BALD EAGLE BANDING TO BE HELD MAY 30 AT CAMP PERRY -PUBLIC EVENT WILL INCLUDE PARTICIPATION BY GOVERNOR TAFT: OH

OAK HARBOR, OH - Governor Bob Taft will join state wildlife
biologists on Friday, May 30, to band two bald eagle chicks at a nest at
Camp Perry in Ottawa County. The event, one of several being held this
spring across the state in celebration of Ohio's Bicentennial, will be open
to the public - offering Ohioans the opportunity to see our national symbol
up close.
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), the
event will begin at 8:30 a.m. when a climbing team from the ODNR Division of
Wildlife will retrieve two eaglets from a five-foot nest. While on the
ground, the eaglets will be given a brief health examination and fitted with
metal leg bands that will be used to identify the eagle in the future. Once
the banding is complete the eaglets will be returned safely to the nest.
The bandings will allow state wildlife biologists to track the
movement and reproductive success of individual eagles as indicators of the
overall health of Ohio's eagle population.
This event is weather dependent; heavy rain, high winds or lightning
would be cause for postponement.
The return of bald eagles in Ohio is one of the state's greatest
wildlife management success stories. In 1979 there were only four nesting
pairs of eagles in the state, compared to a record 87 nests today.
"We hope many people will be able to take advantage of this
opportunity to get an up-close view of a bald eagle and help us celebrate
Ohio's Bicentennial - which will be a record breaking year for our bald
eagle program," said Steven A. Gray, chief of the ODNR Division of Wildlife.
Ohio's Bald Eagle Management Program is funded by donations to the
Endangered Species and Wildlife Diversity Fund. Individuals can contribute
by checking the appropriate line on their Ohio State Income Tax Return Form
or by purchasing a wildlife conservation license plate featuring the
cardinal or bald eagle.
Camp Perry is located approximately three miles west of Port Clinton
on State Route 2.

Source: ODNR