Bald Eagles - Symbol of A Nation and A Movement

Though Benjamin Franklin considered a turkey a better icon for our plucky nation, the bald eagle's regal countenance makes it a compelling symbol for the United States. This large, white-headed raptor, unique to North America, has proven itself an inspiring example of the power of environmentalism in the past forty years. Thanks to a collaborative conservation effort that spanned multiple states and many environmental disciplines, the bald eagle has come back from the brink of extinction to fly—and flourish —again.

The species' delisting from the Endangered Species List in 2007 marked the completion of a four-decade effort to restore plummeting bald eagle populations. Down to a mere 417 nesting pairs in the lower 48 states in 1963, the bald eagle was nearly extinct due to a wide array of environmental factors:

• DDT - Widely used before it was implicated for the decline of bird populations in Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and subsequently banned, this agricultural insecticide caused bird egg shells to thin and break before they hatched, limiting bald eagles' ability to replenish their numbers.
• Deforestation - The accelerated clearing of virgin, old-growth and other forests in the first half of the 20th century took away key habitat for bald eagles. It also didn't help that this continued into the second half of the 20th century... But at least more logging regulations are in place now, thanks to concerns raised in the 1970s during the height of the environmental movement.
• Hunting - Not only were bald eagles killed due to suspicions that they might harm livestock, but also their prey (including ducks and other waterfowl) was also suffering a population decline due to over-hunting.
• Water Pollution - Before the passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972, rivers, lakes, streams, you name it, were severely contaminated due to unchecked dumping of industrial waste and other pollutants. Given that bald eagles rely largely on water for their food—fish, waterfowl, frogs, etc.—this also significantly affected their health.

In short, a broad array of seemingly unconnected problems was leading to the demise of the bald eagle. A comprehensive approach had to be implemented, and fast.

Fortunately, the newly-formed United States Environmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife Departments, conservation organizations and state governments banded together to address all of the problems listed above. Bald eagles benefitted from the following solutions:

• DDT Banned — At the very end of 1972, over a decade after the publication of Silent Spring, DDT's use in US agriculture was banned. (NOTE: it is still used worldwide against mosquitoes)
• Eagle Killing Prohibited — As per the Endangered Species Act, it became illegal to hunt and kill the already-scarce bald eagle.
• Water Quality Improved — Thanks to the Clean Water Act and more targeted regional efforts, water quality in lakes, rivers, streams, etc. improved dramatically — and so did the health of species that rely on them.
• Habitat Protection and Restoration — The availability of tall snags (dead trees) for nesting was guaranteed by habitat restoration projects and protection of forests. Also, access to key habitat areas was restricted — human disturbance often disrupts nesting.
• Captive Breeding — Bald eagles were raised in captivity at zoos and other sites, and released into the wild. Thanks to the San Francisco Zoo alone, 100 eagles were released in 16 years.

It all boiled down to basic arithmetic and basic cooperation. The arithmetic that if you add more eagles to the ecosystem than what you remove, their populations will grow. And if you provide more habitat and food than you take away, they will have enough.

Cooperation was also a key component of this effort, and what makes it such an inspiring story. The broadly recognized need for eagle conservation, and for environmental protection in general, sparked a national effort spanning disciplines from agriculture to federal policymaking, conservation to restoration.

And let's not forget the freedom of speech and of the press that started it all—manifested in the strong case for ecologically sound practices brought forth by a well-educated and outspoken woman, Rachel Carson.

Big takeaway? Our much-vaunted freedoms can be used for the good of the environment, as well as our own benefit. And thanks to this idea, the bald eagle is thriving again.

Want to help support bald eagle conservation? Donate to the Audubon Society and learn more about what they do for bald eagles.

Check out bald eagles in the wild on the following SEEtheWILD trips: Alaska By Sail, Gulf Islands, British Columbia, and Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia.

Or just browse the SEEtheWILD trip offerings yourself!

Want to hear more? Check out some inspiring wildlife stories in Wild Hope eMagazine.

Eagle photos: Kevin J. Smith/Maple Leaf Adventures