This just in…

Sorry, I couldn’t help that.  But it really is… just in my Inbox, anyway.

Just got this piece from the Daily News (Tehama County, CA) regarding a decision to prohibit lead ammunition for all hunting at the Dye Creek Preserve.  The Preserve has been managed for the past 20 years or so by the Nature Conservancy, along with Multiple Use Managers.  In keeping with the general anti-lead trend across the country, the Nature Conservancy has decided that they’ll adopt the same lead-free requirements use by the National Wildlife Refuges.

The gist of the article is:

Beginning in February 2012 all hunters will be required to use non-lead ammunition on the Preserve, consistent with the same requirements applied at National Wildlife Refuges.

Eliminating the use of leaded ammunition will help to reduce the amount of lead in our environment, and it will as a result improve the health of the entire food-chain including us who harvest from Dye Creek Preserve, said Andrea Craig, The Nature Conservancy’s Preserve Manager.

I’m not sure what this means for pig and deer hunters at the Preserve, as the National Wildlife Refuges don’t require lead-free ammo for big game.  They do, however, encourage big game hunters to use lead-free ammunition.  I’m assuming from the context of the article (I haven’t spoken to anyone directly at this time), that the ban will also apply to big game, even though that’s not really consistent with the National Wildlife Refuge program at all.

At any rate, like Tejon Ranch, Dye Creek is privately owned and (I was recently informed that Dye Creek is, technically, a State-owned property) managed, so they can set whatever rules they choose.  It’s up to the customers and potential customers to decide if they want to play by those rules or not.

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