In the midst of the transition from one administration to another, the outgoing leadership of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service issued a significant directive that could have profound benefits for birds and other wildlife. In a Jan. 19 direction, the Service called for the phasing out of the use of lead ammunition and lead fish tackle on all Service lands by January of 2022. While this policy direction could be reversed by the new administration, for the time being it is the policy of the federal government. Audubon California partnered with several other groups in 2013 to pass legislation calling for the use of nonlead ammunition for hunting in California. Lead ammunition has been linked to poisoned birds and mammals by the scientific community.