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AN EXAMPLE OF HOW EFFORTS TO HELP ENDANGERED SPECIES WORKS The Bald Eagle is our national bird and by the 1990’s it had almost disappeared from the United States. Today, its numbers have recovered in many areas and it is considered an endangered species success story. After suffering dangerous declines and disappearing from many areas of the United States it was declared endangered. It was removed from the list of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the United States on June 28, 2007. Habitat and Pesticides It subsists on fish captured live as its swoops down over large bodies of water and grabs the unsuspecting prey with its strong talons. Their food source would eventually cause them to become endangered species. Bald Eagles select mates that they are bound to for life. They lay their eggs in a nest made at the top of tall trees or on the side of a cliff, usually 70 feet or more off the ground. Their nests can be as large as 9 feet in diameter and are made of foliage, small sticks and large branches with a top layer of fine plant matter. This large bird grows a wing span of nearly 40 inches and weighs up to 14 pounds. They need large amounts of fish for themselves and their growing nestlings. By the 1940’s pesticides were making their way into the water and therefore, the fish Bald Eagles hunted, eventually causing them to become endangered species. DDT, an insecticide made its way into the large bodies of water where the Bald Eagle sought its prey. DDT was not killing the birds, but it had an effect the birds ability to metabolize calcium. The outer shells of their eggs became thin and weak, since calcium is essential to making strong egg shells. When the heavy Bald Eagles sat on their eggs to keep them warm the shells broke and the unborn eagles died. This decimated the population. Factors Endangering the Species Other factors such as over hunting, alteration of habitat, and human encroachment into the wilderness, combined with the damage caused by thinning egg shells to cause the Bald Eagle an abrupt population crash. It disappeared from many states. By 1981, occupied nests were known in only 30 states, and about 90% of nesting pairs were concentrated in just ten states. Between 1960 and 1973 nesting Bald Eagles disappeared from 18 of 44 Michigan counties. The Chesapeake Bay population fell from 150 pairs in 1962 to about 85 pairs in 1970. Nesting pairs disappeared from the upper portions of rivers and were greatly reduced at the upper end of the bay. Bald Eagles were once common nesters along the Atlantic coast from the Chesapeake Bay to the Florida Keys, but by the late 1970s the Florida population alone was secure, and that had been reduced by half. Bald Eagles and the Endangered Species Act When DDT was banned in the United States in the early 1970s, the eagle’s reproduction at once began to improve. Recovery was assisted by intensive efforts by federal agencies that included systematic monitoring, enhanced protection, captive breeding, relocation of wild birds, and a far-flung publicity program. State agencies became increasingly involved through tax-funded programs to monitor eagle nests and assist reintroduction projects. The Nature Conservancy and the NWF acquired important nesting sites and wintering habitat, and actively pursued conservation agreements with landowners. The combined efforts paid off. By 1980 and 1981 the nesting population in the lower 48 states had doubled. The rebound has continued so strongly that the FWS is currently in the process of reclassifying part or all of the Bald Eagle populations in the lower 48 states from Endangered to Threatened. In recent years, the relocation of wild chicks has been widely used to help the Bald Eagle recolonize its former range. Chicks are taken from nests in Alaska or Canada and released in states with few nesting eagles. Relocation has succeeded in many states, including Pennsylvania, New York, and Indiana, and has enabled the FWS to end its Bald Eagle captive breeding program. The final rule for the 1995 reclassification of the Bald Eagle from Endangered to Threatened final rule goes further than the June 30, 1994, reclassification proposal, which would have retained the bird’s endangered status in Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas, and part of southeastern California. A thorough review of scientific data revealed that the eagle could be reclassified in those areas as well. In addition to efforts such as the ban on DDT use, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) promoted Bald Eagle recovery by curbing habitat destruction and protecting nesting sites. Also visit these great educational web sites: Mini Horse | Robot Control Systems Halloween Costumes, Witch Costumes, Legends and Jewelry | Native American Jewelry Aquarium Supplies| Native Art | Native Jewelry Makers and Painters Collectible Comic Books and Sports Cards | Halloween Costumes |
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