ENF Million Dollar "Save Our Eagle" Campaign

The Goal

The "Save Our Eagle" campaign has a goal to raise $1,000,000 for research of the Bald Eagle and $400,000 for land preservation and education.

The Issue

For the past five years, the Eagle Nature Foundation, through its Annual Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey, which has been conducted for over 55 years, has been documenting the gradual decline of the Bald Eagles wintering along the Mississippi River and the drop in the percentage of those immatures which are surviving. This year this count has shown that the Bald Eagle population wintering along the Mississippi River has dropped to a level lower than it was during the 1960's. The reason for this decline must be determined, if we are to retain the Bald Eagle as a "free flying symbol of our great nation". The sooner we can determine the reason for this decline, the sooner corrective actions may be taken.

How to Help

Before any research can be conducted, the money for the research has to be raised. That is the reason for this campaign. This campaign has been set up with many levels of donations depending upon the person, business or organization's own commitment to our country's symbol, the Bald Eagle, and their ability to comfortably donate. The first tier level of $100,000 will be a person, business or organization which wants to be known as a definite supporter of our Bald Eagle. There are two second levels of $50,000 each. The tier levels of donations work all the way down to the lowest level of donors at $10 each, of which there would be 10,000 donors. If successful, each donation level of the campaign should raise $100,000. ENF wants all Americans to have the opportunity to step up and help with their donations, for we all have a stake in this bird, as the Bald Eagle represents us all.

Every donor, no matter which tier level of donation, could receive a laminated certificate for their donation. As Mr. Ingram says, "The bald eagle is our National Symbol, so we want everyone to have the opportunity to help this bird". One method would be for an organization or business to inform all of its employees of this immediate need to help our Bald Eagle, and to urge them each to donate at whatever tier level they feel comfortable with, and then for the organization, or business itself, to match their employees' donations with a larger tier donation. For example, State Farm Insurance Company has pledged to match any donations of their employees, agents and retirees up to $1,500 per donor.

All donations are tax-exempt as ENF is a certified 501(c)3 organization with the IRS.

Background

For more than 55 years Mr. Ingram has been researching and fighting to save the Bald Eagle through the Eagle Nature Foundation and its predecessors, The Eagle Foundation (TEF) and Eagle Valley Environmentalists, (EVE). Much of their previous efforts had been to save habitat for the Bald Eagle. The nation’s first Bald Eagle Campaign, in 1972, for $100 an acre to save Eagle Valley, raised over $2,000,000 in 16 years. They have:

• Educated our youth and raised public awareness of the Bald Eagle’s plight;
• Conducted over 160 Bald Eagle Bus Tours;
• Conducted more than 20 individual Bald Eagle research projects in the Midwest;
• Discovered over 55 Bald Eagle nighttime roosting sites in the Midwest; and
• Helped save more than 16,000 acres of Bald Eagle habitat in the Midwest
• Mr. Ingram started our nation's first Bald Eagle Days celebrations in 1967, and expanded them to become annual International Bald Eagle Days events, which were held all across this nation and in Canada.

But ENF has learned over the past few years, what good is it to save habitat, if there are no eagles to use that habitat?
We as a nation must make sure there will be eagles to use the habitat!

Because of Mr. Ingram’s past efforts to save the Bald Eagle, ENF's Board of Directors has nominated him to receive the Character Category Division of the Eagle Rare Life Award from Eagle Rare Bourbon. If his story should win this contest, Eagle Rare Bourbon would be a tier two donor with a donation of $50,000 to ENF. You can read his story by going to eaglerarelife.com and vote for his story once each day, before the end of the year to help him win. Thank you for voting to help his story win!

How To Participate and Donate

Every American can join the effort and help "Save Our Eagle" campaign by deciding to which donor tier he, or she, is able to comfortably donate, and sending a check for that tier level donation to:
Eagle Nature Foundation
300 East Hickory Street
Apple River, IL 61001.

Click here to download the Save Our Eeagle Campaign Form

Thanks for your support!

The Eagle Nature Foundation appreciates your support.

Any questions?

If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 815-594-2306 or email us.