News Release
Eagle Nature Foundation, Ltd.
300 East Hickory Street, Apple River, IL 61001
Phone: 815-594-2306 Fax: 815-594-2305 Web Site: eaglenature.com
e-mail: eaglenature.tni@juno.com Tax Exempt No. 36-4015400
| For Immediate Release | March 26, 2018 |
ENF Sends a Petition to F&WS to Place Bald Eagle on ESL
Apple River) The Eagle Nature Foundation, ENF, has just filed a petition, signed by close to 2,000 people, with the US Fish & Wildlife Service to place the Bald Eagle back on the Endangered Species List, ESL. This action has been taken as a result of the fact that fewer bald eagles have been seen along the Mississippi River during the past few years, and the number and percentage of immature birds recorded on ENF’s 58 years of Midwinter Bald Eagle Counts has gradually been trending downwards. These ENF counts reveal that presently the numbers and percentages of immatures are back to, or below, where they were during the 1960’s counts.
We need to find out what the reason for this decline is, while we still have some adults that are able to raise young to bring back the population. Could the reason be: West Nile Virus, that affects the young while they are on the nest; or could it be starvation; or could it be some chemical working its way through the food chain; such as glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, the most heavily used herbicide in the world. We know that glyphosate is responsible for creating birth defects in both birds and animals. If the birth defects are severe enough, they may not allow the young eagles to survive on their own, which would be a possible reason why we are not seeing immature eagles in any numbers during the winter.
The numbers of bald eagles wintering along the Mississippi has dropped to such a low point that Mr. Ingram, who has led bald eagle bus tours for over 60 years, feels that there may not be any bald eagles wintering in his area next year to show people. This year several dams on the Mississippi River didn’t have a single bald eagle present during ENF’s Midwinter Bald Eagle Count and some only had one eagle. These same dams during past year’s counts used to have at the same time from 30 to 60 bald eagles each. These wintering eagles nest in Northern Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Canada, so this decline in immatures reflects the nesting results for a large part of our continent.
We cannot let the Bald Eagle, our National Symbol, suffer the same fate which befell our extinct Passenger Pigeon, which disappeared within a 20 year period, “For no known reason!”
For more information contact: Terrence N. Ingram, Exec. Director, Eagle Nature Foundation, 300 East Hickory St., Apple River, IL 61001 Phone 815-594-2306