This may or may not have any relevance to anyone here, although I’m thinking it will soon. But I just read in this morning’s SFGate (online news) that the Yurok tribe is planning to reintroduce condors into their range along the Klamath River.
Biologists with the Yurok tribe, which has lived for centuries along the Klamath River, are studying ways to reintroduce the giant black vultures to the mountainous region, where they haven’t been seen for a century.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/20/MNLK1ETQA6.DTL#ixzz0x9TACyEQ
Why am I posting this here, now?
Well, it may or may not be reason for concern, but the reason the lead ammo ban has so far been contained to the central part of CA is because there really are no condors up north. If a population is established, then the same lawsuit, and the Endangered Species Act protections that spurred it, will return to the fore. In other words, this will give momentum to the move to expand the lead ammunition ban.
I don’t fault the Yuroks for their desire to bring back the Condor, as it is apparently a part of their tradition and ritual. But I’m afraid it’s going to lead to new tensions for the hunting community, and increased restrictions that, so far, haven’t been proven to make much difference in the survival of these endangered scavengers.
I guess we’ll see.
Dan
I think you’re right on all counts. I’ve read about the significance of the condor to the Yuroks, and don’t blame them.
I also wonder if that reintroduction would be like Arizona’s, in which the animal doesn’t get the same special protections because it was an expansion of range (one of the things that made it easier for AZ to go voluntary on the lead ban). Even if it was the same, I’m assuming it would make no difference in California.