Lead has long been recognized as a hazard to humans and wildlife

Efforts to reduce human lead exposure haveincluded removal of lead from paint and gasoline, limits on emissions and even conversion to non-lead ammunitionby the U.S. Army. However, threats to scavenging wildlife persist in the form of lead fragments from ammunitionand shot contained within the remains of animals killed with lead ammunition. Scientific studies continue toidentify animals killed with lead ammunition as the primary source of lead toxicosis. Of particular concern areavian scavengers that frequently consume the remains of animals shot with lead ammunition. Several strategies toreduce wildlife lead exposure are available to hunters. Removing leaded GUT piles is one option. However, thereis a growing general agreement that the use of non-lead (typically copper) ammunition is the most effective andpractical solution that keeps this valuable food source available to scavengers. Use of non-lead ammunition hasbeen shown to decrease both lead fragments available to, and lead exposure in scavenging wildlife. A voluntarynon-lead ammunition program in arizona that combined education, free ammunition, and incentives reachedparticipation levels of sometimes over 90% and an annual average of 87% voluntary participation by kaibab deerhunters for the past ten years. This project will implement a similar approach in oregon to increase huntersvoluntary use of non-lead ammunition. This effort will reduce lead exposure to non-target wildlife, benefitwildlife and habitat conservation, while protecting the public image of huntingin order to address the barriers that oregon hunters face in using non-lead ammunition, this project willcontinue an integrated education and incentive program to support hunters engagement in conservation actions.studies have confirmed that lead from ammunition can threaten scavenging wildlife, potentially at population limitinglevels. The unintended impacts of lead ammunition on scavenging wildlife are preventable. IT has beenshown that an approach that combines education and incentives can result in increased use of non-lead ammunitionby hunters. Surveys of oregon stakeholders in 2014 and in 2023 identified the need for information demonstratingthe performance capabilities of non-lead ammunition. Management of components of the education and incentiveprogram needs to be adapted to lessons learned through program implementation and evaluation. In addition effortswill continue to build support for legal, regulated hunting as a management tool within the general public. Theincentive-based education program, increasing the use of non-lead ammunition in oregon, will continue to engage and motivate hunters to use non-lead ammunition by reducing economic, accessibility, and knowledge barriers, and through increasing available information on terminal performance.