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Text Box: imperiled species list, the bald eagle can’t be disturbed or harmed except under conditions specified by federal and state permits. Management plans, such as Florida’s, and the science of population surveys also ensure future chapters of the eagle’s bittersweet success story have a happy message. To think: in the first half of the 20th century, humans placed bounties on eagles. Now, those who illegally kill or endanger a bald eagle have to pay fines of up to $200,000 under the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Laws even prohibit possessing the bird’s feathers without a permit. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) adopted its new Bald Eagle Management Plan in 2008. It outlines strategies to maintain the Florida population of bald eagles at or above current levels “in perpetuity.” This plan closely follows the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s national guidelines. Part of the FWC’s management plan for eagles involves making sure people and development keep their distance. Nests are protected by state rule and federal laws. Under state rule, an FWC eagle permit is not needed for any activity occurring outside the recommended 660 foot buffer zone. The FWC prohibits all activity within 330 feet of a nest during nesting season or when eagles are using a nest. If the FWC management plan guidelines cannot be followed, the agency recommends obtaining a permit whether for disturbance, nest removal or scientific collecting. The FWC offers technical assistance for projects requiring a permit and ample information about its Bald Eagle Management Plan online at MyFWCcom/Eagle. “The new guidelines reflect optimism in mankind,” said Ulgonda Kirkpatrick, bald eagle coordinator for the FWC. “Luckily, people are respectful of the eagle and of regulations protecting it. Being such an important symbol, it evokes a lot of emotion.” Get Involved: If you suspect potential wildlife law violations, call the FWC’s toll-free Wildlife Alert hotline: 888-404-3922. If you find a nest, make sure it is an undocumented one by using the eagle nest locator on the FWC website, and follow the directions to report a new nest. Still unsure? E-mail bald eagle@MyFWC.com with the name of the county the nest is in, the global positioning system (GPS) location or nearest address, direction and distance to the nest and your complete contact information. Volunteer with Audubon of Florida’s Eagle Watch. Spend 20-30 minutes a month documenting eagle activity. Visit fl.audubon.org/who_centers_CBOP for more information.

Text Box: “Love and Marriage...go together like a horse and carriage. You can’t have one without the other.” These lyrics to an old Frank Sinatra song apply to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) bald eagle nest survey and management plan. One exists for the other. For three decades, FWC biologist working for the agency’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute has climbed into a small plane from late fall to early spring to count the number of bald eagles nesting territories, each one made up of an active nest and surrounding habitat. A bald eagle’s territory often includes unused nests. Jane Brush, an avian research biologist with the FWRI, coordinates this annual count. “We used to go nest-to-nest throughout the entire state, but now that we have more than 2,000 potential nesting territories, we’d be sacrificing solid information on productivity to continue doing that,” Brush said. Statisticians recommended the FWC survey a third of the state each year. With the new system, retired FWC biologists Steve Nesbitt and John White have time to make two to five passes over each active nest to record everything from presence of adult eagles to the number of eggs in a clutch, incubating behavior and the number of chicks. Pilots ferrying Nesbitt and White skim the treetops so the biologists can observe what goes on in the giant nests. One U.S. nest reportedly weighed thousands of pounds. Another nest, in St Petersburg, measured 9.5 feet in diameter and was 20 feet tall, according to “The Birds of North America Online.” The FWC’s 2009 survey found 1,340 nesting territories. The 2008 survey reported 1,280. Nest produced 1,796, young compared to 1,495 the previous year. Florida’s eagle population totals 3,565 adults and 5,360 with nestlings included. “The immediate impact of the survey is that is a nest is active, then we apply the Bald Eagle Management Plan guidelines about buffer zones and permitting to the nest,” Brush said. “Many territories discovered when we started conducting surveys ate still active today,” Brush said. Longevity in a territory is a sign of good habitats. The survey shows that bald eagles’ favorite tree for nesting is a dominant live pine. Knowing such details about working habitats helps scientist ensure the bald eagle’s continued recovery. ■