Could condors return to Northern California?

Date:  September 20, 2017

Source:  American Ornithological Society Publications Office

Summary:

In 2003, Northern California's Yurok Tribe initiated efforts to reintroduce California condors on their lands. While wild condors have not existed in the region for more than a hundred years, a new study suggests that hunters transitioning from lead to non-lead ammunition may allow these apex scavengers to succeed there once again.

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These live cameras will let you watch rare baby California condors grow up

By Elahe Izadi August 29 

Move over, panda cam. There's a new live video animal stream on the Internet and it's of rare, endangered baby condors.

Two cameras -- one in Southern California and another in Central California -- began live streaming wild condor nests this week. You can watch the camera pointed at a redwood tree in the Big Sur here, or look below to look below to watch the live stream of a nest near the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in Ventura County:

Video and continued ...

Two rare condors found dead in water tanks in California

BAKERSFIELD, Calif., Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Tests are being conducted on two rare condors found dead in water tanks in Southern California, officials say.

The decayed carcasses of the two birds were found about two weeks apart last month in open-air water tanks used by Kern County firefighters, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday. The remains were sent to a forensics laboratory in Oregon to determine how the birds died.

There are only about 100 condors living in the wild in the state and the deaths of three of them this year are considered a blow to decades-long efforts to bring the species back from the brink of extinction, said Kim Delfino, director of Defenders of Wildlife California Program.

The county fire department is working with officials from the condor program to look at ways to prevent further deaths during the next wildfire season when the tanks are refilled with water, the Times said.

"A lot of time and effort goes into each individual bird and it's never a good thing to hear about another dead condor," Steve Kirkland of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told the newspaper in an email. "While the loss of the two birds to the recent drownings is a setback, the larger cause of mortality, and the primary threat to the recovery, of the species is lead poisoning."

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/11/10/Two-rare-condors-found-dead-in-water-tanks-in-California/UPI-51011384066136/#ixzz2kMY2tPCc

Lead ammunition banned in California and reduced in Arizona to protect condors

Arizona hunters reduce lead ammunition voluntarily

October 2013. Hunters in Arizona have proved their commitment to wildlife conservation by voluntarily working to reduce the amount of lead exposure to endangered California condors, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department is encouraging all hunters to join the effort this fall.

85-90% of hunters using non-lead ammunition

In the last six years, 85 to 90 percent of hunters in Arizona's condor range have voluntarily either used non-lead ammunition during their hunts or, if they used lead ammunition, they removed the gut piles from the field.

California bans lead ammunition

California just chose a different approach to help conserve that state's condor population. California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation on Oct. 11 mandating that hunters statewide must use non-lead ammunition.

"Every state needs to take an approach that takes into consideration its own unique needs. In Arizona, we feel strongly that a voluntary approach works better than a mandated measure while still upholding the agreements that were originally promised when the condor reintroduction program was established," says Allen Zufelt, Arizona Game and Fish's condor program coordinator. "Achieving between 85 and 90 percent voluntary participation is a clear demonstration of hunters' commitment to condor management, and they deserve to be recognized."

Read on

Benefits of a non-lead ammunition program for condors

Aug. 24, 2013 

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is a pioneer in reducing the amount of lead available in the environment to wildlife species that are particularly susceptible to lead toxicity like the California condor. The department has a successful voluntary non-lead program to aid condor recovery and works extensively with a wide range of partners to monitor lead’s impact on wildlife. The Department feels strongly that a voluntary lead ammunition reduction program creates more acceptance and a more lasting behavioral change than a regulatory ban. 

A recent article in the Huffington Post tried to give readers an erroneous impression that the department favors a mandatory lead ammunition ban. To ensure there is no misunderstanding among constituents who may have read the article, the department reiterates that: 

The Arizona Game and Fish Department and Commission are the state’s leaders in the promotion of shooting sports, and we own and operate more public shooting ranges than any other entity in Arizona. We do not and never have supported a ban on lead ammunition or on lead as a component in ammunition. 

The Department pioneered a voluntary non-lead ammunition public education campaign in 2002. In 2005, an on-the-ground non-lead ammo program was introduced for hunt units in the condor’s core range. In 2007, more field communication, incentives for gut pile removal, articles in hunting publications, an educational DVD and a brochure were added to the outreach effort. Today, 80 to 90 percent of hunters in Arizona core condor range take action to voluntarily reduce the amount of lead available to condors. 

When properly informed and educated with science-based evidence about wildlife management issues, including lead, hunters and anglers have historically done the right thing to prevent negative impacts to wildlife and ensure abundant wildlife populations for future generations to enjoy.

The Department has credible and current science that shows that absent chelation, the leading cause of death for condors in the Arizona-Utah population is lead toxicity and that it is having a population-level effect on the species. We are convinced though that a mandatory ban on lead ammunition is not the most effective way to reduce the amount of lead available to condors and that a ban would not yield greater success in condor conservation. In fact, a ban of lead ammunition and fishing tackle could have serious unintended negative consequences for wildlife management and conservation. 

California chose to enact a legislative ban on lead ammunition in the state’s condor range that has been in effect for several years. Currently, condor deaths from lead exposure in California still exceed 50 percent of annual condor mortality. 

The Department has demonstrated that the best way to gain support and promote continued success in condor conservation is to educate and enlist the voluntary support of hunters, who have become a part of Arizona’s solution. Without regulation, voluntary participation in the use of non-lead ammunition grew from 5 percent in 2004 to 73 percent in 2012, with an additional 15 percent removing leaded gut piles from the field in 2012. 

Arizona’s program influenced the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources to adopt a similar non-lead ammunition incentive program in 2010 for areas within Utah that are now being used heavily by condors. Estimated participation rates for their new non-lead ammo program and gut pile removal are at approximately 55 percent for deer and elk hunts in areas where condors range. 

The Center for Biological Diversity and others petitioned the EPA to ban lead ammo in 2010 and again in 2012 under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). That petition was denied by the EPA due to specific language in TSCA that prohibited regulating lead bullets and lead-based ammunition. The Department supports the EPA’s position. CBD and others then sued the EPA in federal court, and the judge dismissed that suit in 2013. 

The Department filed a motion in 2012 to intervene in a lawsuit filed in federal court against the Kaibab National Forest by the Center Biological Diversity and others seeking a mandatory ban on hunting with lead ammunition in the Kaibab National Forest. The case was dismissed by the judge. 

The Department has taken action to mitigate lead poisoning when science demonstrates a population-level cause-and-effect relationship. When wildlife mortalities threaten population health and viability, the Department takes positive, proactive and cooperative steps to manage the situation. 

The Department’s programs, activities and events offer great opportunities to educate the public about hunting and shooting sports and different types of ammunition. Information on lead and wildlife is in the Department’s hunting and fishing regulation booklets and related brochures to increase the public’s awareness of the issue. Some of these opportunities and venues to teach the safe, responsible, ethical use of firearms and ammunition include: 

The Arizona Game and Fish Annual Outdoor Expo (38,000 attendees); 

Ten public shooting ranges owned by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission with one more under construction; 

Scholastic Clay Target youth shooting program (More than 1,000 participants); 

Firearms education, firearms safety, and hunter education; 

Mentored hunting camps and hunt clinics; 

Cactus Wren, Desert Roses, Annie Oakley and other new shooter programs; and, 

Shooting Range Development Grant Programs. 

The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes that they have been discriminated against in any of the AGFD’s programs or activities, including employment practices, they may file a complaint with the Deputy Director, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000, (602) 942-3000, or with the Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfax Dr. Ste. 130, Arlington, VA 22203. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation or this document in an alternative format by contacting the Deputy Director as listed above.