THE BALD EAGLE - THE MOST PROTECTED BIRD
THE BALD EAGLE - THE MOST
PROTECTED BIRD
In the 1970s, bald eagles were almost extinct in
Ohio, a state in the East North Central region of midwestern USA. By the 1980s
there were only four breeding pairs of the birds there. Several factors
contributed to the dwindling number of birds – among them was habitat loss, fragmentation,
and contaminants – PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl) an industrial pollutant, and
the pesticide DDT.
The bald eagle has been the National Bird of the USA
since 1782. Ever since the time of the Roman Empire the eagle has been a symbol
of governmental power. Many Native American religious traditions regard the
bald eagle and the golden eagle as messengers of the Creator, the Great Spirit.
A decade ago, there were only 200 nests in Ohio (the 34th
largest by area in the USA). Today, there are more than 700 nests across the state.
How and why did such a dramatic change
take place?
An article by Jon Stinchcomb in the Port Clinton
News Herald on November 23, 2020 explains how Mark Shieldcastle,
a wildlife biologist “has been at the forefront of the effort to save Ohio’s
bald eagles.” In 1979 there were only four breeding pairs of bald eagles in
Ohio. The restoration program was built from this.
Shieldcastle was a founding member of the Black Swamp
Bird Observatory. “It really shows what you can do. When humans make their
minds up to do something for wildlife, we can do it.”
He worked for over 30 years specializing in avian
research at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife. This
included looking for recovery efforts when the bald eagle “was at its most
vulnerable state.”
He was also a member of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory
(BSBO). In 2012 he retired from his position and now serves as Research
Director there.
Contaminants and other activities by humans affected the eagle population in
many ways. There were eagles eggs that could not hatch, for example and many young
birds had terminal deformities. What was happening with the birds was overly
complex. There were only four breeding pairs left in Ohio by 1979. By the early
1980’s a four-pronged restoration effort to save the bald eagle was underway. This
included fostering, education, rehabilitation, and artificial nest bases.
Ohio led the USA in fostering. Young captive born eagles
were placed in active nests and raised by adult birds in the wild. By 2008
there were 184 nests in Ohio. (In 2007 the bald eagle was taken off the
endangered species list in the USA.)
Another important component of the program was education.
Landowners, politicians, legislators, and the public were told about the value
of wildlife and why the “bald eagle” is so important.
“It’s been an amazing recovery and really it’s because of
the productivity, which was coming from the education about being responsible
around this bird,” Mr. Shieldcastle said.
He added that The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act,
(a federal law) was the “strongest piece of legislation ever written for wildlife.”
Today the bald eagle has become “the most protected bird
in the world,” he said.
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