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All photos by Diana Lejins.<\/em><\/p>\n On Aug. 21, the Parks and Recreation Committee presented a recommendation regarding the use of the Olympic Range at the El Dorado Archery Range by three privately run archery organizations. The El Dorado Park West Library was packed with people who came to the meeting to either object to or support one of the recommendation\u2019s terms, which stated that the forms and types of targets would be subject to the approval of the Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM) director.<\/p>\n Director George Chapjian emphasized the partnership between PRM and spcaLA and the 2011 move of Long Beach Animal Care Services from Health and Human Services to Parks and Rec. \u201cWe consider ourselves a model for the rest of the city and its residents in terms of how we treat our animals,\u201d Chapjian said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to send the message that it\u2019s OK to shoot animals\u2014that\u2019s why we don\u2019t allow target practice of animal figures or likenesses of animals.\u201d<\/p>\n The objects under discussion are a series of 3-D Styrofoam targets in the likeness of wild animals that were removed when animal-welfare activists strongly objected to their placement in public view. Most of the attendees were archery instructors, coaches and participants who flocked there, no doubt because of a plea for support and attendance on the El Dorado Archers\u2019 (EDA) Facebook page and website<\/a>. EDA is one of the groups that has used the 3-D targets, they were well represented.There were only three individuals present who argued for the continued absence of the animal targets, but there\u2019s no indication that the majority\u2019s strong defense of the targets represented general public sentiment.<\/p>\n A couple of news articles reported the meeting, including one in Friday\u2019s Press-Telegram<\/i><\/a>. I went partly to understand everyone\u2019s viewpoint and also because I want to write an opinion piece as well as a report, so I\u2019ll make no attempt at objectivity other than to remain as balanced as I can be. Because I slap at mosquitoes and still eat shellfish, I understand that everyone draws his or her own line when it comes to animal advocacy; what I learned is that each camp has its tent firmly pitched in its beliefs and when animal rights go up against human rights, fur will fly.<\/p>\n As Commissioner Ben Goldberg, a hunter himself, said, everyone made valid points relating to his or her own stance. Discussion involved effects on children for better or worse, the representation of the targets themselves and ethics involved; discussion went both ways. Dave Stevens, EDA\u2019s treasurer, said that teaching archery skills, especially to children, beat out video games by far. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to get the kids off the couch and shoot at anything that doesn\u2019t look real,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Archery does develop and sharpen eye\/hand coordination, fine- and gross-motor skills, focus, strength, concentration and camaraderie. It also has its roots in the Stone Age and was utilized by hunters, who at the time couldn\u2019t shop TJ\u2019s. People who also develop zeal for the art also gain the pleasure of delving into history and literature about archery.<\/p>\n EDA coach Todd Arai\u2018s young daughter didn\u2019t score as well as she could have in a tournament because she hadn\u2019t had the chance to practice on the animal targets after they were removed. His daughter, Arai said, could tell the difference between a pet and a representation and has the ability to separate the two ideas. Contrariwise, resident Lisa Marko said she had enjoyed taking her son to archery classes at Boy Scout Camp.<\/p>\n \u201cThe teacher taught us the proper techniques and rules,\u201d she said. \u201cIt helped his eye\/hand coordination, and he said it made him feel like Robin Hood. It was never associated with hunting, and it never needed to be. In my opinion, the ethical implications involved with hunting an animal are not intrinsic to any archery class. I\u2019m pretty sure that if the targets were animals, I would have avoided those classes and my son would have missed out on a healthy skill-building outdoor experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Ann Cantrell and Judy Crumpton (full disclosure: Judy Crumpton is my former writing partner) agreed and wondered why animal figures would add to the enjoyment of the sport. Crumpton said that she\u2019d taken archery in high school and used bulls-eye targets and that she understands the passion but not the representational targets.<\/p>\n \u201cI am an animal lover, and I\u2019m very curious to know why folks who enjoy archery want to use animal figurines,\u201d Crumpton said. \u201cI think it encourages hunting.\u201d<\/p>\n And proponents of the animal targets were transparent and frank about hunting being a reason for the animal targets. EPA board member and safety instructor Josh Hood (no known relation to Robin) said that some of the students are bow hunters and go outside Long Beach to hunt where it\u2019s legal. The targets, he said, are used to show how to swiftly and effectively kill an animal, thereby causing it no distress.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to do this to make sure that [hunters] are shooting the animals ethically and we\u2019re not causing the travesty you see today,\u201d Hood said, referring to photos of animals that had been killed and suffered while doing so. \u201cI make sure to tell them that they\u2019re not allowed to shoot the squirrels in the park. Those are our squirrels. We\u2019re not supporting picking up archery equipment, have no idea what you\u2019re doing and shooting pets and animals.\u201d<\/p>\n This is one of the squirrels in El Dorado Park that the photographer said was only 10 feet away from the target range.<\/em><\/p>\n According to activist Diana Lejins, however, the visibility of the targets can and may give a different idea to people watching archers shoot at the targets. \u201cIt sends the message that it\u2019s really OK to shoot wildlife,\u201d Lejins said in a separate conversation. And apparently, several people have gotten such a message. Animal Care Services Lt. David Linn said that the shelter has brought in wildlife slain by both bow and arrow and BB gun; he emphasized the two high-profile incidents happened earlier this year in Long Beach, when two cats on separate occasions were killed with arrows<\/a>. One of the cats made it to her owner\u2019s house and lay suffering on her bed; she couldn\u2019t be saved even with the emergency rush to Long Beach Animal Hospital.<\/p>\n The archers\u2019 speeches and a subsequent visit to the EPA Facebook page, on which all but one poster (who was just acting the fool) expressed disgust and horror at the killings made it pretty clear to me that the archery organizations had anything to do with them, but the point that Lejins and the other advocates are making is that the targets may.<\/p>\n ![\"Squirrel\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Squirrel.jpg\")
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