After nearly disappearing from most of the U.S., the bald eagle is now flourishing and no longer needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act.
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced the removal of the bald eagle from the list of threatened and endangered species at a ceremony at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.
After nearly disappearing from most of the United States decades ago, the bald eagle is now flourishing across the nation and no longer needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act.
“I am proud to announce that the eagle has returned,” said Secretary Kempthorne. “In 1963, the lower 48 states were home to barely 400 nesting pairs of bald eagles. Today, after decades of conservation effort, they are home to some 10,000 nesting pairs, a 25-fold increase in the last 40 years. Based on its dramatic recovery, it is my honor to announce the Department of the Interior’s decision to remove the American Bald Eagle from the Endangered Species List.”
To ensure that eagles continue to thrive, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will work with state wildlife agencies to monitor eagles for at least five years.
If it appears that bald eagles again need the protection of the Endangered Species Act, the Service can propose to relist the species. The Service is also making the draft post-delisting monitoring plan available and is soliciting public comment for 90 days.
The bald eagle first gained federal protection in 1940, under what was later named the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The law curbed illegal hunting and shooting of eagles for their feathers, but they soon fell victim to another threat: DDT.
The widespread use of the pesticide DDT after World War II caused eagle populations to plummet towards extinction. When DDT washed off into waterways, it was absorbed by aquatic plants and animals.
When eagles ate contaminated fish, they would then be poisoned. DDT prevented the proper formulation of calcium necessary to produce strong eggshells. Consequently, the thinned eggshells cracked when an adult bird tired to incubate them.
Widespread reproductive failure and a precipitous decline in numbers followed. As a result, the bald eagle was protected in 1967 under the precursor to the Endangered Species Act. The eagle continued to be protected when the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was enacted.
The legal protections given the species by these statutes, along with a crucial decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to ban the general use of DDT in 1972, provided the springboard for the Service and its partners to accelerate recovery through captive breeding programs, reintroductions, law enforcement efforts, protection of habitat around nest sites and land purchase and preservation activities.
The bald eagle will continue to be protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Seen throughout the West, the bald eagle has made a remarkable recovery. Fish and Wildwife photo
BLM Seeks Bids in West for New Pasture Facilities for Wild Horses
As part of its responsibility to manage, protect, and control wild horses and burros, the Bureau of Land Management is soliciting bids for one or more new pasture facilities located west of the Mississippi River.
Each pasture facility must be able to provide humane care for and maintain at least 1,000 wild horses—up to as many as 2,500—over a one-year period, with an option under BLM contract for an additional four one-year extensions. The BLM needs additional space for wild horses placed in long-term holding facilities, all of which are currently located in Kansas and Oklahoma. Details of the BLM's requirements have been posted in solicitation NAR070106, which is available at http://www.fbo.gov. Applicants must be registered at http://www.ccr.gov to be considered for a contract award. The solicitation ends September 5, 2007. The BLM manages wild horses and burros as part of its overall multiple-use land management mission. Under the authority of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the Bureau manages and protects these living symbols of the Western spirit while ensuring that population levels are in balance with other public rangeland resources and uses.
To achieve this balance, the BLM must remove thousands of animals from the range each year to control the size of herds, which have virtually no predators and can double in population every four years.
The free-roaming population of BLM-managed wild horses and burros (estimated as of Feb. 28, 2006) is about 31,000, which exceeds by some 3,500 the number determined by the BLM to be the appropriate management level. Off the range, there are about 28,500 wild horses and burros cared for in either short-term (corral) or long-term (pasture) facilities. All animals in holding are protected by the BLM under the 1971 law. After wild horses and burros are removed from the range, the Bureau works to place younger animals into private ownership through adoption. Since 1973, the BLM has placed more than 216,500 horses and burros into private care through adoption. Under a December 2004 amendment to the 1971 wild horse law, animals over 10 years old, as well as those passed over for adoption at least three times, are eligible for sale. Since that amendment took effect, the BLM has sold more than 2,500 horses and burros. For more information about the BLM's management of wild horses and burros, please visit the BLM's national Home Page at www.blm.gov
Wild horses are part of America's great Old West history. The BLM is seeking bids for new western pasture facilties. BLM photo
North Dakota:
U.S. Forest Service Buys Important Acreage Next To Teddy Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch Property
Theodore Roosevelt's historic Elkhorn Ranch setting in North Dakota is now securely in the American public's hands. The USDA Forest Service said May 7 that it has purchased a 5,200 acre parcel of grasslands which houses the historically significant and natural resource-rich Elkhorn Ranch in the western part of the state. The Elkhorn Ranch—located in the Badlands of North Dakota—was the site where President Theodore Roosevelt operated a ranch in the 1880s. The ranch, purchased for $4.8 million from a private owner, becomes part of the Little Missouri National Grasslands. The Forest Service said it will honor existing legal rights and valid permits. Traditional uses such as livestock grazing, oil and gas development, and hunting will continue. It is the intent of the Forest Service to convey a like number of acres to the private sector to continue the same balance of federal lands in North Dakota, a spokesperson said. "This is a unique piece of land both historically and ecologically," said Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. "President Roosevelt helped to define conservation practices throughout the 20th century. The process leading up to acquisition of the ranch embodies principles of cooperative conservation; this is a tribute to President Roosevelt's legacy as well as a symbol of a new and exciting area of conservation and stewardship." It's our hope," stated Ted Roosevelt, IV, "as the Friends of the Elkhorn Ranch, that the lands that once served my great grandfather as a great source of inspiration and enterprise, will serve as a testament to a past we value, a model of conservation partnerships today and a promise to future generations of our continued commitment to the conservation of our nation's natural resources." More than 50 sportsmen conservation organizations, led by the Boone and Crockett Club, as well as prominent national and local officials, worked with the USDA Forest Service to secure the acquisition. Support came from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Friends of the Elkhorn Ranch. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation recently contributed a $500,000 challenge grant to complete the $5.3 million purchase and restoration of the ranch. Friends of the Elkhorn have set a goal of raising $500,000 to restore native prairie and riparian areas, improve wildlife habitat, and develop educational and recreation opportunities.
Southern California:
Walk of Western Stars Inducts Three Hollywood Performers; Honors the Late Jack Palance, Star of Shane, City Slickers
Three of Hollywood’s top Western performers, Harry Dean Stanton, Phil Rawlins, and the performing group Sons of the San Joaquin, were honored April 27 by the City of Santa Clarita as this year’s inductees into the Walk of Western Stars. Held in conjunction with the Southern California city’s annual Cowboy Festival, the Walk of Western Stars honors the Hollywood stars and legends of Western film, television, stage, music and radio, who over the years have contributed to America's Western heritage. Topping this year’s list of honorees was long-time actor Harry Dean Stanton. Acharacter actor with hound-dog eyes and the ability to alternate between menace and earnest at a moment's notice, Stanton has proven one of the most enduring actors of his generation. From his early days riding the range in Gunsmoke and Rawhide, Stanton has stood the test of time. His television credits also include performances on Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, and How the West Was Won. Also honored was Phil Rawlins, a long-time Hollywood stuntman who doubled for Clint Eastwood in Rawhide. He also rode shotgun on the stagecoach in Gunsmoke, as well as doubling for Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan, and Don Murray. Rawlins worked as a second assistant director in Fury, and as first assistant director at Warner Brothers Studios. His credits include Hawaiian Eye, Cheyenne, Bronco, and 77 Sunset Strip. Rounding out the honorees for 2007 was the cowboy music group, Sons of the San Joaquin. Since 1992, brothers Joe and Jack Hannah, and Joe's son, Lon, have recorded several Western albums and have performed their three-part-harmony songs at a variety of Western festivals and rodeos. The family singing group performs in the tradition of such memorable Cowboy-Western groups as the Sons of the Pioneers. The three join a long list of Hollywood greats. There have been 68 inductees through 2006, and honorees include such legends as John Wayne, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, James Arness, Ben Johnson, Rhonda Fleming, and many more. Additionally, this year the program honored the late actor Jack Palance, who died in November of 2006. During his career Palance appeared in many Western films, including the memorable role of the evil gunman Jack Wilson in the movie, Shane, and tough trail boss Curly in City Slickers. A special film tribute was aired, and his widow, Elaine Rogers, was on hand to accept the tribute. Palance was inducted into the Walk of Western Stars in 1993. The City of Santa Clarita produces the Walk of Western Stars annual $100-per-person dinner celebration in coordination with Carousel Ranch, a Santa-Clarita based non-profit organization that provides developmental therapeutic and recreational programs for disabled and disadvantaged children through horses. The Walk of Western Stars Web site can be found at www.walkofwesternstars.com.
Western character actor Harry Dean Stanton poses by his new Walk of Western Stars sidewalk plaque as Santa Clarita, Ca.-Mayor Marsha McLean looks on. Behind them are (left to right) Pam Ingram- Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce President, Councilmember Bob Kellar, and Councilmember Laurene Weste.
