Bald eagle bolts down the river

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- A large female bald eagle found freedom for the first time in a couple months when it was released Friday at Riverside Park.

It's huge wings flapped hard at first, propelling it rapidly southeast, towards the Minnesota River.

A few seconds later, the bird was at top speed. It's wings became motionless as it soared into the horizon.

The thick, black nails and large, golden claws of a 14-pound raptor left no reason to wonder why handlers wore heavy gloves that extended up their forearms.

New Ulm elementary students witnessed the release performed by Senator Dennis Frederickson (R-New Ulm), behind the art center in the park.

The eagle was found in a field near Warroad in November. It's wings were injured and it couldn't fly.

The Department of Natural Resources was called and the raptor was taken to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center where its wounds were treated by veterinarians.

Raptor Center workers took the eagle on trial flights with a rope attached to it.

The bald eagle was carried into the art center Friday with its claws banded together. A small muzzle surrounded its beak and head.

The eagle flapped its wings and excitedly looked around the art center at dozens of students after the muzzle and beak were removed.

A band from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was wrapped around one of its legs before it was released.

Minnesota DNR Non-Game Wildlife Specialist Lisa Gelvin-Innvaer briefed the students on the 2000 Minnesota Bald Eagle Survey before the eagle arrived from the Twin Cities.

The state's first bald eagle survey was conducted in 1973 when the species was in a severe decline due to the effects of environmental contaminants. Only 115 active nests were reported that year.

Bald eagles were protected as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1978.

A federal recovery team established a goal for Minnesota of 300 active breeding territories by 2000. The goal was reached in 1987.

Minnesota's bald eagle population experienced a dramatic recovery from 1973 to 1995.

Since that time, active bald eagle nests in Minnesota have continued to increase and are expected to continue to do so, with growth at a slower level.

The prediction relies on the continued vigilance of every citizen in respecting bald eagles, protecting their habitat and avoiding excessive disturbance of eagle nests, the DNR says.

For more information on the 2000 Minnesota Bald Eagle Survey, where to see eagles in Minnesota, or to report sightings of nests, contact the DNR Non-game Wildlife Program at 1- 888-646-6367 or 500 Lafayette Rd., Box 25, St. Paul, MN 55155-4025.