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For Immediate Release
Nation Celebrates Bald Eagle Recovery
Recovery of National Symbol Shows Importance of Endangered Species Act
Washington, D.C. -- Recovery of the bald eagle is a remarkable Endangered Species Act success story, Defenders of Wildlife said today as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the official removal of the bald eagle from the endangered species list.
“We have much to celebrate this Independence Day. Not only are we grateful for this beautiful nation, but we are celebrating the recovery of one of our nation’s most treasured creatures, the bald eagle,” said Jamie Rappaport Clark, executive vice president of Defenders of Wildlife, who served as director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during the Clinton administration. “Thanks to the Endangered Species Act, our children will have the opportunity to see a bald eagle fly overhead and will know that our nation is committed to carrying on a great wildlife legacy.”
Under the Endangered Species Act, the bald eagle’s recovery was made possible through captive-breeding programs, reintroduction efforts, vigorous law enforcement and habitat protection—including the designation of national wildlife refuges and the protection of nest sites during the breeding season. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, other federal and state agencies, conservation organizations and individual volunteers worked together to recover our national symbol. As a result, the bald eagle population has risen from a mere 417 nesting pairs in 1963 to more than 9,700 nesting pairs in the lower 48 states today.
“The recovery of the bald eagle shows that when we work together, we can make conservation miracles happens,” said Clark at today’s official delisting event at the Jefferson Memorial.
The recovery of the bald eagle demonstrates the important role the Endangered Species Act plays in protecting and recovering our nation's imperiled wildlife. To ensure that our national icon never ends up back on the endangered species list, the Fish and Wildlife Service is required to continue to monitor the eagle’s status and to use its authority under the Endangered Species Act to prevent significant threats from driving the species back toward extinction. Moreover, eagles will still be protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. These protections will provide the framework for the continued conservation of our national symbol.
The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and its implementing regulations prohibit the take of bald eagles, which includes activities that are likely to interfere with eagles’ breeding, feeding or sheltering behavior, or result in injury, death, or nest abandonment. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act further protects bald eagles and their eggs, nests and feathers by prohibiting killing, taking, or possession of eagles without a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The bald eagle was on the original endangered species list established in 1967, due to illegal hunting, habitat loss and exposure to the pesticide DDT, which causes thinning eggshells and subsequent reproductive failure in birds. The Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of DDT in 1972, but the chemical exposure continued to affect the eagles for years.
“The Endangered Species Act allowed us to put in place the protections that the bald eagle needed to recover from the impacts of DDT,” said Clark. “Without these protections, we would not be in a position today to celebrate the eagle’s recovery.”
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Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 900,000 members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come.
