Nature

    The Bald Eagle always symbolized the power and prosperity of the American nation. North American cultures treated the Bald eagle as their sacred bird. For many decades, the Bald eagle carried a status of the divine messenger between people and gods, and it was not until the 20th century that Bald eagles were included into the list of endangered species. Under the influence of urbanization, industrialization, and ecological factors, the number of Bald eagles in the American continent dramatically dropped. Those who survived did not have a chance to breed successfully. Today, a whole range of programs and laws work to resuscitate Bald eagle populations in North America, and Bald eagle projects will, most probably, restore Bald eagle to the point when it will be removed from the threatened species list.

The Bald eagle (or Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a large raptor, with a wingspread of around 7 feet, with dark brown body, dark brown wings, white head and tail, and a yellow beak (U.S. Fish  Wildlife Service). Adult plumage in Bald eagles is obtained by the 6th year (U.S. Fish  Wildlife Service). The major population locations of the Bald eagle in the United States include Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas (U.S. Fish  Wildlife Service). Arizona is currently the central location and the basic element of monitoring Bald eagle populations in America U.S. Fish  Wildlife Service constantly monitors Bald eagle populations, their location and migration, and supports numerous Bald eagle restoration projects in the U.S. (U.S. Fish  Wildlife Service).

No one knows the number of Bald eagles that lived in America before European settlement, but once Bald eagles could be seen in every state (Patent  Munoz 33). The number of Bald eagles in the lower 48 states ranged between 25,000 and 75,000, and as more and more people settled across the continent, the number of Bald eagles gradually decreased (Patent  Munoz 33). Urbanization and industrialization destroyed the places where Bald eagles used to settle, and the 350 years following European settlement in America were accompanied by the steady decrease in Bald eagle populations (Patent  Munoz 33). To raise their families, Bald eagles need peace and quiet they need high trees to carry their heavy nests, but cities destroy forests and, as a result, threaten Bald eagles, leaving them no opportunity to breed successfully (Patent  Munoz 33). However, urbanization and industrialization were not the only factors that threatened the stability of Bald eagle populations in America.

As far as in the late 1940s, Bald eagle populations were dropping with an alarming speed, and by the middle of the 1960s, only five hundred of breeding pairs survived (Patent  Munoz 34). American biologists feared that Bald eagles would disappear from the face of the American continent. However, the cause of the trouble was soon discovered  DDT, a dangerous pesticide used to control insects and crop pests, got into the food chain, contaminating fish and prey which eagles ate (Patent  Munoz 35). The pesticide did not kill Bald eagles but made their egg shells thinner and weaker as a result, parent birds that sought to warm up their eggs would break them, killing the unborn birds (Patent  Munoz 35). Since the middle of the 1960s, Bald eagles have been included into the list of endangered species, meaning that the state would engage in the development and implementation of various Bald eagle restoration policies. In 1995, their status was changed to threatened to signify increased bird population and improved reproduction (Jenkins  Sherrod 810). Today, a whole set of national and state laws protect Bald eagles, and their population gradually increases.

In 2002, the Bald eagle was reintroduced at Channel Islands National Park (Anonymous 14). The Channel Islands reintroduction was one of the numerous projects aimed to resuscitate the endangered species and to give Bald eagles another chance to live and raise their families. Each year, the park would release 12 chicks into its park zone to see how well birds could survive the Californian climate (Anonymous 14). It should be noted, that before the DDT accident, Channel Islands had been one of the major locations for Bald eagles. Given that the park covers a key coastal area at which bald eagles once resided, the project is likely to become the turning point in the development and spreading of Bald eagles over the continent (Anonymous 14). The project gives some hope to those, who long to see Bald eagles back to Channel Islands.

Bald eagle populations in Oklahoma also display positive growth as of 2003, the population of Bald eagles in Oklahoma was 4 times greater compared with the recovery goal set by the Northern States Bald Eagle Recovery Team (Jenkins  Sherrod 812). Those increases in Bald eagle populations mostly were due to the increase of favorable habitat, the decrease of DDT in the environment, and the reintroduction of species similar to that in Channels Islands (Jenkins  Jerrod 812). The media keep spreading the message about the successful restoration all over the North American states, and the Hudson Valley has recently become an object of the peer media attention the Bald Eagle Fest held at Croton Point Park aimed to attract public attention to the Bald eagle problem and to celebrate positive changes in Bald eagle populations nesting in the Hudson Valley (Lombardi). Once endangered, the bald eagle has rebounded in recent decades but remains under the protection of the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (Correll). All these attempts and strategies will likely result in the Bald eagle population increase and will help to resuscitate Bald eagle populations to the point, when they will be removed from the threatened species list.

The Bald Eagle is fairly regarded as one of the basic symbols of the American continent. For years, the Bald Eagle symbolized the power and prosperity of the American nation. European settlement, industrialization, urbanization, and ecological factors have significantly reduced the number of Bald eagles in America and since the 1960s, Bald eagles have been included into the endangered species list. Today, the federal and state laws protect Bald eagles, and numerous projects work to restore Bald eagle populations in the American continent. Bald eagle populations gradually increase, and their status is now changed to threatened. Obviously, Bald eagle strategies and initiatives will help to resuscitate Bald eagles to the point when they will be finally removed from the threatened species list.