April 26, 2023

Conserving California Condors

In February, Earthrise Legal Fellow, Alex Houston traveled to San Francisco for oral argument before the Ninth Circuit in the third appeal of our long-running RCRA case against the Forest Service.

This case aims to protect the critically endangered California condor and other wildlife in the Kaibab National Forest from the ongoing problem of lead poisoning due to spent ammunition left in the environment. Alex has been involved in this case since the beginning of his fellowship and took the lead role in authoring the recent round of briefing to the Ninth Circuit. Alex did a great job addressing the panel’s questions and addressing not only the arguments of the Forest Service but also those of the intervening gun organizations the NRA, NSSF, and the Safari Club. We appreciate our clients Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, and Grand Canyon Wildlands Council for giving him the opportunity to get his first appellate argument under his belt. We are hopeful for a positive decision that will allow this long-delayed case to finally move forward!