Cherries, Hopes Bloom in DC for “Fur wRaps The Hill”

FUR COMMISSION USA PRESS RELEASE, APRIL 13, 2002
Cherries, Hopes Bloom in DC for “Fur wRaps The Hill”
By Teresa Platt, Executive Director, FCUSA (April 1998 – May 2011)
GLORIOUS WEATHER AND CHERRY BLOSSOMS greeted the first Fur wRaps The Hill delegation to DC April 8-11. Morale and expectations ran high. “If we put this puzzle together, we can protect our industry,” stated fur industry sage Allen Soifer while musing over dinner with other dedicated souls.
Chairing the project’s organizing committee for the first two years is FCUSA president Paul Westwood. Joining him in DC for the April trip were representatives from many of the supporting groups: American Fur Merchants Association, the American Mink Council, the Fur Information Council of America, the Fur Council of Canada, Fur New York, the National Trappers Association, North American Fur Auctions and Seattle Fur Exchange.
Building on gains made at the state level in introducing and passing legislation, Fur wRaps The Hill is the fur industry’s first attempt at aligning the interests of farmers, merchants, retailers, trappers and auction houses, ensuring we spend our limited resources on initiatives and campaigns that benefit us all.
“The representatives I visited were serious about and willing to push legislation to address domestic terrorism,” said Westwood after a busy day on The Hill. “They were also strongly supportive of the opportunities presented by free trade.”
A DC-based attorney commented on the professionalism exhibited by the participants and expressed confidence that the effort would yield “material and substantive benefit on the serious matters the industry intends to pursue in Washington.”
Renee Bruggink, from a fur-farming family in Wisconsin, was enthusiastic. “I had no lobbying experience prior to this,” she said, “but everyone made me feel very comfortable and at ease. I truly feel the message we presented fell on open and concerned ears. I hope this is just the beginning for getting our message out.”
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