Wildlife service to further protect bald eagles

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published an environmental assessment last week regarding a permit program, designed to protect bald and golden eagle populations while working with property owners and businesses.
"This program would allow issuance of permits under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act authorizing activities that may disturb eagles, require nest removal, or otherwise result in the death of or injury to a bird," according to a USFWS press release."While the bald eagle was protected under the Endangered Species Act, the Service had the authority to allow landowners, under certain limited conditions, to undertake otherwise lawful activities on their property that could result in death or injury to eagles." A Notice of Availability regarding the draft environmental assessment appeared in the August 14, 2008, edition of the Federal Register. "The draft environmental assessment lays out the biological foundation for a proposed nationwide permit program, and examines the impacts of the new permit proposal within the context of all threats to eagles," the release states. "It proposes upper limits to how many eagles can be taken conditioned on increasing or stable populations."
Last year, two bald eagle chicks hatched on Santa Catalina Island on their own, without the help of humans for the first time since the 40s.
The eagles on Catalina at Two Harbors are taken care of as part of the Channel Islands Bald Eagle Restoration Project conducted by the Institute for Wildlife Studies and funded by the Montrose Settlements Restorations Program and donations, according to the Catalina Island Conservancy. Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife