February 19, 2025
The Honorable Marc Korman, Chair
Environment & Transportation Committee
250 Taylor House Office Building
Annapolis, MD 21401
Re: HB 741 – Hunting – Nonlead Ammunition, et al., FAVORABLE
Dear Chairman Korman, Vice Chair Boyce and Members of the Committee:
Thank you for this opportunity to weigh in on this important issue on behalf of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), which represents over 2,800 current, former, and retired employees and volunteers of the National Park Service (NPS). Collectively, our membership represents over 50,000 years of national park management and stewardship experience. Our members include former National Park Service directors, deputy directors, regional directors, and park superintendents and scientists, as well as a variety of program specialists and field staff. Recognized as the Voices of Experience, the Coalition educates, speaks, and acts for the preservation and protection of the National Park System, and mission-related programs of the National Park Service. Twenty-four of the National Park Service units are with the borders of the state of Maryland including National Battlefields and Historic Parks, National and Scenic Waterways and Trails.
I am testifying in support of support of HB-741, the Maryland bill to phase-out lead ammunition.
I have been a wildlife biologist for over forty years, having worked in national parks from Grand Canyon to Colonial National Historical Park to overseeing the national program for biological resources for the National Park Service agency in Washington D.C. I have been aware of this issue after having worked on the restoration of California condors in Grand Canyon National Park in the mid-90’s and have been working diligently on the matter ever since. If you have ever watched a condor soar over one of our grandest national parks, only to be laid out in a vet’s office days later dying of lead poisoning, you will never forget the pain and suffering. After having worked with Dr. Bryan Watts, Conservation Biology Institute out of William and Mary, on the mid-Atlantic bald eagle population and lead levels, from Virginia up the coast along the Chesapeake and Potomac and our parks within Maryland boundaries, I became quite aware that while the bald eagle population appears to be recovering, they and other species are still impacted by lead as they scavenge on tainted carcasses from lead ammunition and fishing tackle. And those are just the species we closely monitor.
You may be aware of S. 41571https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/4157/text?r=2&s=1, the LEAD Act of 2022, which was introduced by Senator Tammy Duckworth on May 5, 2022. A similar bill, H.R. 4052https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/405/text had been introduced in the House by Congressman Ted Liu in 2021. S. 4157 would prohibit the use of lead ammunition in units of the National Wildlife Refuge System. All of the findings stated in Section 2 of the bill regarding the adverse impacts of lead on human health, the environment, and wildlife are equally applicable to lands and waters in this nation where we hunt and fish. We call your attention to recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) “station specific” hunting and sport fishing regulations3https://www.regulations.gov/document/FWS-HQ-NWRS-2022-0055-16104 that begin to phase out the recreational use of “lead” on National Wildlife Refuges across the country. In these regulations, the groundwork is laid for addressing restrictions on lead ammunition and fishing tackle and protection of our natural environment, on a national level and on a state-by-state approach. Today, we commend Maryland for addressing these much-needed conservation actions.
The adverse impacts of lead poisoning on wildlife and their habitats have been known for decades and are well-documented. For example, a recent U.S. Geological Survey study4https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abj3068 found that nearly half of all bald and golden eagles in the country suffer from chronic and/or acute lead poisoning, likely the result of these birds scavenging the remains of animals shot with lead bullets. It should be noted that the use of lead ammunition is not just an issue in regards to large game, but also in sport hunting of so called “varmints” such as prairie dogs, marmots, coyotes, fox, etc. These carcasses are generally discarded in the field and left for such species as eagles, and any scavenging wildlife, to feed upon-ingesting poisonous lead fragments. In addition, there are a plethora of peer-reviewed scientific studies, worldwide, documenting the adverse impacts of lead on avifauna, herpetofauna, mammals from grizzly bear to small rodents, as well as to the environment on our lands and in our waters.
While the devastating effects of lead poisoning may be most acute and observed in raptors and condors that have been heavily monitored, more than 130 national park wildlife species are exposed to or killed by ingesting lead or prey contaminated with lead. At the same time, lead fishing tackle left in waters, leads to elevated levels of lead in fish, birds, and amphibians. These impacts, in addition to loss of habitat or habitat quality due to land conversion and fragmentation, invasive species, and climate change, negatively affect the health of our nation’s resources. We know wildlife knows no human construct of boundaries, so what happens on state, federal, or community lands and parks cross over to the other-animals may be contaminated on a federal property and then die on a state property. We only know the tip of the iceberg when it comes to mortalities from lead poisoning.
In addition to the numerous studies documenting the impacts of lead on wildlife, there is also an abundance of peer-reviewed science regarding the negative effects of lead poisoning on humans. Lead exposure is a significant public health concern due to its persistence in the environment. Lead poisoning can affect children, especially in underserved communities globally, according to a study published by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 2020. Lead exposure is not just limited to situations involving lead paint or antiquated public water systems that still rely on lead pipes. The impacts of lead poisoning on underserved communities can also be connected to hunting and fishing activities and is of the utmost concern. The concern should be for hunters and their families consuming tainted meat and the protections of all humans and wildlife from lead poisoning.
This is not a testimony to ban hunting or gun use. It’s about hunters and others be an integral component of this much needed conservation effort. The ecological toll of ongoing lead contamination is completely avoidable as there are equally effective, less toxic alternatives to lead-based ammunition and tackle readily available at comparable cost. Moreover, several counties and states, including California where Redwoods National Park and the Yurok tribe recently restored the California condor, and many other countries worldwide have successfully banned or severely restricted the use of lead-based recreational ammunition and tackle with little or no negative repercussions or lingering consumer objections.
From a purely conservation and human health perspective, the case for the phase-out of lead is clear. We truly believe that many species such as trumpeter swans, loons, a large part of the waterfowl population, and others that fly and migrate through the nation’s skies would not be here today if not for the US Fish and Wildlife Service actions on lead shot decades ago. The state of Maryland can now set an example and implement the most effective wildlife protection measures available. By addressing this issue now, Maryland can be a conservation leader and can stop the ongoing accumulation of toxic lead in the environment and help ensure the long-term conservation of the state’s resources for this, and future generations to come.
Sincerely,
Elaine F. Leslie
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
2 Massachusetts Ave NE, Unit 77436
Washington, DC 20013