The Interior Department removed the bald eagle from the list of threatened and endangered species on Thursday. Today I am proud to announce: the eagle has returned,” said Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. The bald eagle was listed as endangered in 1967. Back then, there were only 417 breeding pairs. Now there are about 10,000. The bald eagle, sacred to tribes, will continue to receive federal monitoring for five years. But delisting "does not affect the process that tribal members use to obtain feathers from the National Eagle Repository," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a fact sheet [PDF]. The birds also remain protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which prohibits the possession of eagle feathers and eagle parts without a permit. A case pending in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals challenges the burdens placed on Native religious practices by the permitting process. Get the Story:
Attorney criticizes eagle policy (AP 6/29)
Eagle story includes dark Wyo chapter (The Jackson Hole Star-Tribune 6/29)
U.S. Declares Bald Eagles No Longer Threatened (The Washington Post 6/29)
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Bald Eagles, Thriving, Settle Into Suburban Life (The New York Times 6/29)
pwnyt Eagle Court Decision:
US v. Friday (October 16, 2006) Relevant Links:
Division of Bald Eagle Management - http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/baldeagle.htm
National Eagle Repository - http://www.r6.fws.gov/law/le65.html Related Stories:
Comment sought on Native use of migratory birds (6/28)
Arizona tribes threaten suit over eagle delisting (5/11)
Appeal filed in Northern Arapaho eagle case (03/28)
Appeal planned in Arapaho eagle shooting case (01/29)
Editorial: Respect tribal religious beliefs (11/16)
DOJ to appeal ruling in Arapaho eagle killing case (11/13)
Judge issues ruling in Arapaho eagle killing case (10/17)
Charges dismissed in Northern Arapaho eagle killing (10/9)
Prairie Island donates $500K to national eagle center (08/22)
Arizona man charged for having eagle feathers (07/26)
Arapaho man seeks dismissal of eagle shooting case (05/26)
More than 4,000 waiting for eagles, eagle parts (5/24)
Northern Arapaho Tribe argues for religious rights (5/23)
Federal agent goes undercover at powwow in Texas (03/31)
Eagle feather headdress turned over for investigation (03/02)
Bald eagle faces removal from endangered species list (02/14)
Eagle feather repository has just five employees (12/09)
Iowa Tribe receives $250K grant for eagle center (09/16)
Non-Indian eagle feather case returns to federal court (07/19)
Rosebud Sioux Tribe seeks probe into feather use (08/02)
DOI to pay Apache man $50K for seized feathers (04/12)
Eagle feather ruling leaves open questions (08/06)
Appeals court upholds eagle protection laws (1/17)
Man denies crime for selling artifacts (11/16)
Indian man convicted of eagle violations (10/29)
Court to rehear eagle protection cases (8/9)
Minn. man sentenced for eagle violation (5/31)
Man pleads guilty to selling artifacts (11/2)
Undercover sting nets sacred artifacts (10/02)
Govt works to protect artifacts (6/29)
Yahoo! removes auction (6/22)
Culture for Sale: Sitting Bull (6/20)
Culture for Sale: eBay (5/23)
