Bald Eagle To Be Taken Off The Endangered Species List

Friday, June 8th 2007, 8:27 pm

By: News On 6

The American bald eagle is rising again. After four decades on the endangered species list, the national bird has bounced back, and the government is expected to take the bald eagle off the endangered species list by the end of the month. The eagle's call almost disappeared from American skies. The News On 6â€™s Ashli Sims reports now, the national bird is being called an environmental success story.

"Well, I think itâ€™s plenty time for them to come off the endangered species list," said assistant director of Sutton Avian Research Center Alan Jenkins.

He says the regal bird was almost killed off by the pesticide, DDT.

"This pesticide caused them to lay eggs with very thin shells, and when they tried to incubate, they would break the eggs. The females were just too heavy for a thin shelled egg, and without any young to replace the adults that died off, the population just went downhill," Jenkins said.

Thanks to a ban on DDT, federal protection and a national publicity push to save our nation's symbol, the bald eagle is back. Jenkins says Oklahoma is a good example. Back in 1990, the state didn't have any nesting eagle pairs, now we have 60.

"Sixty pairs is six times the goal that the recovery team set for eagles in Oklahoma, and that story has been echoed throughout the entire nation," said Jenkins.

But some conservationists argue against removing the majestic bird from the endangered species list. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service insists the bald eagle will continue to be strongly protected by other federal laws. And it will still be illegal to hunt or kill them. But it's the bird's habitats and nesting grounds that some argue that could be in danger.

Jenkins says it's not a factor now, but human encroachment does pose a risk.

"Human populationâ€™s expanding, are building roads and putting up power lines and all kinds of hazards to eagles all the time,â€ Jenkins said. â€œIt's a continuing problem and I don't know where it's going to end up."

The federal government says bald eagles are back to pre-World War II levels. They will decide whether the eagle comes off the list on June 29th.

Watch the video: National Bird Bounces Back