Charged poisoning eagles

[Lee Borgersen]

Father, son charged with poisoning bald eagles, other wildlife

Feb 13 th

At least two bald eagles were among the wild animals poisoned, prosecutors say.


 
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A father and son who operate a large potato farm in northern Wisconsin have agreed to pay $100,000 in restitution in connection with the poisoning deaths of more than 70 wild animals, including at least two bald eagles.

Alvin C. Sowinski, 65, and Paul A. Sowinski, 46, of the Town of Sugar Camp in Oneida County, also face penalties of up to $100,000 each and up to a year in prison at their sentencing in May, according to the U.S. attorney's office for the western district in Madison.

According to documents filed by prosecutors, Alvin Sowinski used poisoned bait piles to try to kill predators such as coyotes and gray wolves.

There was no evidence that wolves, a federally protected animal at the time of the investigation, were poisoned.

The two men also permitted hunters and trappers to kill predators to improve hunting for penned pheasants, grouse and deer for the Sowinskis and friends.

One such hunter and trapper was an undercover officer of the state Department of Natural Resources, who was told by Alvin Sowinski how he used poison to target predators.

While poisoning of wildlife is known to occur throughout the state, prosecution of such cases are "extremely rare," according to U.S. Attorney John W. Vaudreuil, who said his office has prosecuted only one or two cases in the past 30 years.

Among the wildlife poisoned with pesticides by the Sowinskis between 2007 and 2010 were at least two bald eagles, a turkey vulture, nine coyotes, one bobcat, three ermine, crows, songbirds, squirrels, skunks and other unidentified animals.

Vaudreuil called the acts "incredibly selfish" for someone to "purposefully want to kill predators, and then they use this very horrible pesticide."

The Sowinski family owns about 8,000 acres in Oneida County, with about 4,000 acres consisting of an active farming operation.

According to the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association, Sowinski Farms Inc. is headquartered in Rhinelander.

The investigation began in May 2007 when a DNR warden found dead animals on the property, including a bald eagle.

A dead deer in a bait pile contained carbofuran, a highly toxic insecticide, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service forensic laboratory concluded.

Then in 2010, law enforcement personnel found at least nine poisoned bait piles of white-tailed deer, beaver and processed meats placed by Alvin Sowinski on the property.

Dozens of dead wildlife were found nearby, according to records.

The son was aware that his father was setting up poisoned bait sites.

A video camera set up by law enforcement showed Paul, accompanied by a son and teenage nephew, driving an ATV and finding a dead eagle.

Paul Sowinski tossed it into the brush.

He returned later, picked up the eagle and tossed it into a burn pile.

[snow1]

WTF! What the heck is wrong with these people? interesting news,thanx for posting.

[beeker]

a better punishment would be to withhold all federal subsidies for the farming aspect for these guys..

[kenhuntin]

Wait before judging gentlemen. I know in Minnesota it is not illegal to use poison on varmints. I have no clue as to Wisconsin law from where this case occurred. The eagles were not targeted but were killed collaterally. If you are overrun by Coyotes and lived in a no discharge of firearms area then poison could be a very viable option. You run the risk of poison being ingested by a neighbors dog also but then again trespass comes into play. Also what is the significance of allowing predator hunting on your property? This article must have been written by a PETA supporter. The accused are only accused of trying to poison wolves they did not poison one wolf but may go to prison over it.

[snow1]

I'm not in the know about what poison can be used,but I do know that set poison when controlled is different than poison on a bait pile in the open,I spent some time in the field with a federal warden from another state working a poison case in new mexico,the rancher they nailed poisoned a cow calf kill,the poison used was so toxic it killed several bald eagles on the spot (federal offense) 3 yotes and a bunch of magpies,the kill site was along a creek,after some rain the poison leaked into the creek killing scores of critters for over a miles as they investigated the kill site.Lesson learned for the rancher as he faced jail time and a huge fine.