Posted on 05/15/2004 8:11:02 PM PDT by Libloather
Bush official: Bald eagle will be off threatened list this year
Last modified: May 15, 2004 6:28PM
By DON THOMPSON
Associated Press Writer
SACRAMENTO -- The American bald eagle - the national symbol whose decline helped spur the Endangered Species Act and a ban on the pesticide DDT - will be off the threatened species list this year, a top Bush administration official promised Saturday.
Craig Manson, the administration's point man on the Endangered Species Act, agreed with a leading environmental group which said it's time to concentrate recovery efforts on other, more needy species.
The Interior Department will outline its plans this summer after taking public testimony on how best to safeguard the bird while recognizing that its population has significantly recovered, said Manson, the department's assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks.
"That species is our national icon, and even though it may be delisted under the ESA it would remain protected under the Bald Eagle Protection Act," Mason told The Associated Press in an interview. "It's no longer endangered, but it's still deserving of special protection."
Once common across North America, the bald eagle was reduced to just 417 known breeding pairs in the continental United States by 1963. Its habitat was being destroyed as the nation grew, ranchers shot it as a danger to sheep, and widespread use of pesticides after World War II thinned egg shells and caused a crash in the eagles' birth rate.
Recovery efforts began with the Bald Eagle Protection Act in 1940. By 1978, the bird was listed as endangered in 43 states and threatened in five others. In 1995, the species was reclassified as threatened throughout the lower 48 states.
Today there are more than 7,678 breeding pairs in the contiguous United States, leading the group Environmental Defense to call on President Bush this week to "make history" by removing the bird from the federal list.
The delisting process began 4 1/2 years ago, but is taking far longer than the typical year because the eagle's range is so wide. Nesting pairs must be recounted in each state, and the government's plan must take into account differing protections enacted by individual states.
The delay stretches back to the Clinton administration, Manson said, but earlier this year the administration began the final steps to complete the process by year's end.
"There were some legal issues that had to be worked out, we've worked them out, we figured out how to do it," Manson said before delivering the commencement address at the University of the Pacific's Continued 1 | 2 | Next >> Last modified: May 15. 2004 6:28PM
...considering the fact that the 'National Symbol' is really nothing but a fish buzzard! You should see those things in Alaska, during the salmon runs, they're everywhere, but they aren't usually eating anything live, they prefer the dead ones. BWahahahahaha!
Beauty...
I have seen them taking carrion (racoons) beside the freeway in the Twin Cities area. Poor racoons seem to be endangered too, better get 'em listed.
Back in December of 2002 my daughter and I saw two of the things swooping over a park in Dover, Delaware. We took it as an omen that the Philadelphia Eagles were sure to go all the way that year. So much for omens!
Doubt it. The best athlete in Philly is a horse. He and his jockey make it the best team.
Does this mean we can bring back DDT?
They are fairly common in Northern Michigan. I've seen them by Lake Michigan, and also even inland flying over the hunting camp.
So9
Although it will be off the endangered species list, I do believe it will still be illegal to kill them.
They're all over Florida now, and they drop pieces of dead fish in my yard. Maybe I'll find out what they taste like, with hot-sauce, of course............FRegards
The pieces - or the eagles? Careful - other eagles are watching. (Something to keep in mind - eagle has a real tendency to taste a lot like spotted owl.)
bttt
We have a pair nesting about a mile from my home in Washington state.
I've seen a pair, male and female, doing what comes natural out on the Olympic peninsula. It's really quite spectacular, they fly to a great height, merge and get it on, and begin to fall. A hundred feet from the ground, they part and fly off, whether she's happy or not.
Even if they are no longer endangered, they are still protected under the federal Bald Eagle Protection Act.
The eagles, you fuel!
Spotty-Owls - yum! Tastes like Condor!
I was hoping for more of an alligator taste, without the toughness. Since we moved over onto the salt water from Lakeland, I can't bag any alligators in my backyard anymore, because, well, my backyard is the Gulf of Mexico - no alligators!
BTW, eating an alligator is like chewing on a Michelin-Steel-Belted-Radial tire! Gotta boil 'em alot...............FRegards, pal
What they selectively omit from this story is the fact that most of the "endangered" species that have been de-listed, were taken off as a result of more accurate record-keeping, not any amazing recovery effort on the part of our government's enviro-weenies.
And of course, the Indians ARE allowed to kill the eagle for ceremonial purposes.
I'm trying to remember the last time the eagle did something for the world except eat roadkill. The condor impresses me even more...with their roadkill lunches.
This positive will be twisted into a negative by the left. The vast majority of the left thinks that Bush is ruining the environment. When I ask one of these harpies to provide an example, they either change the subject or trot out "EVERYONE knows it's true" talking points. Watch for the hit Bush will take on this. It will resemble the arsenic hypocrisy.
I sure would like to pop the Golden Eagle that has moved into my subdivision and made life hell for small dog owners.
It is way too hot to have to wear a long coat to cover the shotgun I carry when walking my dogs.
So9
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