can.”
Megan has even inspired her older brother, 22-year-old Trevor, to become active in environmental issues. On Wednesday, he told commissioners the family was asking county governments for resolutions against another bear hunt this fall.
“I realize that this isn’t directly your jurisdiction but I’d like to tell you that as citizens we have been completely ignored by the state level,” he said, “so we are now appealing to our local governments to try to help save Florida’s ecology.”
Though the commission did not take a formal vote on a resolution, Commissioner Sandy Murman said she wanted a video of the girl’s presentation sent to legislators in Tallahassee and to the Fish and Wildlife commission.
“That’s a remarkable statement from such a young person and I congratulate you,” Murman said.
