Sacramento, CA - Assemblymember Pedro Nava’s legislation to protect the last remaining California condors was signed by Governor Schwarzenegger yesterday.
I want to commend the Governor for signing this legislation to save the California condor,” said Nava. “The Governor chose to do the right thing on behalf of this majestic bird that has flown over North America for over 10,000 years. He stood up to the special interests. Today is a great day in the efforts to bring the California condor back from the brink of extinction.”
AB 821, the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act will remove the number one threat to the survival of the endangered California condor, lead ammunition, by having hunters switch to widely available, non lead ammunition when they hunt big game and coyote in condor country.
The condor once covered the continent, and the California condor flew over woolly mammoths and saber toothed tigers, until their number one predator, man brought them to the brink of extinction.
In 1987 the last remaining 22 wild California condors on earth were captured and placed in protective custody. Over the years, the population has incrementally increased, bird by bird, until 1992 when condors were reintroduced to the wild, and their biggest threat, lead ammunition. The scientific evidence that lead from bullets left in carcasses has caused and continues to cause the deaths of California condors is incontrovertible.
The condor is a scavenger and eats carcasses left by hunters where accidentally ingested fragments of lead ammunition are mistaken for bones with nutritious calcium. If not captured, tested, and treated for lead poisoning the California condor would have less than the 70 flying wild in California today.
Not only did the Governor place the condor on the back of a quarter, but he has now made it possible that our children and grandchildren will be able to see this magnificent bird fly over California,” said Nava.
I want to commend the Governor for signing this legislation to save the California condor,” said Nava. “The Governor chose to do the right thing on behalf of this majestic bird that has flown over North America for over 10,000 years. He stood up to the special interests. Today is a great day in the efforts to bring the California condor back from the brink of extinction.”
AB 821, the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act will remove the number one threat to the survival of the endangered California condor, lead ammunition, by having hunters switch to widely available, non lead ammunition when they hunt big game and coyote in condor country.
The condor once covered the continent, and the California condor flew over woolly mammoths and saber toothed tigers, until their number one predator, man brought them to the brink of extinction.
In 1987 the last remaining 22 wild California condors on earth were captured and placed in protective custody. Over the years, the population has incrementally increased, bird by bird, until 1992 when condors were reintroduced to the wild, and their biggest threat, lead ammunition. The scientific evidence that lead from bullets left in carcasses has caused and continues to cause the deaths of California condors is incontrovertible.
The condor is a scavenger and eats carcasses left by hunters where accidentally ingested fragments of lead ammunition are mistaken for bones with nutritious calcium. If not captured, tested, and treated for lead poisoning the California condor would have less than the 70 flying wild in California today.
Not only did the Governor place the condor on the back of a quarter, but he has now made it possible that our children and grandchildren will be able to see this magnificent bird fly over California,” said Nava.
