Not directly related to this conversation, but relevant nonetheless since the lead ban began with the California Condor.
Here is a little story I found very interesting in regards to the lead ban and the condor. This is taken directly from the California Condor Conservation website.
cacondorconservation.org/content/blog/conservation-challenges/2008/“junk-food”/“Junk food”
Posted at 12:16 am February 7, 2008 by Bill Toone
Condors are curious creatures and attracted to shiny objects. When rearing their young, they look for solid material to feed their young to help in development. Decades ago, they used to select bits of bone. Now, they have more interesting choices … glass, bottle caps, pop-tops, etc. discarded by humans.
Young condors are unable to digest or regurgitate these items and perish. CRES scientists are trying to teach zoo-reared condors to make the right choices and also providing sterilized bone in feeding areas.
What can I do?
Dispose of trash properly
Remove and dispose of trash you encounter on the trail
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Now, put two and two together. Condors living around military bases such as Camp Roberts and Ft. Hunter Liggett which have tons and tons of expended ammunition, bullet fragments, and other hazardous waste are feeding their young "glass, bottle caps, pop-tops," to which you could add to that list "expended ammunition" and "bullet fragments". The source for lead ammunition needed to make condors sick needs to be large and cannot not belong to the occasional hunter's lost bullet or lost deer. Rather, a more realistic source for the massive amounts of easily accessible bullet fragments needed to poison condors must come from sources like large scale military bases and shooting ranges.
