Bald Eagle to Be Taken Off Endangered List

Washington Post ^ | Dec. 25, 2006 | Peter Slevin

[digger48]

MINNEAPOLIS -- Seven years after the U.S. government moved to take the bald eagle off the endangered species list, the Bush administration intends to complete the step by February, prodded by a frustrated libertarian property owner in Minnesota.

The delisting, supported by mainstream environmental groups, would represent a formal declaration that the eagle population has sufficiently rebounded, increasing more than 15-fold since its 1963 nadir to more than 7,000 nesting pairs.

Bald eagles, like this one shown hunting for fish along Missouri's Wappapello Lake, have rebounded to more than 7,000 nesting pairs after their numbers fell dangerously low. (By Paul Davis -- Daily American Republic Via Associated Press)

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The next challenge is to ensure the national symbol's continued protection.

"By February 16th, the bald eagle will be delisted," said Marshall Jones, deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "We'll be clear so people won't think, 'It's open season on bald eagles.' No way."

[digger48]

The greatest threat to a creature with few natural enemies came from humankind, particularly with the widespread use of the pesticide DDT, which weakened eagle eggs. In time, DDT was banned, and the eagle, whose population once numbered as few as 417 nesting pairs in the contiguous United States, was added to the endangered list.

FReeper opinion on this conclusion, please. Was Rachel Carlson FOS about the effects of DDT on eggshells?

[operation clinton cleanup]

Some people will not be pleased.

[Fierce Allegiance]

WOOHOO!!

Is there a conclusive link, or only anecdotal evidence that ddt caused the problem?

[cardinal4]

Crossing the Mississippi this afternoon, we saw many bald eagles in the trees, on the Illinois and Missouri sides. This part of the river is known as a winter eagle area, and at times you can see hundreds of them in the trees along the river..

[xcamel]

1) yes - totally FOS
2) There are seventeen thousand bald eagles of breeding age just in the lower 48 - and another 10-20,000 in canada.

[Farmer Dean]

Yes,she was full of it.The birds in the test were deprived of calcium,so naturally the egg shells were way to thin.In the meantime maybe 50 million people died of insect borne illness that would never have become sick if DDT had been available.

[Freedom4US]

Yes.

[ElkGroveDan]

This is great news. Bald Eagle is delicious with a sourdough stuffing. It's tastes a lot like Passenger Pigeon.

[aruanan]

The delisting, supported by mainstream environmental groups, would represent a formal declaration that the eagle population has sufficiently rebounded, increasing more than 15-fold since its 1963 nadir to more than 7,000 nesting pairs.

And let's remember that the decrease in the populations of bald eagles, peregrine falcons, brown pelicans, and many other predatory birds antedated the use of DDT by decades.

The greatest threat to a creature with few natural enemies came from humankind, particularly with the widespread use of the pesticide DDT, which weakened eagle eggs.

This is simply false. Rachel Carson was, indeed, FOS. She even misrepresented research on the matter. The thinning of egg shells in the captive birds was due to decreased calcium in the feed. In fact, it was during the years that DDT was used that bird populations started to recover.

People, though, are still endangered and being killed every year by malaria because of the efforts of Carson and William Ruckelshaus. Though Carson is long dead, Ruckelshaus is still kicking around and living off the deaths of tens of millions worldwide because of his unilateral, personal decision to ban DDT. Malaria victims should start a class action lawsuit against Ruckelshaus and Environmental Defense to recover damages because their connivance.

[digger48]

I've heard of sightings here in Indiana, too.

Used to see them in Florida when I was a kid in the 60's. There was a pair on the Imperial River we'd see when we were going to the Gulf by boat.

[Paleo Conservative]

[LibFreeOrDie]

In New Hampshire, there's been a dramatic increase in nesting pairs in the past 3 years: 10 successful nests, 21 birds fledged this year (compared to 11 fledged in each of 2005 and 2004.

There's a nesting site near the city of Manchester, NH. I saw an adult flying over the Merrimack River in Nashua a few years ago.

[Solamente]

So, when do we eat?

[tranzorZ]

I just read the first chapter of John Stossel's Mythes, Lies, and Downright stupidity. He mentioned that DDT can be harmful, but only in the massive over usage that we were using at the time. A little can go a long way, DDT is far more beneficial.

[appleharvey]

In the meantime maybe 50 million people died of insect borne illness that would never have become sick if DDT had been available.

From all of my reading, that is exactly the case. "What fools these mortals be."

[digger48]

So, what would be the preferred shell? #4 steel shot 10guage?

[italianquaker]

Chairwoman Boxer will have something to say about this. Hmmmmmm

[driftdiver]

"Was Rachel Carlson FOS about the effects of DDT on eggshells?"

In high concentrations DDT does result in thin eggshells. The quantities required are higher than normally found. It should also be noted that MANY other substances result in thin eggshells. The eagle population was in serious trouble before DDT use became widespread.

DDT did not cause the eagle population to decline.

[lesser_satan]

I see them in Eastern MN on the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers all the time too.

[NorCalRepub]

...with full choke......