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NMD Volunteer to Be Sentenced for “Littering” |
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Monday, 10 August 2009 00:13 |
 No More Deaths volunteer Walt Staton will be sentenced in federal court Tuesday, August 11 at 9:00 am by Magistrate Judge Jennifer Guerin. He was found guilty of “knowingly littering” in June. In the meantime, we are working hard to reach an agreement with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to put out water on the Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge.
All are encouraged to attend the sentencing hearing.
 Walt Staton and Lisa McDaniel-Hutchings, from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson, carry out empty jugs of water after a morning hiking patrol in early June, 2009. NMD volunteers pick up many empty jugs to reuse and recycle.
The prosecutor is asking for a harsh penalty consisting of a $5,000 fine and five years of probation and a ban from the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge where he received the littering ticket.
Both the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity have written letters on Staton’s behalf, saying that poor US policy, not water jugs, poses the greatest threat to the environment along the border.
On July 9, thirteen more humanitarian volunteers were given littering citations for putting out water on the refuge. The next morning, No More Deaths received a call from the Department of Interior inviting them to meet with Secretary Ken Salazar to discuss the issue. Seven representatives from NMD, Tucson Samaritans and Humane Borders met with Secretary Salazar in Washington, D.C., on July 21st. (The Tucson Weekly: Meeting with the Secretary)
That meeting paved the way to another meeting with Chris Pease, the regional chief of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Mike Hawkes, the manager of Buenos Aires. No More Deaths presented a memorandum of understanding for their consideration that would give humanitarians the ability to put out water as long as they bring in twice as much trash to offset any environmental impact of the water they put out.
Another meeting is set for later in August to try and reach a final agreement. |
