Lead Bans & Border Walls | The Wire 001 Artwork

The Field Standard

This is the Field Standard and I'm your host Josh Crumpton. Here we talk from headwaters to coastlines, from high timber to prairie and everything in between. We celebrate the history and heritage of a life lived outdoors and talk about things impacting our world today. From Gear Garages to Wildlife Policy, if you like to hunt, fish, and value our outdoor legacy, then you have found your frequency.

The Field Standard is a weekly podcast for hunters, anglers, and conservationists who want more than gear reviews and grip-and-grin content. Each episode explores the intersection of outdoor tradition and modern stewardship through long-form conversations about wildlife policy, hunting heritage, habitat science, and the cultural threads that connect us to the land.

We cover what matters: the legislation moving through state capitols, the biology that determines whether populations thrive or decline, the history that shaped how we hunt and fish today, and the ethics that should guide how we do it tomorrow. Expect deep dives into conservation funding mechanisms, honest assessments of management challenges, and stories from the field that remind us why any of this matters in the first place.

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Lead Bans & Border Walls | The Wire 001

March 20, 2026 • Campfire Culinary Co • Season 1 • Episode 1

0:00 | 14:15

In the first installment of The Wire, we track the legislative movements and conservation battles shaping our access to the outdoors. From the halls of Washington D.C. to the desert reaches of the Big Bend, the decisions made this week carry consequences that will be felt for generations.

In this Signal:

The Lead Line: We break down House Bill 556 (the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act) and its aim to prevent blanket lead bans on federal lands. We look back at the 1991 steel shot transition to understand the real-world economics of non-toxic ammunition.
The Boundary Waters at Risk: A look at H.J. Res 140 and the attempt to bypass 20 years of science to allow sulfide-ore copper mining at the headwaters of America’s most visited wilderness.
The Big Bend Waiver: Why the Department of Homeland Security is waiving 28 federal laws to fast-track a border wall through Big Bend Ranch State Park, and why local sheriffs are calling for better tech over more steel.
A River Reconnected: Celebrating a record-breaking year for American Rivers with 100 dams removed in 2025, restoring nearly 5,000 miles of free-flowing water.
Texas Giants: The 40th Anniversary of the ShareLunker program kicks off with back-to-back heavyweight bass from Lake OH Ivy.
Reprieve for Catalina: A major update on the Catalina Island mule deer eradication plan as a court-granted stay grounds the sharpshooters—for now.

The wood is dry, the signal is strong.

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Broadcast from the edge of the civilized world.

00:00:00 | The Frequency: A Weekly Pulse

I'm glad you found the frequency today. Last week we released episode one. Moving forward, you can expect shorter weekly recordings, keeping the signal active. Some weeks it'll be a news dispatch like we're doing today. Other weeks, we'll dig into the archives for a bit of hunting history, or maybe a session of Wildly Gourmet. Our full length episodes will drop monthly. Look for episode two in April. But in between, like I said, we'll be right here every single week with an update. Looks like there's a lot moving across the wire. Decisions made this week in state houses and on federal lands will determine the opportunities we have for years to come. The wood is dry, the signal is strong. Let's get rolling. This is the Field Standard Podcast, home of the sporting conservationist. And we're broadcasting from the edge of the civilized world. I cut it up with a chance. Oh, there we go, boy! And this is your outdoor news, covering issues that impact your life, your hunting, and your fishing. We've got a lot of ground to cover today, from West Texas to the boundary waters with stops along the way for little bass fishing and dam removals. But first, let's start with a lead story coming out of Washington.

00:01:27 | The Lead Line: House Bill 556

This past Wednesday, March 18th, the House of Representatives passed House Bill 556, the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act. The final vote was 215-202. It now heads to the Senate. This bill is a line in the sand. It's designed to stop federal agencies from opposing blanket bans, specifically on lead ammunition and tackle on federal lands. Unless the ban is consistent with state law and supportive of site-specific peer-reviewed science. For those who've been in the field a few decades, this could feel like the 1991 Waterfowl Steel Shot Rewind. That ban wasn't just a policy shift, it was a total culture shock. Now, when we talk about lead ban, there are two very distinct sides to this argument. On one hand, the proponent's position is rooted in toxicology. Groups like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service point to decades of research showing that spent lead is being ingested by birds like loons and swans or scavengers like the California Condor. They argue that the population level decline is real, and that moving to non-toxic alternatives is the only way to protect the chain. On the other hand, the opposition says this is an issue of access and overreach. Hunters and state agencies argue that blanket bans are often political rather than biological. They point to the pocketbook reality. Non-toxic ammo is significantly more expensive. If you force a transition before the market is ready, you price people out of the field, which is what happened in 1991. And don't forget, we're the ones footing the bill for conservation. Every time you buy a box of shells, you're paying that Pittman Robertson tax. That's the engine that drives state conservation, and if we price hunters out, that engine could stall. Before we go further, in the spirit of full disclosure, let me say, I'm not a fan of federal overreach. But this one doesn't really impact me, because for the most part, I've already switched to lead-free. Now let me tell you why I've been using tungsten steel blends, bismuth, and copper. I think the new technology for these shots makes them highly effective, and yes, the shot does cost more, but I just have to choose my shots more wisely. And most importantly, the food I put on my family's plate is lead-free. This was my main reason for making the switch. Okay, before we close this story out, let's look at the history here, because if you want to know where we're going, you have to look at 1991. Before the ban, it was estimated that 1.6 to 3.8 million waterfowl died annually from lead poisoning in North America. These birds weren't being harvested. They were ingesting spent pellets, mistaking them for grid. By the time the ban was fully implemented in 91, researchers saw a nearly 50% reduction in lead-related mortality almost immediately. But 91 is also famous for being the year active duck hunters bottomed out. In the 70s, active duck hunting community numbered around 2.4 million. By 1991, that number plummeted to 1 million. That's a whopping loss of 50% of the hunting base in less than two decades. Back then, steel shot was two to three times more expensive than lead. Hunters feared steel would destroy their old barrels. It acted as a massive financial tax on the sport. Interestingly, one of the loudest arguments against the ban was crippling rates. The argument was that steel was not effective as lead and more birds would be crippled. Well, pre-band crippling rates were around 23%, post-ban they dropped to 15%. Could be only the best duck hunters were still hunting, who knows? Either way, reports say that a change in shot forced a change in behavior. Hunters began shooting at closer, more ethical distances. By the late 90s, the number of hunters climbed back up to around 1.6 million. In all fairness, this increase could be partially because the drought ended and water returned to the prairies. Wherever you land on this topic, it's at a crossroads of science, tradition, and economics. And as I said before, the debate now moves to the Senate.

00:05:38 | Sulfide and Silence: The Boundary Waters

Moving north to the boundary waters. For those of you who haven't been living and breathing this one, here's the quick and dirty on the situation. This is America's most visited wilderness, over one million acres of boreal forest, and a network of some of the cleanest lakes on the planet. In January of 2023, we thought the debate was over. The Department of the Interior signed a 20-year mining ban covering 225,000 acres of Superior National Forest. The ban was the result of years of science and over 675,000 public comments. But here's a catch. The ban only protects the watershed, the land sitting right at the headwaters of the wilderness. There's a Chilean-owned company called Twin Metals that wants to build a massive copper sulfide mine right there. Look, this isn't about digging a hole in the ground, it's about the chemistry. Sulfide ore doesn't play nice with water. And in a place defined by its lakes, this is a recipe for a permanent disaster. When you mine sulfide ore, it hits the air and water. It creates sulfuric acid. If it leaks, it doesn't stay on the mine site. It flows north, straight into the heart of the boundary waters. Pollution in this watershed would put clean water, wildlife, and the entire local outdoor economy at risk. Once polluted, these waters cannot be restored. Now, proponents argue this is an issue of national security. They say we need these minerals, copper, nickel, and cobalt, to power our electric grid and get away from foreign oil. They see the land as a lockbox that needs to be opened. But for the sporting community, this is about the health of America's wild places, protecting clean water, and the durability of conservation protections. The House has already passed the House Joint Resolution 140 to kill that 20 year mining ban. Now it's sitting in the Senate. And there's a 60-day superpower clock ticking toward a late April expiration. The trick is that they're using a legislative shortcut, the Congressional Review Act to wipe out decades of science. That should worry anyone who cares about stable policy. No matter which side of the aisle you're on. Right now, Senator Smith and Clobuchet are bleeding that clock dry, hunting for crossover votes to kill that resolution before April. If they hold out, the clock expires, and the 20-year mining ban remains in place. If they don't, the law essentially bars any future administration from passing a substantially similar rule. At that point, the only way to get those protections back is through a new and specific act of Congress. And do you want to know how the slang term, an act of Congress, came to be? It's because getting 60 votes in Congress was historically difficult. And in modern politics, forget about it. This political maneuver sets a very dangerous precedent. Call your senator, tell them no on House Joint Resolution 140.

00:08:36 | Waiving the Law: Big Bend Ranch

Closer to my home in Texas, we have a shell game happening out west. Customs and border protection remove the physical wall from the Big Ben National Park. But as of today, the Department of Homeland Security is still fast tracking the 30-foot steel right across Big Ben Ranch State Park. And get this. To get those shovels in the ground faster, they've waived 28 federal laws. That's right, that's 28 federal laws. Clean Water Protections, Endangered Species Acts, just bypassed in the name of speed. Just last week, on March 12th, a coalition of 132 conservation groups and local Texas business set a formal letter to the Senate Committee on Appropriations. They're demanding a total funding ban on the border wall construction for both Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park in the upcoming Homeland Security Appropriations Bill. Look, let me be clear. This is about border security. If a wall is truly what's needed to keep our country safe, then we should do that. But my take, you can't just skip the homework. If you're going to build something that changes the landscape forever, you owe it to the land and the people to do the impact studies first. And honestly, these are the guys on the ground. The five border sheriffs in the big bin sector issued a joint statement opposing a continuous physical wall. They say a continuous wall just isn't practical for this kind of terrain. And they'd rather see money go towards better tech and more boots. We need to protect the legacy of these wild places. We want the future generations to look back and say that we were responsible stewards. The goal is to slow things down so we can do the responsible thing and conduct proper impact studies. Call your representative and your senator. Tell them I'm a voter and a sportsman. I want a total funding ban on the border wall construction included in the next appropriations bill.

00:10:31 | Running Free: 5,000 Miles Unlocked

Let's get to some good news. American Rivers just confirmed that 2025 saw 100 dams removed across 30 states. Think about that number. 4,893 miles of river finally running free again. That's more than a record. It's a total reconnection of a system. When you see a river finally unlocked, it's like watching the veins of the country finally starting to breathe and move again. It's a record for a reason, and it's a massive win for anyone who carries a fly rod. We've now removed 2,350 dams since 1912.

00:11:08 | Heavyweight Rounds: The ShareLunker 40th

And here's another little hit of Texas Pride. Sorry, playing a little favoritism to the Lone Star State. It's the fortieth anniversary of the Toyota Sherlunker program, and Lake's JB Thomas and OH Ivy are trading heavyweight blows. Tristan March of Atlanta reeled in a 13.65 pound bass on Sunday, and Carl Self of Spicewood followed with a 13.73 pounder on Monday night. Both within twenty four hours of each other. Think about that. Absolute giants. Back to back in less than twenty four hours. That's a hell of a run for Texas Water. And it shows that the fortieth anniversary of this program is starting off with a bang. And let's look at OHIV. Sixty-two legacy class fish in just six years. That's not luck. That's world class management meeting world class genetics. It's the gold standard of sportsmen and biologists working together.

00:12:07 | The Reprieve: Catalina’s Mule Deer

Finally, I have a major update on a story we've been following closely. The plan to eradicate every mule deer on Catalina Island. The sharpshooters are officially grounded. A coalition of hunters and residents, the coalition to save Catalina Island Deer, filed a lawsuit to block the plan, targeting the Catalina Island Conservancy and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The court just granted a temporary stay, so for now, those helicopters are staying on the tarmac. No sharpshooters, no aerial gunning, at least until the court gets to look at the fine print and decide if the state unlawfully bypassed to the California Environmental Quality Act. It really comes down to finding the balance between long-term ecological goals and the immediate reality of the people who live on that land. The Catalina Island Conservancy has defended their plan, stating that the island's natural ecosystem and thriving deer population are simply mutually exclusive. However, the state has mostly remained quiet publicly while moving ahead with the permit. And that silence is exactly what this lawsuit is targeting. And here's the irony. The Los Angeles County Fire Chief is saying that without the deer, the fine fuel on the island will build up, creating a fire risk. So you might save a plant only to watch the whole island go up in smoke, as the fire risk to the city of Avalon spikes. This stay is a massive win for the local residents and hunters, who've been saying that management is way better than eradication. For now, the deer have a reprieve, and it feels like the reasonable people in the room, the ones asking for management instead of a massacre, just got a whole lot louder.

00:13:49 | Accountability: Holding the Line

And that's the news for the week. I put links in the show notes. Do me a favor, go check up on your representatives, see how they're voting, and hold them accountable for it. We'll be back next week with more from the field. Until then, supporting conservationists, stay wild, stay free, and stay informed. And that's the news.