The Alaska Copper Ammo Challenge at the Fairbanks Outdoor Show
by Mark Lindberg
Late in my career in academia, I gave several lectures about lead contamination and its negative effects on humans, wildlife, and the environment in general. The story is compelling because there is so much data on the subject, which dates back to the second century BC when physician Nicander of Colophon first described the acute effects of lead toxicity and continues to this day as we further document how widespread lead is in the environment. The message was compelling, but unsatisfying, because I felt like I was identifying the problem without offering any solutions, a source of frustration for much of my academic career. I often felt like I was unable to apply what I knew to real world solutions.
Flash ahead to 25-27 April 2025 and I was thrilled to be a part of the Copper Challenge booth at the Fairbanks Outdoor Show. This is a collaborative effort among ADF&G, Conservation Science Global, the Peregrine Fund, falconers, ammo manufacturers and distributors, and the Alaska Chapter of BHA to not only raise awareness of the issues with lead toxicity, in this case raptors that scavenge animals shot with lead bullets, but also to offer a solution. The Alaska Copper Challenge uses funds provided by taxes on guns and ammo (Pittman-Robertson funds) to incentivize the use of copper ammo. Hunters and shooters can get a rebate up to $80 if they purchase two boxes of manufactured ammo or up to $50 for two boxes of bullets for reloading.
During three days, we engaged 1,050 individuals at the booth, many who were attracted to the Gyrfalcons that falconers generously brought to display. As I strolled around during one of my breaks, you could clearly see that we were not only the most popular booth, but more importantly, one of the most effective. If you assume 1,000 people bought a box of copper ammo as a result of our program, then we prevented 20,000 lead rounds from entering the environment or approximately 428lbs of lead, assuming an average bullet weight of 150 grains!
We had a number of members of the armed forces stop by and thank us for our effort as we thanked them for their service. I was excited to learn during these conversations that the military is phasing out lead ammo and going to a bullet with a tungsten core and copper jacket because of concerns about lead contamination from their ranges. Perhaps we are on the road to a more lead free environment.
About Mark Lindberg