U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Statement on Bald Eagle Deadline; June 29 New Date

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Feb. 9 that the final decision on whether to remove the bald eagle from the federal list of threatened and endangered species will be postponed. The Service has reached a court-approved agreement allowing the agency to make a final determination on the eagle's status no later than June 29, 2007.

The additional four months will give the Service time to complete additional analyses related to the final rule and put in place management guidelines and procedures that will make it easier for the public to understand ongoing Bald and Golden Eagle Act protections, ensuring that eagles continue to thrive once delisted.

The Service had been under a court ordered deadline of February 16, 2007, to make a final decision on the eagle's status. In January, the Service approached the plaintiff in that case to request an extension of the deadline. With the agreement of the plaintiff, the Service requested and the court approved the extension until June 29, 2007.

During the extension, the Service expects to develop a proposed rule that would authorize incidental take of bald eagles under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The Service also intends to finalize voluntary Bald Eagle Management Guidelines and a regulatory definition of "disturb" under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

More information on the bald eagle can be found on the web at: http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/baldeagle.html

New Utah Bald Eagle License Plate

Live bald eagle and school kids part of the day's festivities

Utah's newest license plate * featuring a bald eagle * will be unveiled by school children at a ceremony Feb. 10 near Farmington.

A live bald eagle will watch as the school kids pull a sheet off a large reproduction of the plate.

This event will provide a visual backdrop to an important story: the plate provides everyone in Utah a chance to help wildlife that are in the greatest need of help, including the state's threatened and endangered species.

The unveiling is also part of Utah's annual Bald Eagle Day festivities. Dozens of bald eagles should be near the unveiling site that day, and hundreds of people should be on-hand viewing them.

WHAT: Unveiling of Utah's newest license plate.

WHEN: Saturday, February 10:

10 to 10:15 a.m. * Students from Eagle Bay Elementary in Farmington recently participated in a bald eagle art contest. The winning artwork will be on display, and the students who created the artwork will receive their awards. EnergySolutions and the EnergySolutions Foundation will also present a $1,000 check to the school to help fund the school's art program.

10:15 to 10:30 a.m. * Partners in the event will speak for a few moments. After their remarks Jim Karpowitz, director of the Division of Wildlife Resources, will explain how important this new plate is to Utah's wildlife.

10:25 * 10:30 a.m. * Kids who won the art contest and DWR staff will pull a sheet off a large reproduction of the license plate as a live bald eagle from Tracy Aviary looks on.

After 10:30 a.m. * DWR staff who manage the wildlife that will benefit from the sale of the plates will be available to explain which wildlife will benefit the most and how the funding will be used.

Dozens of bald eagles should be near the unveiling site that day, and hundreds of people should be on-hand viewing them.

Staff from the Tracy Aviary will also be available to talk about opportunities to view bald eagles and other birds at the aviary.

WHERE: Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area (WMA), about 20 miles north of downtown Salt Lake City.

* Once you reach the WMA, follow the signs to the location where the license plate will be unveiled.

Directions:

Traveling north on I-15:

To reach the WMA, exit the freeway at Exit 322. After exiting the freeway, stay right where the road splits, and then turn at the first right. This will put you on a frontage road, and you'll be traveling south. Then turn right at the stop sign, which is Glover Lane. Travel west to 1325 West, and then turn left into the WMA.

Estimated drive time from downtown Salt Lake City:

30 minutes

Traveling south on I-15:

To reach the WMA, exit the freeway at Exit 325. Go to the stoplight and turn right. Travel south to the next light, which is at Clark Lane, and turn right. Travel west to the first stop sign, which is at 1525 West, and turn left. Travel south for three miles to the next stop sign, which is Glover Lane, and turn left. Travel east for two blocks and take the first right at 1325 West. This is the north entrance to the WMA.

Sponsors: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the Great Salt Lake Interpretive Trust, the Wild Bird Center in Layton, Tracy Aviary, EnergySolutions and the EnergySolutions Foundation.

Family Ice Fishing Festival And Bald Eagle Day Slated For February 10.

Volunteers from the Wasatch Audubon Chapter will be at Salt Creek Waterfowl Management Area on Saturday February 10 to help families enjoy and celebrate the presence of bald eagles in Utah.

Anglers at Lost Creek Reservoir are treated to seeing good numbers of bald eagles and turkeys along Lost Creek.

Saturday February 10 could be a wild day for families in Box Elder County!

The Brigham City Recreation department is hosting a “Family Fishing Fest” on the ice at Mantua Reservoir. The free event will run from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Parking is limited, however, so only a limited number of people can attend. The Brigham City Recreation has asked for interested persons to pre-register by calling their office at 435-734-6610 or email them at klaw@brighamcity.utah.gov.

Fun, Games and Fishing

Kristy Law from the Brigham City Parks and recreation Department says the event will offer a long and exciting list of activities. “If learning how to rig a fishing line, fillet or cook a fish are on your ‘need-to-know’ list, we can help,” said Law.

These “need-to-know” clinics will focus on ice safety and fishing techniques and will be held every hour.

Reese Stein and Adam Eakle, hosts of “Roughing It Outdoors” show on KUTV Channel 2 will also be on hand. “Mark your calendar for this exciting event. You can stay for an hour or stay all day. Get registered and come up. It’s going to be a lot of fun” Law added.

In addition to learning more about ice fishing, the event is going to offer an interesting variety of fun family activities that will be held on the ice. Ice bowling and four-person ice drilling relays are just some of the activities that families can participate in. The Family Ice Fishing Festival is hosted by the Brigham City Recreation Department, the Utah Division of Wildlife and Sportsman’s Warehouse.

Bald Eagle Diversion

To make it truly a wild day, take a detour and stop by Salt Creek Wildlife Management Area to see wintering bald eagles and other wintering wildlife. Salt Creek WMA is a hidden gem for wildlife viewing. For more details on eagle day events, visit the DWR website at wildlife.utah.gov.

View Bald Eagles Feb. 3 and Feb. 10

New bald eagle license plate will be unveiled

Two chances are available to view bald eagles in February. And those who attend the Bald Eagle Day event at the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area will get an added treat: they can watch as Utah's newest license plate - featuring a bald eagle - is unveiled at a ceremony that begins at 10 a.m.

Bald Eagle Day

Utah's annual Bald Eagle Day will be held Feb. 3 at sites in central, northeastern and southwestern Utah. On the following Saturday, Feb. 10, viewing will be offered at two sites in northern Utah.

Admission to Bald Eagle Day is free. Viewing times are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. except at the Salt Creek Waterfowl Management Area site, where viewing will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

On Feb. 3, you can view eagles at the following locations:

Feb. 3

Fountain Green State Fish Hatchery, located east of Nephi. If coming from the north, take I-15 and exit the freeway at the second Nephi exit (Exit 225). After exiting the freeway, turn east on SR-132 and travel about 10 miles. About 1 mile before the city of Fountain Green, a Bald Eagle Day sign will point to an access road that leads to the hatchery. Once you reach the hatchery, you'll be given a driving map of the Sanpete Valley that highlights the best areas in the valley to view eagles. Literature, displays and bathroom facilities will also be available at the hatchery. If eagles are near the hatchery, Division of Wildlife Resources staff will set up spotting scopes so you can view them. Spotting scopes will also be set-up at a viewing location about one mile from the hatchery.

Split Mountain / Green River, located north of Jensen and below the Dinosaur Quarry in Dinosaur National Monument (DNM). To reach the site, drive north from Highway 40 in Jensen on the road (SR 149) to the Dinosaur Quarry. First stop should be at the staging area located just inside the DNM boundary where displays, spotting scopes and possibly bald eagles and other raptors await. From the staging area biologists will direct viewers to other sites where they may have better views of eagles and other wildlife of interest. In past years, visitors have seen bald and golden eagles hunting and feeding, as well as prairie falcons, hawks, mule deer, river otters, pheasants, turkeys, sandhill cranes, porcupines, mergansers, Canada geese and other wildlife. During your trip, you may also want to stop and visit the Dinosaur National Monument. The monument's dinosaur quarry is closed, but you can see a few dinosaur bones at a temporary visitor center near the quarry. The visitor center also includes a small bookstore.

Cedar Valley, located on the northwest side of Cedar City. To reach the site, exit I-15 at Exit 59 and travel west on SR-56 to 3900 W. Turn right on 3900 W. and travel north to 2800 N. The viewing site is located at 3900 W. and 2800 N.

On Feb. 10, viewing will take place at the following locations:

Feb. 10

Salt Creek Waterfowl Management Area (Compton's Knoll), located about 10 miles northwest of Corinne. To reach the WMA, take Exit 365 off of I 15 and travel west on SR-83 through Corinne. Stay on SR-83 until you get to 6800 W. (Iowa String). Travel north to 6800 N. Travel west on 6800 N. until you reach the Salt Creek WMA/Compton's Knoll Watchable Wildlife site.

Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, located on the west side of Farmington.

Traveling north on I-15:

To reach the WMA, exit the freeway at Exit 322. After exiting the freeway, stay right where the road splits, and then turn at the first right. This will put you on a frontage road, and you'll be traveling south. Then turn right at the stop sign, which is Glover Lane. Travel west to 1325 West, and then turn left into the WMA.

Traveling south on I-15:

To reach the WMA, exit the freeway at Exit 325. Go to the stoplight and turn right. Travel south to the next light, which is at Clark Lane, and turn right. Travel west to the first stop sign, which is at 1525 West, and turn left. Travel south for three miles to the next stop sign, which is Glover Lane, and turn left. Travel east for two blocks and take the first right at 1325 West. This is the north entrance to the WMA.

"Spotting scopes will available at each viewing site, and Division of Wildlife Resources biologists and volunteers will be on-hand to help you spot eagles and to answer any questions you might have," says Bob Walters, Watchable Wildlife coordinator for the DWR.

Displays will also be set up at each location, and pamphlets and other materials about bald eagles will be available for free, or for a small cost.

Seeing Eagles

The best time to view eagles on Feb. 3 and Feb. 10 depends on the individual, Walters says.

The most comfortable time is late morning and early afternoon, when the temperature is the warmest and the visibility is the best. The warmer temperatures are especially important if you're bringing young children.

You can expect to see eagles during the late morning and early afternoon but not as many as just before sundown, when eagles fly to trees to roost for the night. At most of the sites, the best time to see the greatest number of eagles is probably from 2 to 4 p.m., Walters says.

Walters says those who attend should dress warmly. If there's snow on the ground, make sure you wear waterproof boots too.

If you'd like to photograph the eagles, make sure and bring a telephoto lens. The eagles will be some distance from the viewing areas. Photographers who don't bring the proper equipment and try to get close to the eagles for a better shot will probably scare them away, Walters says.

Walters started Bald Eagle Day in 1990 as a way to introduce people to Utah's wildlife. "It was started as a way of arousing people's interest, whetting their appetite and making them aware of the wildlife around them," Walters says.
Since it began Bald Eagle Day has grown into Utah's most well attended, and one of its most enjoyed, wildlife-viewing events.

For more information about Bald Eagle Day, call Walters at (801) 538-4771 or Division of Wildlife Resources offices in Ogden, Springville, Vernal or Cedar City.