Bald eagle comeback trail leads to West Coast

In a process known as "hacking" the birds are placed atop tall, wooden poles to simulate a nest environment. The birds learn to live in the wild; many of them migrate elsewhere permanently, while some never leave, and others leave but later return permanently.

The process is slow. Of more than 70 bald eagles released over 10 to 15 years on Catalina Island to the south, only about a dozen now reside there permanently.

Experts say about 24 pairs of nesting birds existed on the four northern islands before their precipitous decline.

"The birds are very adaptable if they can avoid the imprint of too many humans," says Dan Welsh, contaminants coordinator for the Fish and Wildlife Service. "If they are fed by their own parents and carefully released with proper food, they can learn to hunt on their own in about eight weeks and become like wild birds."

Using $30 million of the settlement money, officials will utilize radio and satellite technology to monitor the flight and eating habits of the birds.

Until now, biologists have marked birds with red wing-tags and relied on the sightings of birders, or park and other officials. But new global positioning systems (GPS) technology will allow researchers to check the birds' immediate whereabouts via computer screens which relay tracking information from satellites.

Such information will help analysts interpret eagle feeding patterns – for example, a pattern of feeding on the carcasses of elephant seals – known to carry the poison DDE, a byproduct of DDT – would reveal important information. This information will also aid in recapturing the birds for necessary, regular testing to chart their health.

"This is a very cool new surveillance method that will be a quantum leap over conventional radio telemetry techniques and the binoculars of folks who happen to pick up the wing tags," says Valoppi.

The eagle restoration project is also part of a longer-term effort by the National Park Service and others to restore native, biodiversity to the Channel Islands. The introduction of pollutants and non-native species such as pigs and rabbits have added to the impact of DDT in decimating populations of brown pelicans, peregrine falcons, and elephant seals. Over the past 20 years, such species have been returned to bountiful levels.

"This new program for eagles is one of the success stories in environmentalism which is so discouraged by losses and declining ecosystems," says Kate Faulkner, chief of natural resource management for the Channel Islands National Park. "It is definitely a way to show people that if we make sound scientific decisions we can make positive ground in saving key ecosystems from further degradation."

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