You know you’ve done the right thing when years later it turns out to be more right than you ever expected it to be. Case in point is the state’s 2008 ban on lead ammunition in the range of the California Condor that Audubon California spearheaded. We knew that banning the use of lead would be a major step toward securing the future for this endangered species, but we didn’t know the effect such a ban would have on other birds of prey. Well, we just stumbled upon this research out of U.C. Davis, California Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service from last year that showed marked decreases in blood lead levels in Golden Eagles, which is a fully protected species. From the research:

The prevalence of elevated lead exposure (>10 µg/dL) decreased 58%, from 76% (13/17, 95% CI: 53%–92%) pre-ban to 32% (12/38, 95% CI: 18%–48%) post-ban. In non-migrants, there was a 100% reduction in prevalence from 83% (5/6, 95% CI: 41%–99%) pre-ban to 0% (0/9, 95% CI: 0%–28%) post-ban.

A little hard to understand the math, but take it from us, that's a big reduction. (photo by Peter LaTourrette)