A Crandon, Wis., man was fined $1,500, ordered to pay $500 restitution and a $25 special assessment Friday by a Federal Court in Milwaukee for shooting a bald eagle last March. Michael J. Pagel, 22, was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Gorence for killing the eagle while it perched in a tree along Old Highway 8 in Forest County, Wis.
On March 17, 2000, Pagel, his cousin, Richard A. Marvin of Crandon, and another man were driving along Old Highway 8 in Forest County when they spotted the eagle, an immature female, perched in a tree. The three men drove to Pagels house, retrieved a .22 caliber rifle, then returned to where they first saw the bird. Pagel shot the eagle from inside Marvins pickup truck. The men took the dead eagle to Pagels residence, where they removed the wings and feet. Marvin later discarded the carcass in nearby woods.
Local residents told a Wisconsin Conservation Warden that Pagel and Marvin were displaying a dismembered eagle foot as a trophy, and were speaking openly about shooting the eagle. Special Agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were asked to assist with the investigation.
Once classified as "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), bald eagles have recovered to healthy population levels and are now listed as "threatened" under the ESA. However, bald eagles and other birds of prey remain protected by federal wildlife laws such as the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Lacey Act.
In addition to the monetary penalties, Pagel was placed on probation for two years. While on probation, Pagel is banned from hunting or fishing anywhere in the United States and may not possess any firearms or other dangerous weapons.
Pagel is the second person to be sentenced for the eagle killing. Richard A. Marvin was sentenced in Federal Court in December for his role in the shooting. Marvin was fined $1,000, ordered to pay $500 restitution, ordered to perform 50 hours of community service, and placed on one years probation. While on probation, Marvin is banned from hunting anywhere in the United States, and he cannot possess dangerous weapons.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
