A Day With Eagles Along The Fox River
Have you ever seen a bald eagle? If not, here’s an opportunity to get the chance to do so. On January 17th, volunteers for “A Day with Eagles Along the Fox River” invite you to join them at various locations along the Fox River to explore the best eagle viewing locations in the Fox Valley from Kaukauna to Neenah. Most locations are public; some are private. A map of the sites can be found at http://foxrivereea.org/eagle-days/
Since the late 1980’s wintering and nesting bald eagles have returned to the Fox Cities area. Today, this region has become a popular destination for winter eagle viewing. Given the fact that this species was classified as endangered both in Wisconsin and nationally in the lower 48 states, its return to prior numbers is a significant event.
When the bald eagle was adopted as our national symbol in 1782 there were more than 100,000 nesting pairs of eagles in the continental United States. Due to contaminants like DDT, PCB’s and other heavy metals polluting the Fox River and other waters, the bald eagle populations declined drastically. These contaminants entered the eagles’ food supply causing populations of the birds to drop to only 487 nesting pairs in the United States (Wisconsin’s lowest breeding population was 107 nesting pairs in 1974).
Eagle recovery had its roots in Wisconsin with the banning of DDT in 1969, triggering a
national ban in 1972. Wisconsin through its Department of Natural Resources (DNR) assisted the national recovery by supplying eaglets to other states. Once endangered, bald eagles are now listed as a “Special Concern Species” both in Wisconsin & nationally. This focus provides effort to prevent future declines.
Special speaker presentations and a variety of children’s activities will be available throughout the day at the Fox River Environmental Educational Alliance Center, Paper Discovery Center (River level room -- enter through lower parking lot), Lawrence University (Cinema level 2) and 1000 Islands Environmental Center. For detailed information about A Day With Eagles Along The Fox River go to http://foxrivereea.org/eagle-days/