Home Burial

Dan Ryan

Journalism and Mass Media

2-17-06

The Bald Eagle symbolizes freedom. The United States ultimately controls who is and isn't free. Right now, the Bald Eagle population is quickly depleting. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation along with the Florida Department of Transportation have been diligently working to come up with some kind of plan. Knowing that Florida hosts the most Bald Eagles in the country, one would think these giant birds could quickly flourish. Habitat loss is the leading cause for this problem. A possible solution to this problem is to slow down the production of residential houses, industry, etc.

BEHIV was developed to conserve the bald eagle habitat. It comes in three stages; the first, Identifies and collects relevant data, the second determines land use, roads, and water within a specified radius of each nest, while the third processes the data from step two, weight the layers and calculate a BEHIV score for each nest. Each site has a vulnerability to loss; this index figures out what that is, and then acts upon it. This is a solid idea, but residents are moving to Florida in the thousands everyday. Time is an enemy here. When houses are continually being built, the bald eagle, along with most of Florida's habitat is destroyed. Before someone decides to move to a particular state, they should have limited access. If the states population is high, it should be taken into account. Construction seems to be never ending, and every acre of land that is used, kills off or threatens a species. Just because we don't get a response doesn't mean that it's right to destroy natural land.

It's inevitable that these solutions in time won't be solutions at all. The rate at which we construct equals what is destroyed. As land becomes skinny, certain species are forced into crowded areas; the less land, the greater the mortality rate. Interestingly, in the early 20th century Bald Eagles were perceived to be a burden on society and the environment. For years until present day they were ignorantly hunted for they're beauty and value.

In the early 1900's it was common to see these birds of prey become prey themselves. Farmers were infuriated to find that the eagle was killing chicken, lamb, and other domestic livestock. For years, they were hunted in fear of a cash block.

Pollution is still an everyday issue. Pollution can be defined as the human alteration of chemical or physical characteristics of the environment to a degree that is harmful to living organisms. Contaminants like DDT have been widely used throughout the country. Pesticides were introduced to kill off unmanageable species that everyone disliked. (I.e. mosquitoes) DDT was commonly used in the Appalachian Mountains to attract more tourists and visitors. When fish began to die, the number of tourists visiting declined. They eventually found out that the dying fish relied on the mosquito larvae to survive. Before the mosquitoes hatch, nearly half of them are victims of fish food. Along with this, was the Bald Eagle. One of the eagle's primary sources of food comes from the water. This was creating a domino effect on the ecosystem, and the economy. Fishing suffered, which led to a lesser income for those cities. DDT was banned in the early 1980's as a result of this.

Habitat destruction is no different, besides the fact that it's a much bigger problem then DDT was. Unfortunately for this bird, an ordeal of this magnitude cannot be exterminated overnight. Time, which is our enemy here, is always working against us. Strategies for survival have been implemented, but not without a costly plan. It is required that once an animal reaches the endangered species list, it receives a recovery plan. This is a vital step to their survival, but once an animal does receive a plan, where does it go from there? We can hope that the species "recovers", but there is no guarantee.

History states that many wilderness areas were cleared for farms and towns, while young saplings were cut for timber and fuel. Today, an increasing number of people flock to America's waterways for recreational use. This has a growing impact on the habitat.

During the 1960's and 70's, research groups and conservation relief aided to the dwindling bird population. One of the largest colonies for breeding bald eagles in captivity began at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Maryland. Patuxent's scientists enhanced the species' breeding potential by removing the bald eagle's first set of eggs and incubating them artificially. By the late 1980's, the organization stepped away to view the progress of the bird. It was soon apparent that the effort was a success. The numbers were rapidly increasing and the long awaited recovery period had arrived.

BEHIV is the only known solution at this time. It's by far the most complex, yet handles the situation in an upstanding and professional way. As of now, population isn't regulated enough