Laws for the condor
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation today intended to protect the endangered California Condor.
According to the American Bird Conservancy, which has been pushing for the legislation, there have been 276 documented cases of lead poisoning of California Condors since 2000, and a dozen deaths possibly linked to lead.
The law mandates non-toxic bullets for big-game hunting in condor habitat. ABC says it will significantly reduce the risk of lead poisoning of condors in California.
Only 127 of the birds currently fly free in the wild -- 70 of them in California.
I report on the environment and Chesapeake Bay. A native of West Virginia, I have focused mainly on Maryland's environment since moving here in 1983. Along the way, I've crewed aboard a skipjack in the bay, canoed under city streets up the Jones Fall from the Inner Harbor, and gone deep underground in a western Maryland coal mine. Recently, I have been covering the growth and development transforming the landscape. I love seafood, rambles in the country and good stories. I hope to share some here.