The National Reptile Breeders Expo Benefit (NRBE) auction that helps the United Association of Reptile Keepers (USARK) will take place August 18 at the Hilton Hotel in Daytona Beach. Interested parties can donate herp-related items to the NRBE auction by sending auction items to Wayne Hill, 621 Avenue M SW, Winter Haven, FL 33880. The auction will be held in conjunction with the NRBE that takes place August 17-19, 2012 at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach. Previous auctions have raised close to $80,000 to help USARK represent the Reptile Nation in Washington D.C. and to help fight for the right to keep reptiles.
“The last two years have been a difficult and uncertain time for the Reptile Nation,” said Andrew Wyatt, president of USARK. “But, thanks to our supporters, USARK has made great strides. We have defeated anti-herp legislation in more than two dozen states and are making a federal case to mitigate the impact of the recent US Fish & Wildlife Service 'Injurious Wildlife' listing. Building upon our accomplishments, we need to keep up the pressure in our fight against anti-herp legislation and turn up the heat of our legal challenge of the new Lacey Act rule.
The money raised at the auctions over the last few years have helped to fund a federal challenge of the USGS Risk Analysis that served as the primary scientific data of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's rule to add nine constricting snakes to the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act; Commissioned an economic assessment of the reptile industry that established it as a $1.4 billion a year cottage industry; and helped to fund approximately $200,000 in federal lobbying efforts, consulting, and legal fees in 2010 and 2011. For more information about the National Reptile Breeders Expo, visit /redirect.aspx?location=http://www.reptilebreedersexpo.com. For more information on USARK, visit /redirect.aspx?location=http://usark.org.