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NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 15, 2008

Contacts: Sandy Bahr, Sierra Club – Grand Canyon Chapter, (602) 253-8633

Celebrate Endangered Species Day
Ask Game and Fish to Protect Condors and “Get the Lead Out”

(Phoenix, Ariz.) Friday, May 16, 2008, is Endangered Species Day. To celebrate and raise awareness about issues with Arizona’s endangered species, the Sierra Club is collecting postcards asking the Game and Fish Commission to require non-lead ammunition in the California condor recovery area. Volunteers will be stationed at The Phoenix Zoo as well as at Bookman’s in Flagstaff. People are encouraged to stop by, learn more about how lead is affecting condors, and sign a postcard asking the Commission to better protect these endangered birds.

In the 1980s the California condor was on the brink of extinction with only 22 remaining in the world. Through extensive efforts and due to the requirements of the Endangered Species Act, these animals are recovering; there are now nearly 160 condors in the wild, with at least 63 of those in the Grand Canyon region. Grand Canyon National Park, the Peregrine Fund, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department have worked together to bring the majestic condor back to Arizona skies. Now, that effort is at risk, however, even though a very simple solution is readily available – no more lead bullets.  
Bullet fragments in rifle-killed deer carrion and other animals are known to be agents of lead intoxication and death in bald eagles, golden eagles, California condors, and other avian scavengers. Lead fragments also pose a risk to humans, particularly children, who consume wildlife. Lead is a known toxin and we have rightly removed it from many sources, including from gasoline, paint, cooking utensils and containers, water pipes, and in shot used to hunt waterfowl.

“We applaud the educational efforts of Game and Fish relative to limiting lead in the condor environment,” said Stacey Hamburg, Grand Canyon Project Coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter. “But more must be done to protect our Grand Canyon condors – one of the most endangered birds in the world. Banning lead ammunition in northern Arizona is key to ensuring the long-term viability of these animals in Arizona.”

“While a majority of hunters responsibly choose non-toxic ammunition for hunting in much of the condor recovery area, the Arizona Game and Fish records show approximately 40% do not” said Kim Crumbo of Grand Canyon Wildlands Council.

“It is important that we remove this toxin from the environment to the greatest degree possible,” said Jeff Williamson, president of the Arizona Zoological Society. “Condors will benefit, as will other species including bald and golden eagles.”

In July of 2007, the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Grand Canyon Wildlands Council, and the Arizona Zoological Society asked the Game and Fish Commission to immediately implement a ban on lead ammunition in the condor recovery area. Currently, at least two condors are being treated for lead intoxication at The Phoenix Zoo.

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Sierra Club – Grand Canyon Chapter • Arizona Zoological Society • Grand Canyon Wildlands Council

Related Documents:

Letter to Arizona Game and Fish Department, 97-31-07

Condor and Lead facts...

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