The Saving of a Symbol: Bald Eagles to Come Off Threatened List

By Barbara Isaacs, The Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky.

Jun. 28–The American bald eagle, the majestic bird that has long been our national symbol, was once nearly non-existent in Kentucky and elsewhere in the United States.

But the bird of prey has made a huge comeback in recent years. The bald eagle population has grown so dramatically that government officials are expected to announce today that the bird is no longer a threatened species covered by the Endangered Species Act.

On Monday, the Center for Biological Diversity, a non-profit conservation group, released a report that estimated that there are currently 11,040 pairs of bald eagles living in the lower 48 states and the District of Columbia.

In Kentucky, it’s estimated that there are about 50 nesting pairs who live here year-round. That’s a big improvement from 1984, when there was just one known nesting pair in Kentucky.

Each state takes an annual eagle census, often by flying over nesting areas in helicopters during the late winter when their large nests are more easily spotted, said Kieran Suckling, policy director for the center.

“Every year, new nests are popping up,” said Carey Tichenor, an eagle specialist and naturalist for the Kentucky State Parks.

The bald eagle became a member of the nation’s first endangered species list in 1967. By 1995, the bald eagle’s status had been upgraded from “endangered” to “threatened.” In 1963, it was estimated that there were just 417 pairs of bald eagles left in the United States.

Even though the bald eagle has been the official national bird since 1782, for generations they were eradicated — routinely shot, poisoned and even subject to a 50-cent bounty in Alaska up until 1950. Then the small group of remaining bald eagles was almost completely wiped out with the advent of DDT, a powerful pesticide that thinned eagle egg shells, preventing them from being hatched.

The eagle rebounded when DDT was banned and when bald eagles became a protected species. Naturalists also helped incubate and reintroduce bald eagles in many parts of the country.

Even though the bald eagle will no longer be considered endangered or threatened, it will still be protected, Tichenor said. There are at least two federal laws that protect the bald eagle. “They’re still going to have a great deal of protection,” Tichenor said.

Generally, the laws mean that bald eagles can’t be interfered with in any way, said Shawchyi Vorisek, an avian biologist for Kentucky’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “You cannot harass, injure or shoot them,” she said. “You can’t log around them or take down their nests.”

The Kentucky State Parks hold five eagle-watching weekends each year at four Western Kentucky state parks, including at Dale Hollow Lake, Lake Barkley, Kenlake and Kentucky Dam Village, said Gil Lawson, spokesman for the state parks system.

The eagle weekends are very popular, with up to 200 participants each weekend, Tichenor said. The eagle weekends are held in January and February, when Kentucky’s eagle population is at its peak.

Tichenor said that most people don’t realize that many bald eagles migrate, so up to 300 additional eagles can be found in Kentucky during the winter months, when they travel from the colder Great Lakes region.

“But they’re still uncommon enough that most people still don’t get to see them in the wild,” Tichenor said.

Kentucky’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources coordinates several large bald eagle surveys each year, Vorisek said. About 30 people work on a midwinter survey — some even travel by boat or air to make the count — that captures the peak bald eagle population.

Even so, “obviously, a lot of eagles are not counted,” Vorisek said. The surveys tend to focus on Western Kentucky, where the larger populations are found. Also, in early spring, state wildlife workers perform a count of the breeding eagle population by using helicopters to fly over all known nests in the state.

Vorisek said that bald eagles will probably continue to proliferate in the state. “By no means is Kentucky saturated,” she said.

Vorisek often takes calls from all over Kentucky about possible bald eagle sightings, particularly during the winter. She said that bald eagles have been known to take up winter residence near just about any large water source with plentiful fish, even catfish ponds. In March, there were reports of an eagle sighting at Lexington’s Jacobson Park.

The creation of new lakes and reservoirs in Kentucky during the past 40 years has been a boon for eagles, Tichenor said. Eagles have been documented at Laurel River Lake, Cave Run Lake and Rough River Lake, among other places, he said.

“They’re a great habitat for bald eagles,” he said.

Groups that work to protect endangered species said the recovery of the bald eagle population shows that the Endangered Species Act works.

“The conservation of the bald eagle is a true success story and reflection of the concern Americans have for the environment,” said George Fenwick, president of the American Bird Conservancy.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky.

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