New Hampshire Animal Rights League is delighted to share the news of our successful outreach efforts at NH Fish & Game’s Discover Wild NH Day held April 15, 2023 in Concord.
During this popular family event that attracts thousands, we educated people about the harm to wildlife and the environment caused by lead ammunition.
In the photo above, Caelin explains to a young visitor that a piece of lead only the size of a grain of rice is enough to kill an eagle.
Our tent attracted non-stop visitors, with kids waiting in line to spin our “Am I Safe from Lead?” wheel.
Accomplishments
- Educated hundreds of people, young and old, about the harm lead ammunition causes to wildlife and the environment.
- Sounded the alarm about the dangers lead poses to bald and golden eagles, foxes, bobcats, and other animals, who can become sick and die from consuming contaminated prey and carcasses.
- Connected with fellow exhibitor The Loon Preservation Committee in our shared desire to protect wildlife from lead poisoning. The Loon Preservation Committee was behind the New Hampshire law banning the sale and freshwater use of lead fishing tackle to protect loons.
- Spoke to Scott Mason, Director the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department about the dangers of lead ammo, when he stopped by our tent at the start of the event.
Literature
We handed out a brochure we created for the event, Get the lead out of hunting.
PosterS
We displayed the following posters to discuss with visitors to our booth.
Letter Signing Campaign
We invited children and adults to sign our letter asking NH Fish and Game to better educate hunters about the dangers of lead ammunition and make it easier for them to switch to non-lead ammo.
Hundreds of people signed on with enthusiasm. Our plan is to present the letter to the NH Fish and Game Commission to start a dialog about what can be done to address this problem in New Hampshire.
Prizes!
Winners of our spinning wheel contest went home with a “Huggers” stuffed animal (eagle, fox, or black bear), and we also gave kid visitors a set of toy binoculars to reinforce the idea that wildlife should be enjoyed, not destroyed.
Next year we will bring a lot more prizes, because the event was so well attended that we ran out of everything before noon!
Thank you to our volunteers and to everyone who stopped by to learn about the harm caused by lead ammunition.
