Conservation Science Global

Wildlife biologist Matthew Palumbo from NYSDEC recently spoke about our lead-free ammo initiative for hunters in New York and the science behind the work: #leadfree #hunting #conservation

If you're a hunter, have you considered using lead-free ammunition? Watch this short shooting demonstration to learn more about making the switch to copper bullets and how you can help scavenging wildlife. #leadfree #conservation #hunting youtu.be/kqJnPO9y5s8?...

From game cam to harvest. A rebate program participant captured this buck on camera the day before taking it with a clean 70-yard shot using lead-free copper ammunition. We get proven performance for hunters and reduced lead exposure risk for eagles and other scavengers. #eagleconservation

After treatment for severe lead poisoning, a bald eagle named Billy has been successfully released back into the wild in Oak Ridge, TN. His story, like many other eagles, is a reminder that lead exposure from spent ammo in gut piles remains a preventable threat to wildlife. #leadfree #eagles

CSG recently partnered with other researchers to tag a 4th golden eagle in Bernheim Forest, KY. This adult male now carries GPS to track migration/habitat use. Early data suggests he may be paired with Athena (top right photo), a female we tagged back in 2019. #GoldenEagle #RaptorConservation

Maggie, a well-known nesting bald eagle in VA, recently died from lead poisoning after ingesting lead ammo fragments. This is common but preventable. Hunters can help: switch to lead-free ammo and spread awareness! Our lead-free programs offer free/cheaper copper ammo to try. #leadfree #baldeagle

Our Maine trail cam footage: Golden eagles often rely on scavenging, making lead-free carcasses important for their survival. Lead fragments in gut piles are a major risk, but this site is safe. Our lead-free programs are growing; we encourage hunters to try copper. #leadfree #hunting #conservation

A leucistic bald eagle was recently spotted in Missouri! Leucism reduces melanin, giving birds a pale/white look. It’s extremely uncommon in eagles, making sightings like this exciting. Photos shared by the MDC after a local report. Even our most familiar raptors can surprise us! #eagle #leucism

Last May, a golden eagle long monitored just outside Yellowstone National Park died from lead exposure. Eagles often scavenge gut piles. Through WY Hunters for Eagle Conservation, eligible hunters can receive free lead-free ammo. #leadfree #eagleconservation #hunting #wyoming

Researchers in Yellowstone National Park fitted a golden eagle with a GPS backpack to track movement/survival across WY. Data like this helps address risks like lead exposure. https://buckrail.com/snapped-yellowstone-researchers-fit-golden-eagle-with-gps-backpack/

Two wild bald eagles in the Kansas City area, Freedom and Liberty, just laid a third egg — the latest on Presidents Day. Three eggs isn’t typical, making this a special moment for eagle cam viewers. Both parents are now incubating all three as nesting season unfolds. people.com/kansas-city-...

We attended the Black Hills Sportsman's Expo to launch Hunt Lead-Free SD. Eagles scavenge gut piles, and tiny lead fragments can poison them. Hunters who draw tags in select units may qualify for a free box of lead-free ammo. This is another great way hunters in SD can contribute to conservation!

New GPS research shows raptors are far more affected by human activity than we thought. Hiking pressure, development, and infrastructure are changing where they hunt, rest, and nest. Some even abandon territories. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

NY Hunters for Eagle Conservation attended the NY Sportsman's Expo last wkend with the North American Lead-Free Partnership and the NYDEC. We had over 1,000 hunters visit us to discuss the benefits of lead-free ammo! The Cornell raptors were *definitely* celebrities. #hunting #eagleconservation

Seven bald eagles admitted to one Pennsylvania rehab center. Most poisoned by lead. This isn’t random. Hunters for Eagle Conservation and Conservation Science Global focus on real-world actions that keep eagles out of rehab and in the sky where they belong. #Leadfree #Hunting #Eagleconservation

Research from Cornell and NYDEC shows bald eagles face the highest lead risk among deer scavengers. This is why CSG is continuing our New York Hunters for Eagle Conservation program, supporting voluntary, hunter-led solutions. news.cornell.edu/stories/2024... #Leadfree #EagleConservation

Athena, a GPS-tracked golden eagle in KY, is revealing how far these birds travel and how many risks they face along the way. Migration research like this helps guide smarter conservation across the landscapes eagles depend on. www.whas11.com/article/news... #GoldenEagle #EagleConservation

A bald eagle found dead in the Black Hills was confirmed to have died from lead poisoning. To reduce this preventable loss, we're launching Hunt Lead-Free South Dakota, supporting hunters with practical, voluntary solutions! www.sdpb.org/2025-12-16/t... #LeadFree #Eagles

Copper kills cleanly and gets the job done while protecting scavenging eagles. Photo by Will Zuschlag with a hard-earned Texas white-tail, and some solid management of feral hogs to boot. #eagleconservation #hunting #leadfree #deerhunting #hoghunting

Excited to announce that Boise State, CSG, and USGS are collaborating on a new project to map survival and collision risk at wind farm sites. This work will improve turbine planning and support sustainable renewable-energy growth. www.boisestate.edu/news/2025/11... #eagleconservation

At Avian Haven, most eagles admitted show some level of lead exposure linked to fragments from lead ammo. Sadly, Avian Haven recently lost a golden eagle to extreme lead levels, underscoring the ongoing risk. Officials in Maine are urging a shift to lead-free ammo. #eagleconservation #hunting

We love the new US Forever stamps illustrated by David Sibley! They depict the life stages of Bald Eagles from hatchling to nestling, juvenile, subadult, and adult. It takes about 5 years for them to molt into their iconic white heads and start to claim breeding territories. #eagleconservation

One of our tracked bald eagles, hatched in east-central IL, became our first tagged nestling in the project to breed at just 5 years old. Sadly, she was found grounded in IN last week. A necropsy will tell us more. Choosing lead-free ammo is one way hunters can help eagles! #BaldEagle #Conservation

Good news - USFWS expanded its Voluntary Lead-Free Ammunition Program to 13 national wildlife refuges in 12 states (OR, WI, NC, NJ, MD, WV, ID, MD, NH, NY, VT, and MA), up from 7 last year. Partnered with Conservation Science Global, it helps to further protect eagles from lead poisoning.

A bald eagle in Virginia was recently found with 3,000 µg/dL of lead in its blood — it died within a day. Lead fragments from ammo in carcasses poison eagles every deer season. Hunters can help by choosing copper rounds. www.foxweather.com/earth-space/... #LeadFreeHunting #BaldEagles #Conservation

Last weekend, NY Hunters for Eagle Conservation attended the NY State Conservation Council Meeting! We discussed our lead-free program and the North American Lead-Free Partnership led a ballistics demonstration showing superior performance by copper ammo vs lead. #leadfree #hunting #conservation

Since 2012, we've tracked 250+ bald eagles (146 as nestlings)! One female, originally caught in OK and now grown up and nesting in KS, is now heading north. In winter, eagles feed on gut piles, risking lead poisoning from ammo. Hunters can help by switching to lead-free. #BaldEagle #Conservation

Using satellite telemetry, CSG staff recently located a bald eagle in Cedar Rapids, IA, tagged by us as a nestling in 2017! Now a breeding adult, she was seen on a nest there. Long-term tracking reveals vital insights into eagle movement & nesting sites. #eagleconservation #baldeagle #ornithology

CSG just wrapped up training with our vet partners at MN Raptor Center, teaching how to safely fit a bald eagle with satellite telemetry 🦅 These transmitters help track survival, movement & habitat use. Vital tools for conservation! #eagleconservation #telemetry #ornithology

New research from CSG! 🪶 Missy Braham’s new study shows wind—not food—drives CA condor movement. Airspace-aware models beat habitat ones, with big implications for conservation & wind energy. Read: doi.org/10.1016/j.cu... #CondorConservation #Aeroecology #condors #condorconservation #ornithology

CSG employees actively volunteer on a variety of projects! CSG’s Karrin Huhmann volunteers with Johnson County Master Naturalists, co-leading trail restoration, monitoring nestboxes, and supporting prothonotary warbler banding, a species of concern. #birdbanding @crinoidbcretaceous.bsky.social

Bird banding is at risk due to proposed USGS budget cuts that could end key programs like the Bird Banding Lab & Breeding Bird Survey. These are vital for tracking bird populations, informing conservation, and supporting citizen science. Help protect this legacy! #birdbanding #conservation #audubon

Juvenile bald or golden eagle? 🦅 Look for: 🟤 Feathered legs = golden 🟤 Proportionally large bill = bald 🟤 Dihedral glide = golden | Flat wings = bald 🟤 Color: goldens = clean white wing patches, white tail base, dark breast | balds = messy mottling #Ornithology #EagleConservation

Our Wyoming lead-free ammo program is back for the 2025–26 season! 🦅 If you drew a limited quota deer, elk, or pronghorn tag in a target unit, you qualify for a free box. Watch your mailbox for a postcard + code to claim it! 💥 #LeadFree #Hunting #EagleConservation

We’re launching a brand new, voluntary lead-free ammo program in Georgia! 🦅 Deer hunters in select WMA's and counties can get a free box of lead-free ammo this season. These are eagle hotspots — let’s help protect them! #LeadFree #Hunting #EagleConservation

🦅 Happy Independence Day! Bald eagles have symbolized the U.S. since 1782. While no longer federally endangered, they’re still threatened by lead poisoning and other human activities. Go lead-free to help protect them! Learn more facts about eagles: www.nationaleaglecenter.org/learn/faq/ #BaldEagle

Two more bald eagles are now being tracked in Missouri! 🦅 In partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation, CSG is studying territorial eagle movement near a wind facility using satellite telemetry—vital data for conservation. #BaldEagles #Telemetry #WildlifeResearch #Conservation

CSG botanist Rosalind Rowe is helping restore ecosystems through Seeds of Success—scouting, collecting, and growing native plants once dismissed as weeds but vital to recovery. A unique treasure hunt to be sure, and work nearly 400 years overdue. #NativePlants #SeedsOfSuccess

While avian flu continues to receive nationwide attention, lead poisoning in eagles remains a significant challenge that also deserves coverage. 2 of the 3 bald eagles admitted to this center in just a few weeks had toxic lead levels from scavenging carcasses from animals shot with lead bullets.

This past weekend, the Alaska Copper Ammo Challenge exhibited at the Fairbanks Outdoor Show! We introduced over 1,000 hunters to the benefits of copper ammo, from its superior performance to how lead-free ammo helps protect eagles that scavenge on gut piles. #leadfree #hunting #eagleconservation

The CSG team lucked out last week - we successfully trapped and tagged another beautiful golden eagle in Maine! These birds are opportunistic scavengers and frequently take advantage of free meals like deer carcasses and gut piles, underscoring the importance of hunting with lead-free ammo.

Nearly 9 years ago, CSG trapped and tagged 31 Bald Eagles. One of them, a nestling named Doc, covered over 680,000 GPS locations in North America. On Feb 17, he was spotted fishing close to his nest site! Doc’s journey is far from over, and we can’t wait to see where his adventures take him next!

Check out this new video from @theperegrinefund.bsky.social about how hunters can help mitigate lead poisoning in eagles! It also demonstrates key differences in ammo performance at the firing range - and a successful deer harvest. youtu.be/sxS6mNzWIzQ?... #hunting #leadfree #eagleconservation

Our work with the Maine golden eagle project was featured on NPR's Morning Edition today! Here's a link to the story: www.npr.org/2025/02/14/n... Learn more about this project at www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wil... 🌎 #RaptorResearch #MovementEcology #GOEA #Maine

Check out those talons! CSG participated in a study where we captured, banded and fit golden eagles with transmitters in the northeast to improve our understanding of their distribution and movements. #goldeneagle #birdsofprey #science #ornithology *Birds are marked and handled under USGS permits

This past November, Hunters for Eagle Conservation partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to implement a lead-free hunting ammunition incentive program at 7 national wildlife refuges! Check out www.fws.gov/initiative/l... for more info. #leadfree #eagleconservation #hunting

Lead-free ammo kills cleanly and gets the job done for a variety of big game in Alaska. Interested in free or reduced cost ammo? Visit akcopperchallenge.com to learn more. #copperammo #leadfree #hunting

Eagles are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning but hunters can help by making the switch to lead-free ammo. There are still rebates left for hunters in New York and Alaska. Visit huntersforeagleconservation.org or akcopperammochallenge.com to learn more! #leadfreeammo #eagleconservation #hunting