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| Drawing of Bald Eagle flying over mountains and lake |
Here’s a success
story that everyone can feel good about—the Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus
leucocephalus. It’s also
appropriate to celebrate this amazing bird as part of July 4th
Independence Day because the Bald Eagle has been the national emblem since
1782, a mere 6 years after 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was
adopted. However, this beloved bird was moving toward extinction in the 1970s
when it became a protected species under the 1973 Endangered Species Act. What endangered the species is something that
caused widespread loss of wildlife—the pesticide DDT. This pesticide resulted in the weakening of
eggs and death of newborn chicks. It
also threatened and weakened species that the Bald Eagles sought for
dinner.
But I will always remember watching the bald
eagles at the Rondout Reservoir in Grahamsville where we had a house in the
early 1990s. Watching these magnificent
birds, sometimes with 7-foot wing-spans, in their aeries and especially in
flight, is a sight that is truly unforgettable.
So perhaps I will find another house and another place to watch birds
and nature—I sure hope so
New York State took the loss of this bird very seriously and
began an extremely successful reintroduction campaign in the 1970s and
1980s. The Bald Eagle is no longer on
the endangered species list. The birds
have become popular: there are bird cams in Washington DC and other parts of
the U.S. where people can watch live the hatching of new life, the care of
parent eagles, and the fledging of baby bald eagles. In the Shawangunks near Mohonk Preserve, bald
eagles have been sighted. And I am proud
to say that my contributions to this wonderful Preserve may have helped in
their efforts to keep wildlife, both flora and fauna alive and healthy. These mountains near New Paltz are one of the
things that I will miss dearly when we leave our house and this area in the
next few weeks.
