The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and The Peregrine Fund are asking hunters in the Zion hunting unit to stop at check stations where they can demonstrate their efforts to help California condors and enter to win a prize.
During October, the DWR operates check stations where hunters who take actions to help condors can enter to win one of five $800 gift cards donated by The Peregrine Fund for outdoor equipment. After stopping at a check station, big game hunters must either show the non-lead ammunition they used during their hunts or provide proof they removed all the remains of their harvested animals from the field.
The Hunters Helping Condors program launched in Utah in 2011 to help recover these enormous birds. California condors were listed in 1967 under the precursor to the Endangered Species Act, and by 1982, only 23 were left in the world (one of which was in captivity). Due to the steep decline of the population, the remaining wild condors were captured and held in captivity for safekeeping, which gave rise to a successful captive breeding program that has allowed for reintroduction of the endangered birds back to the wild. The population now numbers more than 500 birds, with over half of those flying free in the wild. There are currently 95 condors in the wild Arizona/Utah population.
“Lead poisoning is the leading cause of death for free-flying condors in Utah and Arizona,” DWR Avian Conservation Program Coordinator Russell Norvell said. “The primary source of that lead is the remains of shot animals, a common meal for condors and other scavenging wildlife. The Hunters Helping Condors program is helping to reduce lead exposure, which is helping in the recovery of these unique birds that play an important role in the ecosystem.”