Bald eagles face shaky return from the brink

'In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love." When Alfred Lord Tennyson penned this line, he eloquently expressed the universal truth about the birds and the bees. One of those birds- the bald eagle- has made a remarkable comeback in New Jersey and is beginning a new nesting season.

Among nature's most awe-inspiring sights, these magnificent birds of prey soar high above lakes and rivers on wingspans of up to 7 feet. While it's exciting to learn of the bald eagle's resurgence, we mustn't lose sight of the continuing need to protect these majestic creatures, our national symbol since 1782.

When the pilgrims first landed, there were an estimated 500,000 bald eagles. But their numbers gradually dropped during the next two centuries due to hunting and habitat loss. Widespread use of the pesticide DDT in the 1960s put eagles on the brink of extinction. DDT caused eagles to lay eggs with thin shells that were easily crushed during incubation.

DDT was banned in 1972, but by then only one nesting pair of eagles was left in New Jersey, in Cumberland County's Bear Swamp. Bald eagles were listed as endangered in New Jersey in 1974.

In 1982, state biologists began removing the thin-shelled eggs from the one remaining nest; incubating them in a lab and returning freshly hatched eaglets to their nests. In addition, between 1983 and 1989, 60 Canadian eaglets were released into the heart of New Jersey's bald eagle habitat. Starter nests were built to encourage the birds.

The efforts have paid off. In 2007, biologists tracked 59 active nests in New Jersey, which produced 62 eaglets. Numbers for 2008 are still coming in, but as of this writing, five chicks have already been born to 54 active bald eagle pairs. By the time you read this, more will likely have arrived, including an eagerly awaited chick from a nest in New Jersey Conservation Foundation's Franklin Parker Preserve in the Pine Barrens!

But there is bad news still. In addition to natural hazards like storms that blow nests out of trees, New Jersey's bald eagles continue to be threatened by people.

Just this January, an eagle nest was found destroyed in Millville, Cumberland County. Three baby eagles had been born in this nest in 2006, and biologists believed it would remain productive as long as humans didn't disturb the site. Unfortunately, someone with a chainsaw inexplicably cut down the 70-foot pine tree housing the nest. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to conviction of the culprit, and the New Jersey Audubon Society upped the total by $1,000. So far, no arrests have been made.

As large birds, eagles are picky about where they build nests, and multiple generations may use a favorite site. Since this particular tree was the only one in the area high enough to be a suitable nesting location, we don't know what has become of the eagles that called it home.

Bald eagles face other challenges in the Garden State as well. Even though their federal endangered status has been removed, they remain on the state's endangered list and vulnerable to pollution and habitat destruction.

Outraged by the destruction of the eagle nest, Citizens United for the Protection of the Maurice River and its Tributaries Inc. is asking New Jersey residents to show their support for bald eagles by contacting Gov. Corzine to "let him know they are horrified by this act and want the individuals prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

To find out more about bald eagles, visit the Audubon Society Web site at www.njaudubon.org.And I hope you'll contact me at info@njconservation.org or visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation's Web site at www.njconservation.org for more information about conserving New Jersey's precious land and natural resources.

Michele S. Byers

Executive Director New Jersey Conservation Foundation

Far Hills