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Sen. Barrasso, R-Wyo., says a switch from lead bullets, left, to copper, right, in national parks should be a voluntary decision by hunters, not a mandate from the federal government. NEWS&GUIDE PHOTO / BRADLY J. BONER

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Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said studies showing lead poisoning in Jackson Hole’s wildlife wouldn’t influence his decision to oppose a proposal to ban lead ammunition and fishing tackle in national parks.

Barrasso and Sen. Mike Enzi issued a press release last month saying that such a ban would “negatively impact hunters, anglers, conservation groups and manufacturers throughout the country.”

Former acting National Park Service Director Daniel Wenk proposed such a ban last March but quickly retracted the statement, saying the Park Service would study the issue further.

In the September release, Barrasso said: “Hunting and fishing is a way of life in Wyoming. This and other recent restrictions placed on our parks by the Obama administration continue to diminish American traditions and experiences. This ban rejects the stated purpose of our national parks, which is to provide enjoyment and benefit to the public.”

Enzi agreed. “There has been widespread use of lead in hunting and fishing products, and there is no reason to suddenly ban its use without scientific reasoning,” he said. “The National Park Service should continue to ensure people have access to our national parks, not come up with creative ways to keep people out.”

The press release comes despite data by investigators at Craighead Beringia South, a Kelly-based research group, that show that ravens and eagles get elevated blood lead levels during hunting season by ingesting bullet fragments left in gut piles from hunter-killed game. 

Of close to 500 ravens tested over five years, researchers say roughly 50 percent of ravens show elevated lead levels during the big-game hunting season, compared to 2 percent during the nonhunt periods.

For eagles, the lead toxicity is more pronounced, with 85 percent of eagles exhibiting high lead levels during the hunting season.

Since then, Grand Teton National Park and the National Elk Refuge have both asked hunters to voluntarily switch to nonlead bullets.

When asked about the studies, Barrasso spokesman Greg Keeley said in an e-mail, “Management of  wildlife populations are done a population basis, not an individual basis.”

Keeley said the senator doesn’t oppose a voluntary switch to nonlead bullets. “Senator Barrasso is not opposed to hunters choosing to use nontraditional ammunition to harvest wildlife. Let the market decide, not an arbitrary federal government decision,” he said.

While studies using X-rays have shown that hunter-killed game from meat processors can still contain lead bullets, Keeley took issue with the suggestion that eating lead-shot meat could impact human health. 

“Independent, nonpartisan studies such as those carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that lead ammunition does not pose a threat to humans,” he said.

Enzi’s office referred all questions on the issue to Barrasso.

Bryan Bedrosian, one of the researchers involved with lead studies at Craighead Beringia South, said he supports the voluntary effort to get rid of lead bullets. The group is providing free nonlead bullets to hunters with permits for the refuge and the park.

“We would welcome either senator or their offices to contact us, and we would provide them with a plethora of peer-reviewed scientific data on the effects of lead ammunition and wildlife,” he said.

Bedrosian said 45 percent of eagles tested during hunting season showed blood-lead levels of 100 micrograms per deciliter, a level that “typically causes impairment to survival.”

“We’ve tested an eagle as high as 550 [micrograms per deciliter],” he said. “Most reports state than anything more than 500 equals death.” 

Other researchers are looking into the effects of lead on bears, wolves, coyotes and cougars, he said.

Andy Ward, an employee of the Jack Dennis Outdoor Shop, is helping Craighead Beringia South distribute the nonlead ammunition. “We agree with it being voluntary,” he said. “It’s good for the environment.”

“We’re not sure that it needs to be mandatory just because it costs so much to do it,” Ward continued. “The more people that want to do it on a voluntary basis, the better.”