I thought this would be of interest to the group.

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From: WDFW Public Affairs [mailto:do.not.reply at dfw.wa.gov]
Sent: Friday, December 23, 2005 10:38 AM
To: Christy Anderson
Subject: WDFW News Release: WDFW establishes hotline to report dead or ill
swans



WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/

December 23, 2005
Contact: Jennifer Bohannon, (360) 466-4345 ext. 281

WDFW establishes hotline
to report dead or ill swans

OLYMPIA - In a continuing effort to monitor trumpeter swans that have
succumbed to lead poisoning, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
(WDFW) has established a hotline to report dead or ill swans in Whatcom,
Skagit and Snohomish counties.

The public can call (360) 466-4345, ext. 266, and leave a message with their
name and phone number, and the location and condition of the swans. The
hotline is available 24 hours a day through the end of February.

Volunteers from the Trumpeter Swan Society and the Washington Waterfowl
Association will pick up the birds. The swans die of lead poisoning after
ingesting lead shot that has been deposited in areas where the birds feed
during the winter.

Of particular importance are sick or dead swans wearing red collars,
attached to some birds to help track their movement. These swans should be
reported immediately to Martha Jordan, of the Trumpeter Swan Society, at
(206) 713-3684.

"It's best not to handle the sick or dead swans," said Jennifer Bohannon,
WDFW wildlife biologist. "Call our hotline and we will have a volunteer come
out and properly handle the bird."

Although lead shot has been banned for waterfowl hunting in Washington and
British Columbia for more than a decade, it is still taking a toll on
trumpeter swans in Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties, and in
southwestern British Columbia.

WDFW, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Canadian Wildlife Service, the
University of Washington, the Trumpeter Swan Society and other
non-governmental organizations are involved in a study to locate and remove
the toxic lead.


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