Dr. Vince Slabe and Lead Toxicity in Raptors

Today, Nate and Evan have the honor of sitting down with former Piatt County resident and long time friend, Dr. Vince Slabe.  While they have many great memories from high school and college, during their adult lives they have all had found birds to be a common area of interest.

Dr.  Slabe has done extensive research studying lead toxicity in raptors, specifically Golden Eagles. As residents of Illinois, we often confuse immature Bald Eagles with Golden Eagles, which pass through occasionally. Vince gives us some ID tips on how to tell a Golden Eagle from Bald Eagle.

How does lead get into raptors? What are the levels of toxicity that are measured? What can we do to protect these raptors from the dangers of lead?

Dr. Slabe has also began a program distributing lead free ammunition to hunters in regions of Wyoming where Golden Eagles are present.

Happy Listening and Happy Birding

Bio

Vince is originally from central Illinois and graduated with a BS and MS from the University of Illinois. Shortly after, he travelled west and quickly developed a strong interest in bird research. Vince worked on multiple avian research and monitoring projects in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Wyoming before completing a PhD at West Virginia University in Forest Resources Science. Vince’s dissertation focused on lead poisoning of bald and golden eagles on a nationwide scale.

At CSG, Vince’s research focuses on lead abatement strategies for bald eagles in the Atlantic Flyway and on identifying pre-breeding hotspots for golden eagles in Denali National Park. Vince is a member of the Raptor Research Foundation, the Eastern Golden Eagle Working Group, and volunteers for Raptor View Research Institute and Craighead Beringia South.

Vince, his wife Mosey, and two kids, Frances and Sonny live in Bozeman, MT. When not working, Vince enjoys spending time with his family, floating the river, birding, cross-country skiing, biking and listening to Chicago Cubs baseball.

Useful Links

https://huntersforeagleconservation.org/