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Thanks to pressure from our Get The Lead Out campaign, the California Fish and Game Commission began a review of state game-hunting regulations in February to address ongoing lead poisoning of California condors.  Condors are being poisoned from eating carrion contaminated by lead fragments from hunters' ammunition.  Tejon Ranch, the largest private landowner in the state, recently announced that non-lead ammunition will be required for all hunting and predator control on their 270,000-acre ranch starting this fall to protect condors.  If Tejon can go lead-free, the rest of California should be able to follow suit.

The Department of Fish and Game proposed four alternatives to the Commission for amendments to state hunting regulations to reduce lead poisoning of condors.  The Department's preferred alternative would end the use of lead ammunition for hunting big game and non-game birds and mammals within the current condor range in California.  Other alternatives include increasing the area of the regulations to include the historic condor range, requiring non-lead ammunition for hunting statewide, and no regulatory action.  See www.dfg.ca.gov/html/pubnotice.html for information about the proposed regulations.

This is your opportunity to help protect a range of rare birds from lead poisoning — not only condors but also other avian scavengers such as bald and golden eagles and turkey vultures.  Please help us send a strong message to the Commission to immediately end the use of lead ammunition for hunting activities in the condor range for which safe, reliable bullets and shot are readily available, and to phase out the use of all lead ammunition for hunting statewide.

The Commission will take public comment on the proposed regulations at their April 13th meeting in Bodega Bay, California.  Please speak at this meeting or send an e-mail by April 9th supporting statewide regulations.  See http://www.fgc.ca.gov/2007/2007mtgs.html" target=_blank>www.fgc.ca.gov/2007/2007mtgs.html for the meeting location and agenda.  Visit http://www.savethecondors.org/" target=_blank>www.savethecondors.org for more information about the lead poisoning issue.