Should Bald Eagle Be Off Endangered List?

May 26, 2004 — -- Thomas Jefferson called the bald eagle "a free spirit, high-soaring, and courageous." But in the 1960s, it came close to disappearing.

At its low point, in 1963, the government counted only 417 "nesting pairs" (male-female pairs capable of having offspring) in the lower 48 states. The comeback since then, by all accounts, has been dramatic. The last national count, using 2003 numbers, shows 7,678 pairs.

"Suddenly, our public attitude turned around completely," said Peter Nye, leader of the Endangered Species Unit for the New York state Department of Conservation. "We all said, 'Wait a minute, this is our national emblem and it means something to us, and we should give it some special treatment.' "

Nye, a 54-year-old biologist, goes to great lengths — and heights — to make sure the eagles' numbers keep growing. He does regular surveys, climbing into treetops to check the birds' nests and make sure their offspring are healthy.

The national symbol, in the view of many environmentalists, was a victim of national growth. Expanding suburbs destroyed the eagles' nesting areas; pesticides destroyed their eggs.

In 1972 the government took two major steps. It banned the use of the chemical DDT, which was believed, among other things, to make birds' eggshells dangerously fragile. And it passed the Endangered Species Act, which imposed stiff penalties on people who hunted or otherwise disturbed plants and animals that were listed as being in danger of extinction.

Now, the Interior Department says the Endangered Species Act has done its job. It proposes removing the bald eagle from the list of threatened species, by the end of the year if possible.

"The bald eagle no longer needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act because it is not longer threatened and endangered," said Craig Manson, assistant secretary of the interior for fish and wildlife and parks.

"This is absolutely a success story. After all, the goal of the Endangered Species Act is to recover endangered species — get them off the list, get them out of the hospital, if you will, and we're doing that with the bald eagle."

Environmental Defense, a group that advocates bringing parties together to solve environmental problems, has been calling on the government to make just such a move. It says the Endangered Species Act — reviled by many landowners who complain they get lower priority than some animals — deserves a chance to be a source of good news.

"The job of trying to recover endangered species is a task that is within our grasp," said Michael J. Bean, a senior attorney with Environmental Defense.

The Interior Department says there would still be special protection for eagles under other laws; it would still be illegal to shoot an eagle or disturb its nest.

Nevertheless, other scientists and advocacy groups are concerned. They say the birds' habitats are still being cut down, that dangerous chemicals are still out there — in short, that it is too early to declare victory.

"I'm happy for the success," said Kathy Hudson, a biologist with the San Francisco Zoo, "but we need every bit of extra help to protect them. I'm concerned that when some people hear, they're going to think, 'Oh, everything's fine.' "

Back in upstate New York, Peter Nye worries, too. "We really have to ensure that the eagle doesn't return to the endangered species list. And the way that would happen is that there would be fewer and fewer places for it to live."

But for him, decades of work are paying off. When things were at their worst, he says, there was a single eagle's nest in New York state. Today, Nye says, there are 80.