Desert Bald Eagle
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Lists the Desert Bald Eagle As Threatened Under the Endangered Species Act
Bald Eagle Recovered and Delisted
On August 9, 2007, the bald eagle was removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species. After nearly disappearing from most of the United States decades ago, the bald eagle is now flourishing across the nation and no longer needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act.
The two main factors that led to the recovery of the bald eagle were the banning of the pesticide DDT and habitat protection afforded by the Endangered Species Act for nesting sites and important feeding and roost sites. This recovery could not have been accomplished without the support and cooperation of many private and public landowners.
- To ensure that eagles continue to thrive, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will work with state wildlife agencies to monitor eagles for at least five years. If it appears that bald eagles again need the protection of the Endangered Species Act, the Service can propose to relist the species. The Service is made the draft post-delisting monitoring plan for public review and comment. We are now evaluating those comments and finalizing the Bald Eagle Monitoring Plan
Federal Register: Notice of availability of draft
post-delisting monitoring plan; request
for comments (July 9, 2007)
Draft Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan
- Even though they are delisted, bald eagles are still protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. These Acts require some measures to continue to prevent bald eagle "take" resulting from human activities. The three actions described below pertain to implementation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
1) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized modifications to a regulatory definition of "disturb" under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (Eagle Act).
2) The Service released the final National Bald Eagle Management Guidelines which provide guidance to the public on how to prevent impacts to bald eagles that could violate the Eagle Act.
3) On June 5, 2007, the Service opened a 90-day public comment period on a proposal to create a permit program to authorize limited “take” of bald and golden eagles where the "take" is associated with, and not the purpose of, otherwise lawful activities. The comment period closed on September 4, 2007.
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