In 2019, proposals were submitted to the AEF by various organizations and groups requesting funds for eagle conservation projects to be carried out in 2020.

The American Eagle Foundation is proud to announce the successful candidates for its 2020 Bald Eagle Grants.  This is the eighth year the American Eagle Foundation has supported Bald Eagle research and conservation throughout the United States.  Six applicants for grants were selected by the Bald Eagle Grant Advisory Team to receive $99,787 in funding for work to be carried out in 2020.  To date, the American Eagle Foundation has sponsored grants in support of eagle conservation and research totaling almost $800,000.  We appreciate the important work of these grantees and are honored to be able to contribute to the continued growth and success of the Bald Eagle population.

The American Eagle Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to protect and preserve the United States’ living symbol of freedom, the American Bald Eagle, and other birds of prey.  The AEF is celebrating its 33rd year of carrying out its mission through preservation, repopulation, education, and rehabilitation. It is headquartered in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains at Dollywood Family Theme Park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

The following are recipients of the American Eagle Foundation 2020 Eagle Grants.

• Audubon Eagle Watch, Maitland, Florida. Monitor Eagle Nests for Disturbance and Productivity, Investigate Artificial Structure Use for Nesting, and Protect Habitat. $20,000
• Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, Trenton, NJ. New Jersey Nest Monitoring and Protection. $19,540.
• Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, Ft. Collins, CO. Colorado Bald Eagle Watch: Nest Monitoring and Daily Nest Survival Monitoring. $12,969.
• Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful. Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director. Fishing Line Receptacles with Public Outreach. (Note: link does not show funded work.) $7,330.
• Conservation Science Global, Inc., Drs. Vincent Slabe and Trish Miller. Quantifying Lead Abatement Strategies to Advance Mitigation Options for Bald Eagles in the Atlantic Flyway. $19,998.
• Conservation Science Global, Inc. and Winona State University, Drs. Trish Miller and Silas Bergen. Build Statistical Models describing Risk to Eagles from Wind Turbines. (NOTE: The link is from 2017, but gives the basis of the work that has been concluded and is being analyzed by Silas Bergen.) $19,950

The American Eagle Foundation obtained funding for this grant program in 2004, when both the U.S. Senate and House unanimously passed the “Bald Eagle Commemorative Coin Act.” Congress authorized the U.S. Mint to mint gold, silver and clad coins, which they sold to the public in 2008.  The American Eagle Foundation continues to make those coins available to the public through its web site.

The American Eagle Foundation uses a Bald Eagle Grant Advisory Team to numerically rate all grant applications.  This team consists of some of the most outstanding eagle authorities nationwide. Congratulations to all the successful applicants whose proposals were accepted for funding in 2020.

Saving the Channel Island Fox—With Help from Bald Eagles!

©National Park Service

November 6, 2019

A Little History

The Channel Islands are off the coast of Southern California and have a rich and unique history of wildlife found nowhere else on earth. The Channel Islands National Park is a remarkable place to visit and see nature as it once was. Today, Bald Eagles soar overhead and Island Foxes thrive. But there was a time when both of these species were nearly lost.

After WWII, the Montrose Chemical Corporation of California (producer of DDT) dumped massive amounts of waste into the county sewer system, ultimately going into the ocean to contaminate the fish that the Bald Eagles depended on for food.  The story of the fragile egg shells is well known – the eggs did not hatch, and eventually the Bald Eagles disappeared from the Channel Islands.

A herculean effort to bring back the Bald Eagle was successful, as shown in the documentary below.

A side note: In 2007, the American Eagle Foundation became the home of several pairs of Bald Eagles that had been instrumental in the repopulation of the Bald Eagles on the Catalina Island – a conservation effort by the San Francisco Zoo!  It is rewarding to think that the bloodline of AEF’s breeding pairs (Freedom & Faithful Spirit, Honor & Braveheart, and Volunteer & Hero) is still present in subsequent generations of Channel Island Bald Eagles!

What Did the Disappearance of Bald Eagles Have to Do with the Decline of the Island Fox?

The Island Fox is much smaller than its mainland cousins. It’s more the size of a housecat, weighing about 5 pounds. It once thrived on the Channel Islands, numbering in the thousands.

With the disappearance of the Bald Eagle from the Channel Islands for several decades, Golden Eagles gradually moved in and fed on the Channel Island Foxes.  The Golden Eagles were also enticed to the area because of another readily-available food source: feral pigs.  When settlers moved into the Channel Islands, they brought pigs with them. Many of these pigs escaped, and through successive generations a wild population of feral pigs inhabited the islands. The piglets were a favorite food for the Golden Eagles. So between the pigs and the foxes, the Golden Eagles thrived, while the Channel Island Foxes were reduced in number to only fifteen by the late 1990s!

In 1999 a recovery program was established to save the island foxes from extinction. To preserve the species, the Golden Eagles had to be captured and relocated, and the feral pigs were successfully eliminated. At the same time, the Bald Eagles were reintroduced on the island, helping to restore balance to the ecosystem.

Introducing the Bald Eagle back into the ecosystem proved to be a natural deterrent to the colonization of the Golden Eagle. In 2006 a Bald Eagle was observed escorting a Golden Eagle out of its territory on Santa Rosa Island. Newly released Bald Eagles were also seen chasing Golden Eagles off a carcass provided for them.

In an environment where fish is the primary source of food for Bald Eagles, the Island Foxes are not as vulnerable from attacks from the sky—although an occasional fox pup is still taken by Bald Eagles (as documented by eagle cams on the islands).

To jumpstart a resurgence of Island Foxes, captive breeding was a necessity  and it was successful! The program started just before the 2000 breeding season. Known breeding pairs of wild foxes that had been fitted with radio collars were captured, while other individual foxes were paired based on observation of compatibility. These pairs became the nucleus for restoring a viable wild population. Through successive generations, inbreeding was kept at a minimum to ensure healthy offspring, which were eventually released back into the Channel Islands. It is estimated that 1800 Channel Island Foxes are now living in this pristine environment, enjoying their favorite foods, which include plants (especially loganberries), insects, deer mice, beetles, and cactus fruits.

The recovery of the Channel Island Fox has been one of the most successful and quickest restoration projects in the history of endangered species.

Restoring Balance in the Ecosystem

When non-native exotic plants and animals are introduced in fragile ecosystems wherein exist plants and animals that are found nowhere else on Earth, many rare species can be pushed to the brink of extinction, including the Channel Island Fox.

Need for Ongoing Protection

The Island Fox population has been downlisted from endangered to threatened in 2016, but still faces challenges caused by pets being brought to the island by visitors. To protect the foxes from canine diseases, a percentage of the foxes are actively vaccinated against rabies and canine distemper. The foxes continued to be monitored by radio tracking to make sure the population remains healthy.

Part of the mission of the American Eagle Foundation is to advocate for the environment, for the animals that share this planet with us, and for the wild spaces that still remain.

Stearns male brings in prairie dog to nest in 2018

October 24, 2019

Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOS) is actively engaged in or authorizing a policy that allows full extermination/removal of prairie dog populations in very close proximity to active Bald Eagle nests.

With respect to the eight active Bald Eagle nests and one alternate nest on or adjacent to BCPOS-managed property, BCPOS owns and manages approximately 1,500 acres of land within the ½-mile buffer around active nests. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has determined these buffers to be critically important for protecting Bald Eagles from unlawful (and harmful) take, including in the form of disturbance to eagles’ normal breeding, feeding, or sheltering behaviors in the vicinity of the nest.

Buffer zones for Front Range Eagle Nests where elimination of prairie dogs will negatively impact existing eagle population by depriving the eagles of their main source of food. (click image to enlarge)

Of those 1,500 acres within ½-mile of active Bald Eagles nests, approximately 895 acres (60%) are currently designated No Prairie Dogs (NPDs) under its Prairie Dog Habitat Element of the Grassland and Shrubland Management Policy (“PD Policy”). Nearly 100% of Boulder County open space land in or adjacent to 5 of these nests are designated as NPD.

As a result, BCPOS is actively engaged in or authorizing a policy that allows full extermination of prairie dog populations in very close proximity to active Bald Eagle nests, which is removing one of the primary prey bases for federally protected Bald Eagles and impairing their normal feeding behaviors and related biological functions.

Representatives from Front Range Nesting Bald Eagle Studies (FRNBES) met with senior BCPOS staff on October 17 to discuss targeted changes to the Boulder County Parks & Open Space (“BCPOS”) Prairie Dog Habitat Element of the Grassland and Shrubland Management Policy (“PD Policy”). During the course of the meeting, we were told that based on past history of Bald Eagle nest success in the county, BCPOS staff saw no reason to discuss or consider any changes to the current Prairie Dog Management Policy.

Stearns Bald Eagle Nest and pair in 2018; construction as close as 540 feet away; photo was taken during weekend when there was no construction. (Click image to enlarge)

FRNBES reminded BCPOS senior staff that past nest history has no bearing on recent and future impacts on nesting eagles, which are and will be related to explosive human development in and around Boulder County. As an example, we discussed the Stearns Lake Bald Eagle nest in Broomfield, where the current landowner of the 70 acres under the eagle nest intends to exterminate all prairie dogs on his property. This land is directly adjacent to the 90-acre BCPOS Trillium property—currently designated as No Prairie Dogs (NPD). FRNBES studies demonstrate that the Broomfield nesting eagles hunt extensively and depend upon prairie dogs from both of these properties.

Past nest history—the reason stated by BCPOS staff to justify their lack of interest in modifying the existing policy—-also does not account for the 288 apartment complex that is still being built about 600 feet from the Broomfield nest tree. Currently, the nesting Bald Eagle pair are attempting unsuccessfully to re-nest east of their nest tree, conclusively due to disturbance from the nearby development. In addition, past nest history certainly does not account for the near absence of suitable old-growth cottonwoods in this area to build a new nest.

BCPOS is currently supporting a PD management policy that will very likely cause harm to nesting eagles. What is more, this policy violates the spirit of a federal law (BGEPA) intended to protect eagles. BCPOS staff has clearly placed a priority of agricultural leased land over the needs and rights of what should be federally protected eagles.

FRNBES is well aware that BCPOS staff alone cannot mandate changes to the current management PD management policy. However, we also clearly understand that their support and willingness to rectify these issues would be critical in any future changes made to protect and sustain prey sources for our nesting eagles.

It may be likely that the current landowner of the Broomfield conservation easement property—70 acres where the current nest tree stands- can exterminate ALL prairie dogs on his conservation easement property. Thus, as citizens of Boulder County, we even more so depend on an agency like BCPOS to make the right decision on their adjacent 90 acres to the nest. Continuing a policy of NPD on open space land owned by Boulder County residents—not BCPOS—is an insult to all of us that value and are committed to protect nesting eagles.

City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks is Doing it Right! It is notable that City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) also manages open space land that hosts two active Bald Eagle nests. We appreciate OSMP’s policy around Bald Eagle nests. Both of these open space properties are designated as overall Habitat Conservation Areas (HCA’s), and on these lands around the eagle nests, there is no extermination or removal of prairie dogs allowed.

Advocate For Our Bald Eagles!

Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOS) is currently supporting a prairie dog (PD) management policy that will very likely cause harm to nesting Bald Eagles. In addition, this policy violates the spirit of a federal law intended to protect eagles. Please write to the BCPOS Director Eric Lane, and the Boulder County Commissioners (all email addresses listed below), and insist that they preserve prairie dogs within 1/2 mile buffer of nesting Bald Eagles. Emails should be sent prior to November 15, 2019.

Contacts for letter:

BCPOS Director Eric Lane: elane@bouldercounty.org

Boulder County Commissioners:

Elise Jones: ejones@bouldercounty.org
Deb Gardner: dgardner@bouldercounty.org
Matt Jones: mjones@bouldercounty.org

Radnor Lake’s Aviary Education Center will have a Grand Opening Celebration on American Eagle Day, June 20, 2019.

If you live in the Nashville area, you probably know about the treasure that is Radnor Lake— a 1,402 acre Class II Natural Area. Four unpaved trails wander through the woods surrounding the lake, where hikers can enjoy wilderness native to Middle Tennessee, including river otters, beavers, mink, muskrat, bobcat, coyote and the white-tailed deer. Find out more about Radnor Lake!

Now, visitors can see the three new eagles at Radnor Lake State Park’s Barbara J. Mapp Aviary Education Center, which are finally ready to meet the public.

After months of park staff working to acclimate the eagles to their new environment, Radnor is hosting a free open house on June 20, American Eagle Day, where bird lovers can get at least a glimpse of the majestic creatures. Download the aviary brochure with map showing location.

“One of the long term goals has been to have captive Bald Eagles (that could not be released back into the wild due to their injuries) in the aviary where visitors could interact with them,” Radnor Park manager Steve Ward said. “The eagle is the top dog in the bird world,” he said, explaining they are the largest bird of prey in the southeast. “The eagles’ presence the past few years is an example of a better environmental balance at Radnor. The natural area’s ecosystem is the best it’s been in my lifetime, thanks to the efforts of many since 1973 to protect Radnor Lake,” Ward said.

Meet the Birds

Two eagles currently at the Radnor Lake Aviary came from the American Eagle Foundation.

“Talbot,” a partially flighted male Bald Eagle had a broken femur and arthritis. He came to Radnor in October from the American Eagle Foundation’s Eagle Mountain Sanctuary at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge and weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces, Laura Sterbens from AEF is shown delivering Talbot to the flighted eagle aviary where he shares a home with a Bald Eagle from the Catalina Islands.

An immature female eagle was delivered to the Radnor Lake Aviary from the American Eagle Foundation in November 2016 and is shown here with Laura Sterbens. This eagle is gloved trained and Steve Ward at the Radnor Lake Aviary works with her every day.

Two eagles came from the Catalina Islands

A partially flighted female Bald Eagle came to the Radnor Lake Aviary from Catalina Island in California in December 2018. She has a shoulder and leg injury and weighs 10 pounds and is thought to be 22 or 23 years old.

The staff at Radnor Aviary is thrilled to welcome a Golden Eagle, also from Catalina Island. She is 14 years old, weighs 9 pounds 2 ounces, and is 14 years old. She is blind in her left eye.

The two Bald Eagles are housed in the park’s new $110,000 flighted aviary, a 38-foot-tall netted enclosure that gives the birds freedom of movement and protects them from other predatory wildlife within the natural area.

The Golden Eagle has its own enclosure, similar to the ones that serve as home to an immature Bald Eagle, a Great Horned Owl, a Black Vulture and a Red-Tailed Hawk.

What is American Eagle Day?

American Eagle Day is held on June 20th of each year, and every state in the union (except Alaska) has issued Proclamations to recognize and celebrate the comeback of our nation’s living symbol, the majestic Bald Eagle. It is also a good time to encourage people to do all they can to conserve and protect our environment and the creatures who share it with us.

To learn more about American Eagle Day in 2020, please visit americaneagleday.org.

AEF Has Partnered With Radnor Lake For Many Years

The American Eagle Foundation’s Eagle Mountain Sanctuary at Dollywood is home to the largest collection of non-releasable Bald Eagles in the United States. Our mission is to provide the best care possible for eagles that cannot survive on their own in the wild due to a permanent disability. At times this means finding them a forever home at another facility in the country that can dedicate time and provide optimal care for these majestic creatures.

Several years ago, Steve Ward (Manager of the Radnor Lake State Natural Area of Nashville, TN), invited the American Eagle Foundation to partner with Radnor Lake to update their Bald Eagle display and to finalize the design of Radnor’s Bald Eagle aviary. Prior to this partnership, Steve had toured AEF’s facilities to get ideas for the Radnor Lake aviary. This interest was spurred by occasional signtings of Bald Eagles on the 80-acre lake surrounded by over 1,300 acres of adjacent State land that could potentially attract nesting.

AEF Eagle Consultant and retired TN Endangered Wildlife Coordinator Bob Hatcher provided the basic material and recent updates of the 3-year old eagle display. The display focuses on the chain of events leading up to Bald Eagle recovery efforts in Tennessee and milestones since. Hatcher and AEF provided on-site consultation concerning completion of the eagle aviary, and AEF agreed to transfer two non-releasable educational Bald Eagles to Radnor Lake after the aviary was completed.

Top photo: panoramic view of Aviary Center at Radnor Lake;
Below (Left): Charley Hankla, Lester Turner (Friends of Radnor Lake); Al Cecere, Spencer Williams (American Eagle Foundation); Norm and Debby Miede (Barbara J. Mapp Foundation)
Below (Right): Charley Hankla (Friends of Radnor Lake) and AEF Consultant Bob Hatcher

Be Sure To Visit the Radnor Lake Aviary

The AEF congratulates Radnor Lake for this major accomplishment and the role they are playing in Bald Eagle conservation and environmental awareness.

Celebrate American Eagle Day this year by visiting the Radnor Lake State Park’s Barbara J. Mapp Aviary Education Center.

Bald Eagle Delisting ceremony in 2007. L-R: Cecere, Founder & President of the American Eagle Foundation; Challenger; Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. The removal of the bald eagle from the “threatened and endangered” species list was announced by Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne on June 28, 2007.The Bald Eagle is now a protected species in the lower 48 states. The banning of DDT, strict protection laws, the work of conservationists and environmentalists, and the efforts of organizations like the American Eagle Foundation have all contributed to the recovery of Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states. They’ve made an amazing comeback from an estimated 417 nesting pairs in the early 60s to over 15,000 pairs today!

Revisited on June 5, 2019 – from the actual June 28, 2008 event—part of a series celebrating Bald Eagle Challenger in his 30th Birthday Year.

American Eagle Foundation staff and Bald Eagle Challenger were guests at an impressive ceremony on June 28, 2007 to celebrate the dramatic recovery of our nation’s living symbol, the Bald Eagle. Speaking from the steps of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC, Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne announced that the Bald Eagle was being removed from the Endangered and Threatened Species List.

Kempthorne emphasized the ongoing commitment of the Interior Department and the entire federal government to the eagle’s continued success, noting that Bald Eagles will continue to be protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Both federal laws prohibit “taking” — killing, selling or otherwise harming eagles, their nests or eggs.

“After years of careful study, public comment and planning, the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are confident in the future security of the American Bald Eagle,” Kempthorne said. “From this point forward, we will work to ensure that the eagle never again needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act.”

A highlight of the Delisting Ceremony occurred when Challenger soared majestically over the crowd gathered at the steps of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC.

Symbolizing our Nation, Challenger the Bald Eagle takes to the sky at the Delisting Ceremony.

Two highlight videos follow.

Eagles Still Need Our Help

Since that day in 2007, the Bald Eagle population throughout the United States has made significant advances, with current estimates of more than 15,000 Bald Eagle pairs in the lower 48 states. However, the Bald Eagle still faces many problems—wind turbines, electrocution from power lines, human encroachment into natural habitats, lead poisoning from fishing tackle and ammunition—as well as diseases such as West Nile Virus.

The American Eagle Foundation is focused on educating the public to do all they can to protect wildlife and their habitats. Challenger has been the face of the AEF—and a symbol for Bald Eagle conservation.

Erie nest in early morning Feb. 2013, two years prior to the permitted nest removal.

by Dave Bove, Front Range Nesting Bald Eagle Studies

In Colorado’s Front Range – specifically in Weld County – Bald Eagles are in trouble. Weld County is among the fastest human growth areas in the state, and residential and commercial development continue to threaten existing eagle territory.

Graphic shows Colorado county population growth between 2010 – 2017. The Erie nest is enclosed in red rectangle.

A Call to Action to Protect the Erie Nest from Encroachment

The American Eagle Foundation joins with Front Range Nesting Bald Eagle Studies, a Colorado non-profit research & conservation group, in urging our readers to submit original, kind and informed comments to the Weld County Planning Services based on salient points documented in the following blog post. Factual statements, brevity, and positive statement relating concern for the welfare of these and other nesting Bald Eagles in the Colorado Front Range will have the most impact.

Extended Deadline for Comments is June 15, 2019.

Please ACT NOW by sending your comments to the address below. Deadline for comments has been extended until June 15, 2019. Help Protect the Erie Nest from Encroachment!

Letters or emails should be sent to:

Chris Gathman
Weld County Planning Services
1555 N. 17^th Ave.
Greeley, CO 80631
cgathman@weldgov.com
RE: USR19-0023 GS Farms LLC

Land use projections indicate that the majority (70%) of the 9 square kilometer territory that the Erie Bald Eagles now hunt and depend upon will be lost to development in the near future.

The Erie Nest – A Story of Courage & Resolution, Heartbreak & Determination

The Erie nesting Bald Eagles are emblematic of the remaining 195 pairs that live in Colorado, a state that now ranks #5 in the U.S. in human population growth. The pace of human development in the state is most pronounced in the northern Colorado Front Range, which is home to the Erie Bald Eagle nest. Unfortunately, many of the counties in the northern Front Range, like Weld County, lack land conservation programs, and coincident with the human population growth, wildlife habitat is disappearing at a blistering pace.

We all know the story about miners in the past using canaries to check the quality of air before descending into the tunnels to bring forth coal and other minerals. The Erie nesting Bald Eagles are the “canaries” in the proverbial Colorado nesting Bald Eagle coal mine. Their recent history documents ongoing struggles with human encroachment over the past four years. The onset of these disturbances was the legal removal of their original nest tree in 2015, which paved the way for construction of 2,200 homes on this undeveloped square mile tract.  Since that time, the eagles have twice moved their nest location, largely due to the difficulty of finding a suitable nest tree and sustainable environment.

After two subsequent failed seasons—including the tragic loss of two nearly full-grown eaglets due to collapse of their old and weathered nest tree—the Erie pair established their current nest in the fall of 2017.  As is typically the case with nesting Bald Eagles, they once more chose to nest within the limits of their familiar territory, this time only 1 mile from their original nest site.

Female and both eaglets in early May, 2017, just prior to nest collapse on May 22. Both eaglets died when nest fell.

Erie family in new nest tree 2019.

New and Proposed Development Puts the Erie Nest in Grave Danger

Summer of 2018 marked the first successful fledge season for these eagles since 2014. However, in the wake of that success, 2019 brings two more development projects within close proximity to their nest.

• The first is the expansion of a new subdivision, which has already received approval, and will construct homes within ¼ mile of the nest.
• Recently, we received notification of a planned light commercial development that could bring retail traffic and associated disturbances less than 0.2 mile from the nest. Not only will this development encroach upon the nest but will form a barrier between the nest and the adult eagle’s important night roost area that would be on the opposite side of the proposed development.

The Erie nesting Bald Eagles are sounding the alert regarding the significant amount of extractive, commercial, residential, and other development rapidly encroaching on eagle habitat in Colorado’s northern Front Range. Bald eagle nest numbers in Colorado are still more than 10 times lower than in states like Florida, or in the Pacific Northwest, where food resources are significantly more abundant, and weather conditions during nesting season are less severe.

Furthermore, in the nearly 1,000 square kilometer area surrounding the Erie nest, there have been no new successful Bald Eagle nests since 2014.  It is arguable that Bald Eagles are being forced into more marginal nesting situations in eastern Boulder and western Weld County, which is likely contributing to several reported nest failures—an inevitable result when eagles are compelled to nest in unsafe trees so they can distance themselves from oil wells, subdivisions, and other disturbances.

In the figure below:

The Erie Male Bald Eagle is Missing – And an Eagle Dad in a Nest Close By – the CR16 nest, is Doing Double Duty!

Many people have been sharing the national news about the wildly popular trio Bald Eagle nest on the upper Mississippi River. Front Range Nesting Bald Eagle Studies (FRNBES) has discovered a similar situation with the Erie Nest and the CR16 nests that are about 2 miles apart.

There is a lot to share about this situation, as these are two nests that  have been studied for years and in great detail. Sometime over a year ago there were definitively 2 males; now there is only one, and he and both females have an enormous task, as they are raising 3 young eaglets currently–2 at the Erie nest, and one at the CR16 nest. Something happened to the Erie male at some point, but just what remains a mystery.

The male Bald Eagle in the CR16 nest is now helping support, protect, and feed the family in the Erie nest – as well as continuing with his duties in the CR16 nest. As far as we know, this has only been documented twice in the scientific literature.

The CR16 nest (foreground left) and the Erie nest (background right) are both being supported by a single male Bald Eagle since the disappearance of the male in the Erie nest. (photo shows nests approximately 2 miles apart)

Points to Emphasize in Your Letter or Email

To carry the most weight and to be as effective as possible, letters to the developer should be personal, sincere, and succinct. Here are some salient points that you might want to focus on.

• The proposed GS Farms LLC development will be located less than 0.2 miles from the active “Erie” Bald eagle nest. The project will be well within Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s (CPW) recommended ½ mile protective buffer to avoid disturbance around eagle nests.
• The project will also encroach upon and likely disturb the nest, and the adult eagle’s protective night roost, located about 0.1 miles north of the proposed project.
• Besides encroachment and likely disturbance of federally protected eagles, this busy commercial and residential operation is incompatible with the character and values of those that currently live and farm in this area.
• Due to the close proximity of this loud, invasive project to an active eagle nest and night roost, it is foreseeable that unauthorized “take” of eagles will occur as a result of the human-induced disturbances associated with this project. By constructing this project well within the buffers deemed by CPW to be necessary to avoid a majority of eagle take, the developer is taking serious risks that it will take eagles in violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA).
• As the housing and extraction boom expands across the Front Range, clashes between development and wildlife continue to increase. The Erie nesting Bald Eagles have already lost their original nest to development, and if projects like GS Farms LLC are allowed to continue, this and other nests will only be fading memory in this area.

Help safeguard this area for the Erie nest and other eagles in Colorado. They need our help!  Please consider writing or emailing 

Chris Gathman
Weld County Planning Services
1555 N. 17^th Ave.
Greeley, CO 80631
cgathman@weldgov.com
RE:USR19-0023 GS Farms LLC

This is very time sensitive issue. Please ACT NOW as deadline for comments is June 15, 2019.

Thank you for your support of the Erie nest and Eagles everywhere!

October 27, 2017

Bald Eagle Challenger ©2017 American Eagle Foundation

Eagle “Challenger” Fan Alert:

The American Eagle Foundation’s trained non-releasable bald eagle “Challenger” will free-fly during the presentation of the Star Spangled Banner right before Game 3 of the World Series on Friday evening (Oct. 27, 2017) between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX.

Master Sergeant Promise Harris, Texas Air National Guard, will sing the USA’s National Anthem

Challenger’s soul-stirring flights during the Star Spangled Banner have inspired many millions of Americans, and honor American servicemen and women, along with first responders, who bravely and unselfishly serve and protect our country at home and abroad.

The non-profit American Eagle Foundation (WWW.EAGLES.ORG), cares for the 28-year-old male bald eagle for educational purposes under federal and state wildlife permits. The AEF was established in 1985 and is headquartered at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN.

Challenger was blown from a wild nest in a storm as a baby and was hand raised by some well-meaning people who rescued him. Consequently, he became a “human-imprint” after being fed by people at a young age and thereafter could not survive on his own in the wild.

Over the past two decades, the celebrity eagle has appeared at numerous major sporting events across the United States, including 10 previous World Series games, over 75 NFL games, the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, NCAA Men’s Final Four, NCAA Women’s Final Four, NFL Pro-Bowl All-Star Games, NFL’s AFC Championships, NCAA Baseball World Series, Fiesta Bowls, BCS National Championships, Cotton Bowls, and NCAA National College Football Championship.

For additional info, contact AEF President Al Cecere: 865-809-2385, Al@Eagles.Org, and Laura Sterbens: Laura@Eagles.Org