In this episode, we sit down with wildlife biologist and author of Return to the Sky, Tina Morris to explore the remarkable story of the bald eagle, and her journey alongside them as a pioneer who helped develop the earliest techniques for reintroducing bald eagles into the wild.
By the 1960s, there were fewer than 430 American bald eagle breeding pairs thought to remain in the U.S. The species was nearly wiped out by the effects of decades of aggressive hunting followed by the toxic effects of the pesticide DDT. But in 1976, one woman’s passion for raptor conservation led her to the forefront of a bold conservation experiment.
A young student at Cornell's Lab of Ornithology, Tina Morris was tasked with helping to reintroduce Bald Eagles to New York State. With little more than her car, two dogs, and a handful of belongings, she took up residence alone at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge near Seneca Falls, New York. There, over the course of two years, she painstakingly raised seven young eagles through a process known as "hacking," a delicate method of releasing birds into the wild while avoiding human imprinting.
The work was grueling. From weathering fierce storms in a tent to scouring the area for roadkill and carp to feed the growing birds, Morris lived and worked in isolation, all while ensuring the eaglets remained unaware of her role in their survival.
Decades later, one of those eagles was discovered to have lived 38 years in the wild—a remarkable testament to the success of the program and Morris’s quiet, but groundbreaking, role in it. Her early efforts helped lay the foundation for the Bald Eagle’s return to the skies of the Northeast, marking a pivotal chapter in American wildlife conservation. Listen now to Tina's Story of Bringing Back the American Bald Eagle.
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