CA Lead Ammo Ban Update

I dunno… coming soon, to a field near you.

Not too far from what we already have here. For waterfowl, or in certain locations, you must shoot non-toxic. However, for doves, quail, or pheasants you can shoot lead. So if I go down to my favorite little pond and shoot quail, but a mallard jumps up from the pond, I have to switch to steel to shoot it.

Kinda crazy. The main distinction here is between federally managed (waterfowl) and state managed (upland birds).

Many states are looking into non-toxic for all bird hunting now, though.

The big driver for non-lead rifle ammo though is actually shooting ranges. The accumulation of lead in the embankments has actually qualified some ranges as “Super-Fund” sites, which means they actually get matching federal dollars for the cleanup.

It’s all insane, but as a conservationist I do believe getting away from lead (bad stuff, no question about it) is the right direction. Legislating a ban on the back of a stupid bird that, by all natural rights, should be extinct (the condor), is B.S. though.

Bryan,

Fish and Game has been having hearings on this topic for months…actually years. It came up quite a while back, was voted down last year, and has been reintroduced this year. They’ve had a series of public meetings, and actually re-opened the comment period when some hunting advocacy groups started complaining that they hadn’t had the opportunity to present an argument against the lead ban proponents.

The NRA’s involvement in this one is actually no more helpful than the intrusion of some of the more “fringe” environmental groups. Their argument that there is no “science” behind the decision is false. The science is not conclusive, on either side of the debate, but the truth is that a ton of research has been performed. There are indications that lead from bullets has entered the condors’ food chain, and if that is the case, then it is a danger to them… as it would be to any other carrion birds(buzzards, ravens, crows, magpies, etc.).

Some folks have asked why they aren’t researching these other birds, but the easiest answer to that one is because there are too many of them and they aren’t endangered.

Many of the other NRA arguments, such as the potential loss of hunters because they can’t afford the new ammo, are also misleading and unsubstantiated… at least as bad if not worse than the arguments put forth by the condor folks. This is the same argument that was put forward when lead shot was banned for waterfowling. We’ve actually seen quite the opposite.

The thing that sticks in my crop about all of this is the fact that the lead ban proponents have hitched their wagon to a bird that, by all rights, should be extinct already. It’s the weakest link in their argument, even though the endangered species act is the only leverage they can use that will generate legal action.

The condor is not an indicator species (canary in the coal mine). It’s a huge creature that no longer really has a niche in the modern environment. The only thing keeping them alive in the wild now is human intervention. More of them have died from collisions with powerlines than from any other method. So far, there have been POSSIBLY three deaths linked to lead toxicity, and the source of that lead has not been verified.

I’ve hunted a good bit in condor country, and I have seen these great birds in flight. They really are very cool. I hate to see any species disappear. Like the bumper sticker says, “Extinction is forever.”

But it’s gonna happen, lead bullets or no lead bullets.

Which leaves me in the tricky position of supporting their goal without really supporting their cause.

Hi Marissa, and thanks for dropping in on the conversation. I appreciate your comments, although I hope you’ll read more of my posts on this topic, in order to gain a little better context.

I’ve actually done a bit of research on this topic (the condors), but maybe my statement didn’t really come through clearly.

I stated that, “by all natural rights” the condor should be extinct already. That doesn’t mean I wish for its demise. I stated that pretty clearly as well. I hate to see anything go extinct, particularly something as cool as the condor.

The problem is, though, that the California condor, through reasons including those you mention, no longer has an ecological niche. With the exception of cattle, there are few large animal carcasses available in the wild. The early settlers killed the grizzlies, and most of the tule elk. Habitat loss has taken even more of the large species..including deer.

The cessation of whaling and sea lion harvest eliminated a large number of marine mammal carcasses, and our current policy of cleaning dead cetaceans off of the beachs further removed this important food source. (This gets even trickier when you consider that even though whaling provided a good source of carcasses, whaling also depleted the whale population, decreasing the number of naturally occurring whale carcasses…catch-22.)

Environmental toxins, including DDT, killed live birds and destroyed the young while still in their eggs.

This is why the population was declining, to the point there were less than two dozen birds left. Left to a natural solution, the condors would be extinct. I don’t think anyone could argue that.

It is only human intervention that has preserved the condor, and only human intervention is perpetuating the species. Humans are providing extensive veterinary care, breeding assistance, and even feeding, and this all costs money. The majority of funding for the condor restoration is generated through private funds…and sooner or later those private funds are going to dry up. Donors will lose interest, moving on to new, more pressing concerns. And the condors will not survive without the support they’re getting.

This is why I firmly believe that the California condor will become extinct in the wild, whether lead bullets are banned or not… and why I believe that using the condor as the foundation for a lead ammunition ban is a faulty position. When the condor is gone, is it OK to go back to lead ammo?