U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents are investigating the pesticide-induced deaths of 17 bald eagles that have been found in the central Willamette Valley over the past 13 years.Two of the birds found last month near Harrisburg, Oregon died as a result Fenthion poisoning, a pesticide that is illegal in Oregon. Bald eagles are protected as a threatened species.
Agents, along with the Services National Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, have pieced together a case since 1991 that shows Fenthion or other organophosphate pesticides were responsible for the eagle deaths. All of carcasses were found in the central Willamette Valley. Organophosphates kill by overstimulating the central nervous system. The Oregon State Police Wildlife Division and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are assisting in the investigation.
A reward of up to $4,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the bald eagle deaths. The reward is being offered by the Humane Society of the United States, the Audubon Society of Portland and the Corvallis chapter of the Audubon Society.
According to EPA, Fenthion is legal only in two counties in Florida. Its misuse is a violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act as well as Oregon Administrative Rules. The poisonings also are a violation of the Endangered Species Act, the Bald and Golden Eagle Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Anyone with information about this case, or who wishes to report the misuse of pesticides, should call the Oregon State Police Wildlife Tip Line, 1-800-452-7888.
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 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 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 Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
