Daniel Chee Walley, 47, a member of the Navajo Nation from Chambers, Ariz., was sentenced for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Walley was arrested on Sept. 14, 2012, for selling and bartering parts of a Swainson’s hawk tail on January 31, 2009, in McKinley County, N.M.
Walley did not obtain permission from the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. On Oct. 22, 2012, Walley pled guilty.
Walley was sentenced to two months of home confinement followed by a year of probation. Walley also fined $150 to be paid to the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund.
Swainson’s hawks and other migratory birds are protected under federal wildlife laws, including the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. These laws prohibit the possession, use, and sale of the feathers or other parts of federally protected birds, as well as the unauthorized killing of these birds, to help ensure that bird populations remain healthy and sustainable.