Update, December 23: This fall, the EPA turned down the request of wildlife advocates seeking to ban lead ammo and tackle. The good news is, those groups are taking the EPA to court to see if a judge can make the EPA do its job.

There's still time for the EPA to do the right thing and use its powers to prohibit lead shot instead of taking the matter to court. Please make sure that EPA Adminstrator Lisa Jackson hears from you!

Experts estimate that 10 - 20 million animals die each year as a result of ingesting lead-based spent ammunition and fishing tackle used in hunting and fishing. A coalition of wildlife groups are petitioning the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ban the use of lead in hunting ammunition and fishing tackle.

The victims of lead poisoning in the wild include bald eagles, trumpeter swans, golden eagles, and the highly-endangered California condor. Add your voice to the call to "get the lead out" of ammunition and fishing gear.

Photo credit: David Clendenen/USFWS