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 | November 22, 2013 |
Volunteers Needed for 2014 Bald Eagle Count
Apple River, IL) The Eagle Nature Foundation (ENF) is looking for volunteers to help with its 54th Annual Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Count to be conducted on January 25 and 26, 2014. This annual bald eagle count is being conducted throughout the Midwest from Northern Minnesota to Louisiana. The count is actually a one day count on Saturday with the 2nd day being used, only if weather does not allow a person or organization to count the bald eagles in their own locality on the official count day. At least 90% of the eagles will be counted before 11:00 AM on Saturday, the 25th. Some counters start the day by counting the bald eagles as the birds fly out from their nighttime roosts while it is still so dark that the birds are only silhouettes flying over head. Some conservation organizations use this bald eagle count of the eagles in their area as a project for their club. In the past bald eagles have been counted from cars, boats and airplanes.
This annual count was started and coordinated for the first 20 years by the late Elton Fawks from Moline, IL. Terrence Ingram, President of ENF, from Apple River, has been the coordinator of the count for the past 30+ years. Mr. Ingram states, “This count has been the most important bald eagle count in the nation for many, many years. It was the results from this count in the early 1960’s that truly documented the decline of the bald eagle in the nation. This count is the only factual account of how our eagles are reproducing in the Midwest. Since the USFW removed the bald eagle from the Endangered Species List there has been no funding for agencies to remained involved in the monitoring of the eagles’ reproduction. Most all of our reproduction records are just estimates, or guesstimates, of how many young have been raised.”
During the last few years a low percentage of immatures were documented during this midwinter count. The cause for this low percentage of documented immatures on this count has been purely speculative. It could be that the immatures have been fledged and are living somewhere else, or something could actually be affecting their survival; such as starvation, poisoning by chemicals, or a disease, such as West Nile Virus, or they are shot or killed by vehicles and/or wind turbines.
Anyone interested in helping with this research by counting the bald eagles in their own area on Jan. 25, 2014 should contact Mr. Ingram at: ENF, 300 East Hickory Street, Apple River, IL 61001 or phone 815-594-2306 to get the necessary count forms and to receive their area assignment. This must to be done in advance of the count date, Jan. 25, 2014.
For more information contact: Terrence N. Ingram, Exec. Director, Eagle Nature Foundation, 300 East Hickory St., Apple River, IL 61001 Phone 815-594-2306