For Immediate Release: December 12, 2006

Contact: , Director of Public Relations, American Bird Conservancy, 202/234-7181 ext. 216

Lead Paint in New National Marine Monument Poisoning Thousands of Albatrosses

American Bird Conservancy Told Federal Funds Not Available for Cleanup on Midway Atoll

(Washington, D.C.) - Lead poisoning is killing thousands of Laysan Albatrosses each year on Midway Atoll, part of the new Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument created by President George Bush this summer. Laysan Albatross, thousands of which are now nesting on Midway, is globally listed as vulnerable to extinction by the World Conservation Union, and is a special trust species on the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the newly established National Monument.

"Laysan chicks raised in nests close to buildings left behind by the Navy are ingesting lead-based paint chips. This is causing shockingly high lead concentrations in their blood, leading to severe neurological disorders, and eventual death," said George Fenwick, President of American Bird Conservancy (ABC). "Federal funds are urgently needed to cleanup this toxic mess to protect the Laysan Albatross as well as future visitors to the new Marine National Monument."

Scientific studies have shown that Laysan Albatross chicks are eating lead-based paint chips peeling off of 95 aging buildings on the island, and that as many as 10,000 chicks, or five percent of hatched chicks, may be killed annually by exposure to lead-based paint. Many Laysan chicks that nest within approximately 15 feet of building structures exhibit a condition referred to as "droopwing" which commonly manifests itself in the chicks' inability to raise their wings, which drag on the ground resulting in broken bones and open sores.

Chicks with droopwing will never be able to fly, and will die of starvation or dehydration. Other chicks within close proximity to buildings that ingest paint chips also suffer detrimental effects from lead exposure. These chicks have blood lead concentrations that cause immunological, neurological, and renal impairments, significantly decreasing their chances of survival.

"This level of mortality in Laysan chicks hinders efforts to conserve this species and could have population-level impacts," said Jennifer Arnold, Director of American Bird Conservancy's Seabird Program. "Midway Atoll hosts the largest nesting colony for this species in the world, making this cleanup effort a top priority."

The Department of Interior (DOI) estimates that $5.6 million is needed to cleanup the toxic lead paint on Midway Atoll. The 95 federally-owned government buildings must be stripped of all lead-based paint, and sand surrounding these old buildings needs to be thoroughly sifted to remove lead paint chips.

When American Bird Conservancy staff presented the severity of this growing threat to an already-imperiled bird species to top Department of Interior officials, they were told that the new Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument did not currently have any federal funds or resources dedicated to its operation. Moreover, the DOI officials stated that the current federal budget for the nation's wildlife refuge system would be insufficient to prevent the continued ingestion of lead paint by Laysan chicks. ABC is calling on the administration to include clean up funds in the FY 2008 budget to be released in February.

Additional Information

Photos of chicks with droopwing: http://www.abcbirds.org/policy/laysanalbatross.htm http://www.fws.gov/midway/wildlife/laal.html
http://www.nhptv.org/Natureworks/laysan.htm
http://www.ucsc.edu/news_events/press_releases/text.asp?pid=372

Laysan Albatrosses feeding chick by US Fish and Wildlife Service.

### 30 ###

American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is the only 501(c)(3) organization that works solely to conserve native wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. ABC acts to safeguard the rarest bird species, restore habitats, and reduce threats, while building capacity in the conservation movement. ABC is the voice for birds, ensuring that they are adequately protected; that sufficient funding is available for bird conservation; and that land is protected and properly managed to maintain viable habitat. ABC sets the bird conservation agenda by using the best science available to determine the highest priorities and the best solutions, and then communicating these priorities to the conservation community and the public through alliances, partnerships, and networks. ABC counts among its staff some of the foremost experts in bird conservation in the United States, and partners with many others throughout the Americas. ABC is a membership organization that is consistently awarded a top, four-star rating by the independent group Charity Navigator.