A Blad Eagle in flight, happy in it's habitat :)
Here is an article about the success of the bald eagles.
http://articles.cnn.com/2007-06-28/tech/bald.eagle.delisting_1_bald-eagle-golden-eagle-protection-act-eagle-habitat?_s=PM:TECH
"Bald Eagles soars off Endangered Species List"
By: Peggy Mihelich
June 28, 2007
Also, below is a link of a Good Morning America video that shows a specific example, and a cute eagle!
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video?id=3601140
Summary: Over a century (1870 to 1970) bald eagle populations were taking a hit and decreasing rapidly. Eagles were not only hunted, but their habitats were being destroyed, causing a decrease. Also, the chemical DDT, found in insectisides, build up in ecosystems, and eventually make their way to the top predators of a food chain, which was the eagle. After years of struggling for these creatures, in 1972, the government took action to preserve them. They banned DDT from being used in an effort to prevent the eagle's eggs from being too frail and cracking (making it impossible to reproduce). Also, they put eagles under protection of The Endangered Species Act, which meant that the government could conserve their habitat and prevent hunting. Now, with all of this in place, the number of nesting eagles has gone from 417 to 9,789 in just about 40 years! With such a pheonominal increase, the eagle has been removed from the endangered species list, which is rare and exciting! However, this means that the government will not be protecting their habitat or hunting issues. While this success is exciting, considering the recovery rate of endangered species is about 1%, professionals fear without protection, the eagles may be at risk of returning to being endagnered. However, this success of America's symbol is an inspiration!
Reflection: This really made my day! In articles or on the news, when you see or hear the words "endangered species", it is usually one being added to the list. This, however, is a rare occurance! I also find it amazing that our nation's symbol was able to be recovered. This article really made me think about how we would feel as Americans if our national symbol became extinct. That would give us little hope. If our national symbol couldn't make it out of a sticky situation, then how could we in a time of economic ressesion? Even though people are saying the eagles may be at more of a risk since they are not under as much restricion, I feel this should be exciting. People have worked hard to make this happen, and I find it completely worth it. Now, new species can be put into the spotlight of being saved. However, I think hunting animals like this should be illegal regaurdless. It is uncalled for, and there is no need for them to be targeted, expecially considering they are not a common food source to us.
Questions:
- Do you feel that maybe the bald eagle's success was because the government favored them as our nation symbol?
- Did DDT affect others? Was this chemical the reason other species were added to the endangered species list?
- Are you worried about the protection of the eagle? Do you feel it's population will decrease again without the government's restricitions?
- Since it said there was a 1% success rate of getting off the endangered species list, which other animals were successful? Do you think they were larger animals? Key food sources? Why?
Opinion/Reflection:
ReplyDeleteWOW! What an incredible article about the bald eagles. It really was another wonderful "underdog" story. Orginally, these birds were decreasing rapidly (because of DDT), and were put on the Endangered Species List. However, I was jumping up and down when I read that the birds overcame being endangered and their population increased (YAY!). I just hope that they are doing fine without the government protection on their side. I am rooting for these cute bald eagles!
Expansion:
I found this awesome article that just expands the situation with the bald eagles. The article goes into depth about where they live, and how the birds live. It really was interesting to read more about this serious situation. Here is the link:
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/eagle/recovery/biologue.html
I also found this really awesome article that extends the DDT side of the bald eagle situation. This article really gets you thinking! The article insists that banning DDT wasn't for saving the bald eagles, but for power for environmentalists. Hmmm...
Read More here:
http://archive.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=3664
Answer a Question:
1: This question really put the scenario in another perspective, and really got me thinking! Well, there are tons of species on the endangered species list, and they aren't our nation's symbol. I honestly think that the government was just "doing the righ thing" by saving the birds.
Ask more questions:
1: What do you think about the future of the bald eagle? Will its popualtion increase or decrease?
2:About how many species are on the Endangered Species List? In your own opinion, do you think this is a large number or small? (keep in mind ALL the species that live on Earth!)
3:In what year did the government start saving the bald eagle? Do you think they spent too much time with the situation, or too less? Explain.
Opinion/Reflection
ReplyDeleteThis was such an inspirational article. It’s not every day that a species is taken off the endangered species list. Although this is a very happy occasion, it makes me realize how much off an impact humans really have on the environment. The only reason as to why the eagles were becoming endangered in the first place was all because of how we treated them. We destroyed their habitat, released dangerous chemicals into the air, and hunted them. People play a major role in the endangerment of animals. It also makes me wonder how many other species aren’t as lucky, because people aren’t always thinking about how their actions impact the natural environment. I hope that in the future there are more success stories like this one!
Expansion
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,202447,00.html
Here is an about the effects of DDT on the bald eagles. DDT was a main reason to the eagles becoming endangered. After DDT was banned, the eagle starts a dramatic recovery. The article also states that DDT was the only factor in harming the eagles, but that hunting and habitat loss also played a major role. It was interesting to read that there are many harmful factors towards a species becoming threatened or endangered, not just one.
Question-#3
I don’t think there is much to worry about the eagles possibly being added to the endangered list again. For one reason, a main cause of them being threatened was DDT. Now that people know about the harmful effects of DDT, people may be less likely to use chemicals like this. Without the governments protect I think the eagle will be fine. People have a strong sense of pride. The bald eagle is symbolic in many ways to Americans and I don’t think people would want to watch such an important part of our freedom become extinct.If this were to happen again, I think the outcome would be a positive one.
Wow how could this happen to the Bald eagle the national symbol of the United States. I think who ever said to use DDT was not thinking about the effect it would make. I things like this is why most animals are endangered. It is because we are too careless of what we do. I also think that even if they were eating too much fish then let them it is natural. I wish that people would just be thinking about the environment before doing something because it would mess up a lot of things. I love seeing birds fly because I as a kid I always wanted to fly. Hearing that these birds are making a comeback makes me happy but also worries me a lot. I mean what happens when the government takes off the protection and people start hunting them down then what would happen. In the end though I'm pretty happy with this situation.
ReplyDeleteExpansion
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/bald-eagle
In this website it tells how the Bald eagle was endangered and how it managed to survive through the hardship. It also tells about the Bald eagles weight, length, height, what it eats, and etc.
Questions
What can we do to prevent it from happening ever again?
How will people make sure that there are health populations of Bald eagles?
Can we save other animals like we did with the Bald eagle?
Opinion/Reflection
ReplyDeleteWhoa! That is so good to hear, an article that has a very happy ending! I am so glad that everything worked out for the Bald Eagles! It was terrible with what was being done and how close they were to extinction! The fact that their not only just another species to us, but they are a symbol makes this whole article really inspirational how we worked our hardest to save them! However, I wish this was done with every other endangered species because each one deserves to have a story like the Bald Eagles! It really is extremely rare that a species was taken off the endangered species list, now lets just hope we can make the same happen for at least most of the other endangered species! On the contrary, we need to make sure no other harsh treatment occurs again to the Bald Eagles, because they could very easily be re-added to the Endangered Species list. I think we should still continue to keep an eye on them, and make sure we don't destroy anymore of their habitats or use harsh chemicals.
Expansion:
http://www.richmond-dailynews.com/?p=8976
The article link I posted above really caught my attention because it was about two guys who were found guilty of destroying a bald eagle's nest and were sentenced to jail. I thought it was really amazing how serious we take this whole situation and how we would go to extreme measures by putting people in jail who destroy just 1 bald eagle's nest.
Question:
#1 : Part of me does believe that the bald eagle story was a success because the government favored them. Which I don't think is right because every single species should be favored the same and we should go to a significant amount of effort to save each endangered species.
More Questions:
#1 : Why was DDT used in the first place?
#2: What do you think will happen to the bald eagles in 50 years? Still stay how they are? Or go back on the endangered species list?
#3: How did the increase in the bald eagle population affect the environment?