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Apple River) Plans for International Bald Eagle Days (IBED) are being completed by the Eagle Nature Foundation (ENF) from Apple River, IL. IBED will be held at the Ramada in Rochester, MN on Oct. 26-28, 2012. The theme for the event is “The Future of the Bald Eagle ???”. Presentations during Saturday will include papers and panels by researchers and government officials on the present status of the bald eagle and threats that the bald eagle faces.

The conference will start with a reception on Friday evening at 7:00 pm followed by a welcome and key note address at 8:00. The key note speaker for Friday evening will be Minnesota State Senator, Carla Nelson. This will be followed by a presentation by Terrence Ingram, ENF Executive Director, who will explain the reason for such a meeting of bald eagle researchers from across the continent.

Saturday morning there will be paper sessions by researchers and government personnel on the present status of the bald eagle. Following lunch there will be papers on threats to bald eagles; including chemicals such as lead, habitat destruction, poorly located wind farms, and vehicles. Following this will be a session on what is being done by various organizations to aid the bald eagles survival. Speakers presently confirmed for the event are coming from Florida, South Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Arizona, Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota. During the afternoon there will also be a display of the winning entries in ENF’s school art contests.

At 5:30 on Saturday evening there will be a reception followed by an awards banquet at 6:00 pm. The banquet speaker is Stan Tekiela, speaker, author, and photographer from Victoria, MN. In addition, the finalists in ENF’s school bald eagle essay contest will present their essays for final judging. After the speaker there will be a fund-raising auction and then an award ceremony when the winners of the school art contests and essay contests will be presented their winning $100 or $50 checks and trophies.

On Sunday morning there will be a bus tour to visit the footprint of the proposed Goodhue Wind Project and witness first hand all of the bald eagle and raptor nests within that footprint, which may be impacted by the construction of this projected wind project.

The event package for attending the full three days of activities is $125 per person or $90 for children, 17 and under. The package includes of all the following: registration; Friday night program; Saturday lunch and banquet. Separately the per person costs include: registration-$25; Friday evening program-$10; Saturday luncheon-$25; Saturday awards banquet-$50; and Sunday bus tour-$20. The reduced cost for children, 17 and under, are: registration-$10; Friday evening program-$5; awards banquet-$35; and Sunday bus tour-$10. All banquet reservations must be made by Oct. 22.

Anyone interested in attending this 3-day event, should call 815-594-2306, or write: ENF, 300 East Hickory Street, Apple River, IL 61001 for a brochure. The conference is open to all members of the public.

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For more information contact: Terrence N. Ingram, Exec. Director, Eagle Nature Foundation, 300 East Hickory St., Apple River, IL 61001 Phone 815-594-2306