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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>BCNnet friends,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Here is some regrettable news on bird
conservation, but important to know.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Donnie Dann<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Highland Park/Lake County<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><a href="mailto:donniebird@yahoo.com">donniebird@yahoo.com</a><font
color=black><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=4
face=Arial><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>EPA
Rejects Ban on Toxic Lead Fishing Gear<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><i><font size=3
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold;
font-style:italic'>Agency Refuses to Address Preventable Poisoning That Kills
Millions of Birds, Wildlife Every Year<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>WASHINGTON— Ignoring long-established science on the
dangers of lead poisoning in the wild, the Environmental Protection Agency
today denied a petition to ban toxic lead fishing sinkers that frequently kill
loons, swans, cranes and other wildlife. A coalition of conservation, hunting
and veterinary groups had petitioned EPA in August to ban lead in fishing
tackle and in bullets and shot for hunting. The agency issued a partial denial
of the portion of the petition dealing with regulation of lead ammunition in
September and has now issued its final determination which also denies the
portion of the petition on fishing sinkers.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Spent lead from ammunition and lost fishing tackle needlessly
poisons, kills and harms millions of wild birds and other animals every year
and endangers public health.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>“Under the Obama administration, the EPA seems to have
lost its will to regulate toxic substances, even in the face of overwhelming
scientific information about the harm to wildlife and threats to human
health,” said Michael Fry, director of conservation advocacy at the
American Bird Conservancy.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>“The EPA’s failure to act is inexcusable, given
what we know about how toxic lead is to wildlife and the extensive science
linking lead poisoning in wildlife to ammunition and fishing weights,”
said Jeff Miller, conservation advocate with the Center for Biological
Diversity. “There are plenty of safe and available alternatives to lead
products for these outdoor sports, so there’s no good reason for this
poisoning to continue.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>In August the Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird
Conservancy and other groups formally petitioned the EPA under the Toxic
Substances Control Act to ban lead in bullets and shot for hunting, as well as
lead in fishing tackle. The petition referenced nearly 500 peer-reviewed
scientific papers illustrating the widespread dangers of lead poisoning form
these sources. More than 70 organizations in 27 states are supporting the
lead ban, including groups representing birders, hunters, zoologists,
scientists, American Indians, physicians, veterinarians and public employees.
Cranes, ducks, swans, loons, geese and other waterfowl ingest lead fishing
sinkers lost in lakes and rivers, mistaking them for food or grit, and
thousands are poisoned each year.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>“The EPA has the clear authority under the Toxic
Substances Control Act to regulate lead in any way it sees fit and it is not up
to the petitioners to formulate the ‘least burdensome’ regulation,”
said Fry. “The scientific data in the petition demonstrated the need for
regulation to prevent poisoning of wildlife, and it is up to the EPA to
formulate the proper regulations.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Ironically, the EPA declared last week “</span></font><font
size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>National
Lead Poisoning Prevention Week” to raise awareness about the dangers of
lead exposure to humans. </span></font><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Major efforts to control lead in
paint, gasoline and other products have reduced lead in the environment, but
spent lead from hunting and fishing is still a widespread wildlife killer.</span></font><b><font
size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>“We don’t need public relations stunts like
‘Lead Poisoning Prevention Week’ from the nation’s
Environmental Protection Agency; we must have substantive action to prevent the
known, widespread, unnecessary and ongoing lead poisoning of bald eagles,
condors, loons and other wildlife cherished by all Americans,” said
Miller. “The agency has attempted to punt on this issue, but we’re
not going to let it walk away from taking action on the preventable poisoning
of birds and other animals.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Lead is an extremely toxic substance that is dangerous to
people and wildlife even at low levels. Exposure can cause a range of health
effects, from acute poisoning and death to long-term problems such as reduced
reproduction, inhibition of growth and damage to neurological development.
Wildlife is poisoned when animals scavenge on carcasses shot and contaminated
with lead-bullet fragments or pick up and eat spent lead-shot pellets or lost
fishing weights, mistaking them for food or grit. Animals can die a painful death
from lead poisoning or suffer for years from its debilitating effects. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>An estimated 10 million to 20 million birds and other
animals die each year from lead poisoning in the United States.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>For more information, read about the Center’s </span></font><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'><a
href="http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/get_the_lead_out/index.html"><font
size=2 color=purple><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:purple'>Get the Lead
Out campaign</span></font></a></span></font><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><strong><b><i><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:
normal;font-style:italic'>The Center for Biological Diversity
(www.biologicaldiversity.org) is a national, nonprofit conservation
organization with more than 315,000 members and online activists dedicated to
the protection of endangered species and wild places.</span></font></i></b></strong><strong><b><i><font
size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:normal;
font-style:italic'><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></b></strong></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><i><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-style:italic'>American
Bird Conservancy (</span></font></i><i><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-style:italic'><a
href="http://www.abcbirds.org/"><font color=purple><span style='color:purple'>www.abcbirds.org</span></font></a></span></font></i><i><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-style:
italic'>) conserves native birds and their habitats throughout the Americas by safeguarding
the rarest species, conserving and restoring habitats, and reducing threats
while building capacity of the bird conservation movement.<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
</div>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><strong><b><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;font-weight:normal'>***************************************<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></strong></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Jeff Miller<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Conservation Advocate<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Center for Biological Diversity<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>351 California Street, Suite 600<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>San Francisco, CA 94104<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Phone: (415) 436-9682 x303<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Fax: (415) 436-9683<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Web site: <a
href="file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\jmiller\Application%20Data\Microsoft\Signatures\www.biologicaldiversity.org">www.biologicaldiversity.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>At the Center for Biological Diversity, we
believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature
— to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of
wild plants and animals. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and
because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future
for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of
extinction. We do so through science, law, and creative media, with a
focus on protecting the lands, waters, and climate that species need
to survive. We want those who come after us to inherit a world where the
wild is still alive.</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
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12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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