On Monday, three conservation groups filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over its decision not to restrict the use of lead fishing tackle and ammunition at the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in West Virginia. The National Wildlife Refuge Association, Friends of Blackwater, and the Sierra Club brought the lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The groups argue that the agency violated the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act when it withdrew a plan to phase out certain hunting and fishing gear at the refuge. They claim that this decision poses risks to vulnerable species such as bald eagles. The agency’s decision to withdraw the plan came after objections from the state of West Virginia, which argued that the restrictions would be too expensive for local hunters.
The conservation groups allege that the Fish and Wildlife agency failed in its duty to protect wildlife and allowed an “unlawful state veto” over federal conservation policy. The agency declined to comment on the lawsuit, and there has been no immediate response from the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, which opposed the phase-out but is not named as a defendant.
The Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, located in the Allegheny Mountains in eastern West Virginia, is home to a diverse range of plants and animals. According to the federal agency, there are 580 species of plants and 288 different animals in the refuge.
The conservation groups’ lawsuit highlights the risks posed by lead ammunition and tackle to wildlife. Birds, including waterfowl, can accidentally ingest lead ammunition and tackle while eating pebbles to aid digestion. Bald eagles and vultures can also ingest lead while scavenging animal remains left behind by hunters.
The Fish and Wildlife agency has recognized that lead ammunition and tackle present a threat to both human health and wildlife. In June 2022, the agency proposed a plan to phase out lead ammunition at ten refuges, including the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
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