Bald eagle removed from endangered list

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government on Wednesday removed the bald eagle from the federal list of threatened and endangered species.

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said June 28 that the eagle had reached 10,000 pairs in the United States — up from the 400 pairs counted in 1963. Wednesday marked the official de-listing date, because it was 30 days after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services published a July 9 notice in the Federal Register that the eagle would be removed.

"The best available scientific and commercial data indicate that the bald eagle has recovered," according to the notice. "This determination is based on a thorough review of all available information, which indicates that the threats to this species have been eliminated or reduced to the point that the species has recovered and no longer meets the definition of threatened or endangered under the act."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service credits good habitat management plans for the bird and a reduction in pesticide use that was causing birds to get sick.

The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act will continue to protect the birds, as the federal laws prohibit harm to the eagles, their nests or eggs.

Biologists in recent years have counted between 350 and 400 bald eagles each winter in Utah. They come from Canada, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oregon to spend the winter in the state.