After nearly disappearing from most of the United States several decades ago, the iconic bald eagle is now doing well enough across the nation that it no longer needs the protection of the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
"Today, I am proud to announce the eagle has returned," said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne during a ceremony at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. "In 1963, the lower 48 states were home to barely 400 nesting pairs of bald eagles. Today, after decades of conservation effort, they are home to some 10,000 nesting pairs, a 25-fold increase in the last 40 years."
Based on its widespread recovery, the U.S. Department of the Interior has decided to officially remove the American bald eagle from the endangered species list, the former Idaho governor said.
During the ceremony, Kempthorne emphasized both the Interior Department and the entire federal government's commitment to the eagle's continued survival. He noted that bald eagles will continue to be protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Both federal laws prohibit the killing, selling or harming of eagles, their nests and eggs.
The bald eagle was one of the original species protected by the federal Endangered Species Act when it was enacted in 1973. The primary cause of the bird's decline was attributed to the widespread use of the pesticide DDT after World War II. DDT accumulated in eagles and caused them to lay eggs with weakened shells, decimating the eagle population across the nation.
From an all-time low of 417 breeding pairs in 1963, the bald eagle population in the lower 48 states has grown to a high of 9,789 pairs today, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service news release states. The Alaskan bald eagle population was never listed under the ESA, and is estimated at between 50,000 and 70,000 birds.
Locally, bald eagles are a year-round presence in both the Magic Valley region and the upper Wood River Valley, the spokesman for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's Magic Valley Region, Kelton Hatch, said Thursday.
The more common places to see bald eagles in the area include along the Snake River and the Big Wood River, Hatch said.
Along the Big Wood, summer, fall and spring are probably the best opportunities to view the birds, he said.
"They can be seen up there any time of year, though," Hatch said.
A bald eagle flies through light snow in northern Blaine County. The federal government announced the majestic bird?s delisting from the U.S. Endangered Species Act in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., Thursday. Photo by Willy Cook
