Tag Archives: Action

Rodenticides, proposed rules, and raptors

Red-Tailed Hawk, Credit Sophia Landis

The US Environmental Protection Agency is seeking input on new rules restricting rodenticides. As RaptorsAreTheSolution.org points out, wildlife and pets are in daily danger of being poisoned when homeowners, businesses, and exterminators use anticoagulant rodenticides, aka rat poisons, to control rodents. This puts many birds of prey at high risk for secondary poisoning, including California condors, turkey vultures, great horned owls, barn owls, red-tailed hawks, and American kestrels. While bald eagles don’t eat many small rodents, we’ve seen our eagles

Bald Eagle Conservation and Recovery in the United States

Posters from the first Earth Day

I thought I would write a little bit about Bald Eagle conservation and recovery in the United States. I think most of our followers are aware of the eagle’s close brush with extinction due to DDT, but that was not the first narrow escape for America’s national bird. While John James Audubon is celebrated as an artist, naturalist, and ornithologist, he was no friend to the bald eagle, or raptors in general. In the 1830’s, Audubon accused bald eagles of

Proposed changes weaken Migratory Bird Treaty Act

Black-bellied plover, Bald eagle with American pelicans, White egret, Bufflehead duck

Bald and Golden Eagles are protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Act. Endangered species are protected by the Endangered Species Act. But the vast majority of birds in the United States are protected only by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. There is currently a federal proposal to change the definition of ‘take’ under the Act. It sounds boring, right? But preserving the definition as it stands is important to the future of our birds. To provide feedback on the

Birds Threatened By Proposed Rollback Of Endangered Species Act Protections

Michelle at Great Spirit Bluff

The U.S. Department of the Interior is currently proposing to roll back endangered and threatened species protections in three critical areas. Their changes will roll back habitat protection for endangered and threatened species, allow take of threatened species, and weaken the role that biological assessment and science play in listing decisions. The public has until September 24 to comment on these changes. We’ve put together a blog on the proposed changes, their impact, and how to comment. You can find

30-year Take of Bald and Golden Eagles

Wind Turbines

As a lot of eagle fans are aware, the Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced a plan that would allow companies to kill federally protected bald and golden eagles for up to 30 years. The draft rule will extend the current permit duration of five years to up to 30 years, giving wind farms, power lines and other large projects license to injure, disturb or kill a limited number of eagles in exchange for commitments to avoid and mitigate harm.

A report: The DNR’s proposed ban on non-toxic shot in Farmland WMA’s

Eagle in the sky

I attended the Minnesota DNR’s non-toxic shot informational meeting last week and heard testimony supporting and opposing the DNR’s ban on non-toxic shot in Farmland WMA’s in Western Minnesota. While the DNR received many more letters supporting than opposing the ban, the issue is far from settled. Minnesotans, you can email comments to [email protected] or submit written comments to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources by mailing a letter/statement to: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Non-Toxic Shot Comments 500 Lafayette