Annual
Bald Eagle Survey Yields Important Results
PIEDMONT,
Mo., Jan. 23 -- The natural resource branch at Clearwater Lake recently
completed its annual midwinter bald eagle survey. This year we observed
3 immature bald eagles and 4 mature bald eagles on the project. That is
one more than last year. This survey is conducted by four-wheel-drive
vehicle in specific primitive areas and by boat inside the perimeter of
Clearwater Lake. Results are submitted to the state coordinator.
This year marked the 30th annual midwinter bald eagle survey, which is
conducted in many of the lower 48 states where eagles are known to winter.
This survey has been a key event in the recovery of bald eagle populations.
Every year hundreds of observers from federal, state and local agencies,
as well as conservation groups and private citizens, participate in the
survey by counting eagles along standard routes.
By 1995, the once near-extinct population recovered enough for eagles
to be upgraded from “endangered” to “threatened.” But make no mistake;
this national symbol is still protected by law.
The midwinter survey has gone through changes over the years. The National
Wildlife Federation began the survey in 1979, and the US Geological Survey
began organizing and coordinating it in 1997. In 2007, the USGS established
a partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers to maintain the long-term
national coordination of the survey, data analysis and reporting. This
is the first time the Corps coordinated the survey.
Survey
results are available on an updated website at http://ocid.nacse.org/nbii/eagles/.
The site was developed by the Northwest Alliance for Computational Science
& Engineering at Oregon State University. Users can retrieve count
data as well as summary information for individual survey routes. They
also can obtain estimates of count trends for different regions and states.
The Corps plays a significant role in recovery efforts of the bald eagle
by supporting eagle conservation, including breeding season and midwinter
surveys, management of habitat, education, and outreach. Corps lakes have
been vital to bald eagle populations. The Corps manages more than 450
man-made lakes like Clearwater project and has jurisdiction over about
24,000 miles of inland navigation rivers. Corps lake projects encompass
about 11.6 million acres of land and open water habitat, with the total
shoreline length exceeding the entire coastline of the United States.
As always, the staff at Clearwater Lake encourages visitors to come enjoy
our project lands.
For more information or a map of the Clearwater Lake Project, write the
Corps at RR 3 Box 3559-D, Piedmont, MO 63957, call 573-223-7777 or visit
the lake’s web site at http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks/clearwater/index.htm.
To ensure a developed campsite will be available upon your arrival, call
the National Recreation Reservation Service at 1-877-444-6777 or visit
the Website at http://www.recreation.gov
and make your reservations in advance. Other general lake and agency information
can be retrieved from the Internet at http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks.
For lake levels, releases and forecasted Black River conditions, links
to the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center and the Corps of Engineers
Water Management websites are now located on the Clearwater Dam and Info
Webpage at http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks/clearwater/damandlake.htm.
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