Save The Swans

It's Official

Canadian and U.S. wildlife managers have finally and conclusively identified transboundary Judson Lake as the primary source responsible for most of the 3,000+ lead poisoning deaths of unsuspecting trumpeter Swans at and near the Canada/U.S. border over nearly two decades.

"The 100-acre lake, which spans the U.S.-Canada border, has the heaviest lead concentration of any known lake and is thought to be the source of 70 percent of swan poisoning over the last decade…

Last year we built a 35-acre exclusion area covered with bamboo poles and mylar tape and allowed the swans to use areas of the lake with very low lead densities. Largely as a result, mortalities of the Pacific coast trumpeter swan population from lead ingestion have declined by 82 percent since 2008…

Keeping staff full time to haze the swans off Judson Lake is not a long-term solution so, we're monitoring the swans with a webcam [ TRUMPETER SWANS TRY TO DODGE A BULLET Pacific Standard, June 14, 2017]".

"Results indicate that the U.S. side of Judson Lake contains the highest lead shot density of all roosts sampled in our study and the forage fields sampled in 2005-06 (Joint Swan Lead Poisoning Information Sheet 2008-2009 Progress Report)".


"But Judson Lake remains the biggest known toxic hot spot in trumpeter swan territory because of one small plant: the water lily. The roots of Judson Lake's water lilies contain decade old pellets, poisoning trumpeter swans as they feed…

Jurisdiction over Judson Lake is split between the U.S. and Canada… officials are still debating over the most feasible solution – dredge the entire lake or kill the water lilies with chemicals. Others debate whether Judson Lake is important enough to even continue such efforts…

We had five bald eagles die in the span of a week due to lead. It's not just the little birds or the swans, it's our big iconic raptors like eagles that get affected by this as well…

A wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said lack of funding was the main reason they had to move on to other projects ( WATER-FOULED The Planet Magazine June 7, 2017)".

Click the image above and see what happens.

"Relatively high densities of lead shot were found on the US side of Judson Lake, a ~100 acre lake spanning the US/Canada border. Waterfowl hunting still occurs on the US side of Judson Lake, but this activity has not occurred on the Canadian side for at least 30 years because of a landowner ban" (Lead Shot Poisoning in Swans: Pellets Within Whatcom County, WA and Sumas Prairie, BC, Canada, Mike Smith et al, 2009).

TRANSLATION: Toxic lead shot that is still permitted for upland bird hunting and target shooting may still be finding it's way to the U.S. side of the lake to this day.

Judson Lake →