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Show Audubon Society Launches Count Of Bald Eagles Field report forms to be used in the continent wide bald eagle survey of the National Audubon Society are now being distributed distribut-ed to cooperators in the United States and Canada. Biologist Alexander Sprunt IV, the Society's So-ciety's research director, will direct the study from headquarters headquar-ters in Florida. In a letter mailed this week to the directors of the Conservation Conserva-tion Departments of the 50 states Mr. Sprunt has solicited the cooperation co-operation of the official state wildlife agencies. "The most pressing need at present is information on the location lo-cation of active nests," he wrote state officials. "We are also interested in-terested in locating wintering concentrations of bald eagles. We earnestly solicit your cooperation, coopera-tion, and upon hearing from you we shall send enough copies of a questionnaire for distribution to your men in the field." The bald eaele nroiect nlanned to take five years was made public by Carl W. Buchheister, Society President, at the organization's organi-zation's national convention in New York City. The study is prompted, he said, by continuing continu-ing reports of a serious and widespread wide-spread decline in the bald eagle numbers. "Inventory is the essential first step in keeping this great bird that serves as our national emblem em-blem from becoming an endangered endan-gered species," he said. "Once its numbers have been closely estimated, its reproductive success suc-cess measured, and its nesting and wintering concentrations and migration patterns mapped, future checks will then disclose population trends." In his letter to cooperators, Mr. Sprunt said a second phase of the project would involve detailed de-tailed investigations of eagle biology, bi-ology, including research into productivity, longevity, movements move-ments and other aspects. |