From Green Right Now Reports
As mascots go, the U.S. Bald Eagle has been much beloved, but not always well tended. Once prolific in the U.S., the population wavered and fell dramatically in the 20th Century — until biologists discovered that DDT and other pollution was impairing the bird’s ability to reproduce.
Bald Eagle (Photo: National Wildlife Federation.)
That was one big canary in a coal mine.
With DDT now banned, the Bald Eagle has rebounded, and was removed from the Endangered Species list in 2007. Where once the U.S. Bald Eagle numbered only several hundred breeding pairs, there are now an estimated 9,000 or more Bald Eagles living in the wild, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The National Wildlife Federation, knowing that familiarity breeds fondness (at least when it comes to wildlife), is asking Americans to celebrate the return of the Bald Eagle by going bird watching.
NWF compiled this list of places in the U.S. where one is likely to spot the national emblem in its winter habitat.
Bald eagles can be seen in every state except Hawaii, according to the NWF. The group’s list includes an Eagle-inhabited spot in every state, but notes that some state’s enjoy larger winter congregations of the birds, while others may support just a few breeding pairs.
The places to visit:
Alabama
Lake Guntersville State Park, (256) 571-5440 or
Alaska
Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, (907) 465-4563 or
Arizona
Mormon Lake, (928) 527-3600
Arkansas
Beaver Lake, (479) 636-1210
California
Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge, (530) 667-2231
Colorado
Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge, (719) 589-4021 or
Connecticut
Connecticut River Shepaug Eagle Observation Area
Delaware
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, (302) 653-9345
Florida
Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area: Prairie Lakes Unit, (407) 436-1818
Georgia
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, (912) 496-7836
Hawaii
Bald eagles are found in every state but Hawaii.
Idaho
Lake Coeur d’Alene/Wolf Lodge Bay, (877) 782-9232 or
Illinois
Cedar Glen Eagle Roost
Indiana
Monroe Lake, (812) 837-9546
Iowa
Keokuk Riverfront Area and Lock and Dam 19, (800) 383-1219
Kansas
Perry Reservoir, (620) 672-5911
Kentucky
Ballard Wildlife Management Area, (502) 224-2244
Louisiana
White Kitchen Preserve, (225) 338-1040
Maine
Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, (207) 454 -7161
Maryland
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, (410) 228-2677
Massachusetts
Quabbin Reservoir, (413) 323-7221
Michigan
Erie Marsh, (517) 316-0300
Minnesota
Voyageurs National Park, (218) 283-6600
Mississippi
Nelson Dewey State Park, (608) 725-5855
Missouri
Sandy Island Natural History Area, (314) 968-1105
Montana
Hauser Lake, (406) 454-5840
Nebraska
Kingsley Dam, (402) 471-0641 or
Nevada
Lake Mead National Recreation Area, (702) 293-8906
New Hampshire
Adams Point Wildlife Management Area, (603) 271-2461
New Jersey
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, (570) 426-2452
New Mexico
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, (505) 248-6911
New York
Mongaup Falls Reservoir, (845) 557-6162
North Carolina
Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, (919) 733-4181
North Dakota
Riverdale Wildlife Management Area, (701) 328-6300
Ohio
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, (419) 898-0014
Oklahoma
Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, (580) 626-4794
Oregon
Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge, (530) 667-2231
Pennsylvania
Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, (717) 787-1323
Rhode Island
Scituate Reservoir, (401) 222-6800
South Carolina
ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge, (404) 679-7154
South Dakota
Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge, (605) 487-7603
Tennessee
Reelfoot Lake State Park, (731) 253-9652
Texas
Lake Fork Reservoir
Utah
Ouray National Wildlife Refuge, (435) 545-2522
Vermont
Harriman Station, (603) 448-2200
Virginia
Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, (703) 490-4979
Washington
Skagit River Bald Eagle Natural Area, (360) 445-4441
West Virginia
South Branch of the Potomac River, Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad, (304) 424-0736
Wisconsin
Nelson Dewey State Park, (608) 725-5374
Wyoming
Buffalo Bill State Park, (307) 587-9227
For more information on the recovery of the Bald Eagle, see these resources:
The Eagle Institute, based in the Northeast U.S.
The National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minn.
Where Would They Be Now?, an article published by NWF about species brought back from the brink of extinction.