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Show yf OF TWi --i THE GOLDEN EAGLE I Eagles are powerful creatures. Perhaps this is the simplest thing to say about them. Our forefathers on the North I American continent must have sensed this, for the national symbols of both Mexico and the United States are eagles. I , Despite this status, man's activities have put both bald and golden eagles on the rare and endangered species list. As such I they are rigidly protected by law, but wildlife laws are largely unenforceable, and these huge birds are hard pressed to deal I with the rapid habitat destruction, the development, pesticides, electrocuting high power lines and trigger-happy gunners of I these modern times. I Northern Utah is a wintering area for large numbers of both bald and golden eagles. Most of the bald eagles leave the I y state in April, migrating north to the wilderness of Canada and Alaska. Bald eagles once nested in Utah. As a boy I I remember watching a pair fish and feed their young along a popular lake in the High Uintas. Today there are no known ac- I tive bald eagle nests in the state. Throughout the cold months, wintering bald eagles can be seen fishing along the' Weber and I Provo River drainages and along the waterfowl refuges of the Great Salt Lake. I Some golden eagles remain in northern Utah to nest. Now is the time to see their spectacular courtship flights over the I local hills as the pairs (eagles mate for life) swoop and dive, pirouette, and lock talons in mid-air. I v Eagles multiply slowly. A lucky couple may raise one or two young a year, and these take five years to mature to mating I age themselves. To survive, eagles need large tracts of open and quiet land; something increasingly rare in today's west. I Whether or not we can retain the integrity of the American landscape enough to allow for these open spaces will determine I the fate of our nation's symbol and heritage. I t v, - I ( i '.".".". H 1 . , ' , ' , - .... . . I Kayo Robertson I . " |