EAGLES MAY MAKE COMEBACK PARK SERVICE WANTS TO REINTRODUCE BIRDS OBLITERATED BY PESTICIDE RUNOFF.Byline: Cecilia Chan Staff Writer CHANNEL ISLANDS - More than 50 years ago, bald eagles reigned on all eight of the Channel Islands - a stronghold for the species in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, - until DDT DDT or 2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1,-trichloroethane, chlorinated hydrocarbon compound used as an insecticide. First introduced during the 1940s, it killed insects that spread disease and feed on crops. runoff obliterated o·blit·er·ate tr.v. o·blit·er·at·ed, o·blit·er·at·ing, o·blit·er·ates 1. To do away with completely so as to leave no trace. See Synonyms at abolish. 2. America's emblem from the isolated islands in just a decade. The National Park Service now wants to reintroduce the bald eagle this summer to the northern islands of Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miquel, kicking off a five-year study to determine whether the bird - a threatened species - could survive. ``They are the symbol of the wilderness. They are the symbol of bringing back ecosystems to what they used to be with all the parts there,'' said Kate Faulkner, chief of resource management at Channel Islands National Park Channel Islands National Park: see Santa Barbara Islands; National Parks and Monuments (table). . ``We are not sure if the bald eagle can actually make it out there,'' Channel Islands National Park biologist Tim Coonan said. ``There could have been 20 to 25 pairs nesting on the entire Channel Islands chain at one time. By the 1950s they were all gone.'' If federal and state officials agree to fund the study, 12 eaglets would be released on Santa Cruz, the largest of the islands, which in the past had a large population of the nesting bird of prey bird of prey Any member of the order Falconiformes (eagles, falcons, hawks, and vultures) or Strigiformes (owls). Falconiforms are also called raptors. They are active during the day, whereas owls are nocturnal. . Techniques like breeding and tracking - developed in an eagle reintroduction program initiated in 1980 on Santa Catalina Island San·ta Cat·a·li·na Island or Catalina Island An island off southern California in the southern Santa Barbara Islands. Discovered in 1542, it has been a noted resort center since the 1920s. - would be used on Santa Cruz. The program is designed to undo the damage caused by DDT, a once-popular pesticide banned in 1972, and other chemicals that flowed or were dumped by industry into the Pacific Ocean from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. The more toxic DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) A message protocol in Windows that allows application programs to request and exchange data between them automatically. DDE - Dynamic Data Exchange , a byproduct by·prod·uct or by-prod·uct n. 1. Something produced in the making of something else. 2. A secondary result; a side effect. Noun 1. of DDT, caused reproductive failure and eggshell thinning in bald eagles and other species of birds that feed on marine life. Studies show the chemicals still contaminate con·tam·i·nate v. 1. To make impure or unclean by contact or mixture. 2. To expose to or permeate with radioactivity. con·tam·i·nant n. marine life and birds in Southern California. By late 2000, the federal and California state governments received $140 million in four separate settlement agreements with the offending industries. About $30 million will be used to restore resources such as the bald eagle harmed by the chemicals. ``The environment before was not able to support the brown pelican and peregrine falcon and now both are back,'' Faulkner said. ``The one major species we lost and are not back yet is the bald eagle.'' Because the bald eagle hasn't been able to successfully reproduce on its own on Catalina Island, Coonan said, biologists remove an egg once it is laid and send it to the San Francisco Zoo The San Francisco Zoo, (previously Fleishhacker Zoo) is a zoo in San Francisco, California housing more than 250 different animal species. It is located in the southwestern corner of the city, between the Great Highway and Lake Merced. for artificial incubation. Researchers suspect eagles might fare better on the northern islands because Catalina is closer to the source of the DDT runoff. ``But until the eagles are out there and we see what they choose to feed on, it's hard to say,'' Faulkner said, noting that the food source on Santa Cruz is more diverse than Catalina. ``The feasibility study will determine whether or not the environment is cleaned enough to support the bald eagle,'' she said. ``If not, is there something we can do to improve the environment.'' It's vital to restore the bald eagle, which feeds largely on fish and carrion, Coonan said. ``They are missing from the ecosystem and the fact they are missing may have a lot to do to allow the golden eagle population to decimate dec·i·mate tr.v. dec·i·mat·ed, dec·i·mat·ing, dec·i·mates 1. To destroy or kill a large part of (a group). 2. Usage Problem a. the island fox population,'' he said. The island fox is listed as threatened in California and proposed for federal listing as an endangered species endangered species, any plant or animal species whose ability to survive and reproduce has been jeopardized by human activities. In 1999 the U.S. government, in accordance with the U.S. . ``I always like to focus on the big picture,'' Faulkner said. ``What we are doing on the Channel Islands is a restoration of a really unique ecosystem. ``There are many plants and animals Plants and Animals are a Canadian indie-rock band from Montreal, comprised of guitarist-vocalists Warren Spicer and Nic Basque, and drummer-vocalist Matthew Woodley.[1] They are signed to Secret City Records. that don't occur anywhere in the world like pelicans, elephant seals and peregrine falcons,'' she said. ``We've taken action over the last 20 to 30 years that are bringing back those unique ecosystems and making the islands a really special place. ``The bald eagle is one of the very visible animals that people will be able to see, we hope, in the northern islands again.'' TIME & PLACE A public hearing on a feasibility study "A Feasibility Study" is an episode of the original The Outer Limits television show. It first aired on 13 April, 1964, during the first season. It was remade in 1997 as part of the revived The Outer Limits series with a minor title change. and environmental assessment for re-establishing bald eagles on the northern Channel Islands will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center auditorium, 1901 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura. GLANCE: The National Park Service wants to conduct a feasibility study on re-establishing bald eagles on the northern Channel Islands and creating a long-term restoration plan for Catalina Island. The program would release a dozen eaglets annually over a five-year period. The eaglets would likely come from the San Francisco Zoo's Avian Conservation Center, home to 19 bald eagles, with six breeding pairs. When the eaglets are about 11 weeks old, they would be equipped with backpack-mounted transmitters, wing markers and metal leg bands. At 12 weeks, or when they demonstrate good motor skills, they would be released. The transmitters would allow the birds' feeding locations and movements to be tracked for up to four years. The eagles' food source would be examined for DDT contamination and their blood also would be monitored. The cost of the study has not yet been determined. CAPTION(S): 2 boxes Box: (1) TIME & PLACE (see text) (2) AT A GLANCE (see text) |
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