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Schwarzenegger Fires Fish and Game Commissioner, Expected to Veto Legislation Protecting Condors From Lead |
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SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, Sep. 17 -/E-Wire/-- Within a week of proclaiming that California Republicans need to "come back into the mainstream," California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has undermined state conservation efforts by firing one of his own state Fish and Game Commissioners, at the bidding of the National Rifle Association and far-right Republican legislators. The governor last week forced the resignation of Commissioner Judd Hanna, a Republican and hunter whom he appointed in February, for his stance on the protection of endangered California condors from lead poisoning.
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"The governor's attempt to undermine the commission is shameful. He clearly removed a fair and impartial commissioner at the behest of the NRA and anti-conservation legislators to prevent the commission from passing regulations on lead ammunition," said Jeff Miller, conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. "Putting the condor on the state quarter isn't good enough the governor needs to sign the Condor Preservation Act into law, to ensure that condors do not continue to be poisoned by lead ammunition from hunting."
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Twenty-four Republican legislators recently demanded the governor remove Hanna from the commission for the transgressions of researching the lead-ammunition regulation issues before the commission and for living in Northern California. The real reason was pressure by the National Rifle Association, which adamantly opposes a proposal pending before the commission to require the use of non-lead ammunition within the range of the California condor. The governor sided with the NRA and fired Hanna, attempting to pressure the commission before it votes on the lead-ammunition issue.
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At stake is an historic and significant protection measure for endangered California condors, a bill called the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act that would require hunters to use non-lead ammunition for hunting big game and coyotes within the California condor range in central and southern California, beginning July 1, 2008. It has passed both the state Senate and the state Assembly by comfortable margins, and Governor Schwarzenegger now has until October 22 to sign or veto the bill.
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State Assemblyman Nava (D-Santa Barbara), author of the bill, called Hanna's resignation "tragic." Said the Center's Jeff Miller: "Lead is an extremely toxic substance that we have sensibly removed from most of our environment, including water pipes, gasoline, paint, and cooking utensils. It only makes sense to protect our most imperiled wildlife from harmful lead exposure and also reduce the human-health risk."
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The Nava bill was introduced after a coalition of health and conservation organizations, hunters and American Indians launched a "Get the Lead Out" campaign to eliminate lead bullets from condor habitat. In 2004 the Center for Biological Diversity and other coalition partners petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission to end the use of lead ammunition for hunting statewide, and in 2006 filed a lawsuit against the state for continuing to allow hunting with toxic lead ammunition that harms condors.
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The California condor is one of the world's most endangered species, with only 127 of the birds flying free in the wild. Lead poisoning from ingesting lead ammunition in carcasses is the leading cause of death for reintroduced condors. Safe, reliable non-lead bullets and shot made from copper and other materials are widely available for big-game hunting and perform as well or better than lead ammunition. Federal law already requires the use of non-lead shot when hunting waterfowl, due to widespread lead poisoning of both waterfowl and secondary poisoning of eagles.
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The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit conservation organization with 35,000 members dedicated to protecting endangered species and wild places. www.biologicaldiversity.org Contact Info:
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Jeff Miller
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Center for Biological Diversity,
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Tel : 510-499-9185 Website : the Center for Biological Diversity
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