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Show Bald Eagles Getting Special Attention While Utah and the nation celebrate 200 years of the bald eagle as our national symbol, nine baid eagles in Tooele County are receiving special attention from wildlife biologists. Tiny radios attached to each bird's tail feathers allow the eagles to be monitored by radio telemetry. The study, first of its kind in Utah, was set up by Phil Wagner, nongame biologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources of the Department of Natural Resources and Energy. He is assisted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Brigham Young University. Two of the eagles had been equipped with radios by a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologists in Glacier National park before the eagles migrated to Utah in December. Wagner says the radio transmitter not only pinpoints the locations of the eagles; but also picks up movements by the eagles when roosting and changes in flight tempo. The purpose of the project is to document bald eagle habitat usage, roosting areas and behavior traits. Already, biologists have noted several favorite roosting areas. Gathering that data is important to help protect the bald eagle, endangered in 43 of the 48 lower states, including I Utah. I The Tooele County study is only one example of the National Wildlife Week theme "We Care About Eagles" and the concern being shown all ' over America for the bald eagle, found only in North America. Appropriately, 1982 is called "The Year of the Eagle". i Governor Scott Matheson recently signed Studied Bird The Bald Eagle's habits jxre being tracked by Division of Wildlife Resources through special transmit- a proclamation declaring 1982 as the "Year of the Eagle" in Utah. He was also one of the first governors to pledge state support to the concept of a national bald eagle trust to enhance the bald eagle and its habitat, recently proposed by Alaska Governor Jay Hammond. Two hundred years ago, the population of bald eagles may have approached 100,000 in the ters. Eagle is one of most important non-game birds of the state and is found throughout Utah. United States. With habitat destruction and pollution, bald eagles dwindled to only a few thousand. Recently, indications are that bald eagle populations may be on an upward trend due to efforts to protect it. For the past four years, Utah has joined the other continental United States and Canadian provinces in a January bald eagle count. Last year, 13,619 bald eagles were counted nationwide. During the 1979 to 1981 bald eagle counts in Utah, 658, 662 and 743 bald eagles were counted respectively. This year, over 700 were counted throughout the state. The final count has not yet been tabulated. In Tooele County, the radioed bald eagles will be monitored until they return to Canada in several weeks. Wagner said seven of the nine eagles are still being monitored. Two eagles did not stay in the area. |