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FAQs about the Natural History of the Inside Passage
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Source: U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service |
Claims by fox farmers and
fishermen of marauding eagles caused the Alaska Territorial
Legislature in 1917 to impose a bounty on eagles. These
claims were later found to be mainly false, but over 100,000
eagles were killed before the bounty was removed in 1953.
However, the bald eagle's decline during the past half
century was primarily due to reproductive failure caused
by pesticides, such as DDT. Habitat destruction also contributed
to shrinking populations in the Lower 48 states.
With statehood in 1959,
the bald eagle in Alaska received federal protection under
the Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940. This act makes
it illegal to kill or possess an eagle, alive or dead,
or to possess any part of an eagle, including feathers.
In 1972, the Alaska State Legislature established a stretch
of the Chilkat River as critical bald eagle habitat to
ensure protection of the large numbers found there in
winter. In 1982, a portion of the surrounding area was
established as the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve.
The bald eagle is well
on its way to recovery in Alaska and is no longer considered
as threatened or endangered. In the lower 48 states this
uniquely American bird is still classified as threatened
and endangered. However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
is moving forward on the process to remove the bald eagle
from the endangered list nationwide. Today, of the estimated
50,000 bald eagles found in the United States, approximately
80 percent live in Alaska.
Additonal Resources:
U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service – Bald Eagle Website
Alaska
Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve
Alaska
Department of Fish & Game – Endangered Species
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