Help them by avoiding eagle closure areas

PHOENIX -  While you are lying in your bed at night, 18 people are sleeping in tents so they can wake up at the crack of dawn to help protect our state's bald eagles.

"It's part of a program that has saved the lives of 44 eagle nestlings since it began in 1978," says James Driscoll, head of the Arizona Game and Fish Department Bald Eagle Management Program. "That's equal to 10 percent of all the eagles that have lived to fly on their own in Arizona since the program started."

The Arizona Bald Eagle Nestwatch Program began as a weekend volunteer effort by the U.S. Forest Service and Maricopa Audubon Society. Now 19 agencies are involved with the program to monitor bald eagle breeding areas under heavy pressure from human recreational activities. The nest watchers protect the eagles while they're nesting and raising young, and they also help educate the public, so people don't disrupt the breeding process. Sometimes people pass by signs marking the boundaries of an eagle closure area.

"We let them know what we're up to and why we're out here," says nest watcher Steven Alsup. "Most people are really interested and didn't realize where they were. Usually, we tell them it's best if they go back out the way they came in, and we haven't had anyone give us too much of a problem about it."

This year's nest watchers began their four-month tour of duty on Feb. 4. They will watch nine breeding areas, most along the Salt and Verde rivers in national forests, on Native American lands, and in Maricopa County parks. The contractors will spend dawn to dusk collecting data about the eagles' behavior and notifying rescuers of any life-threatening situations for the birds.

Arizona has 42 breeding pairs of bald eagles. Last year a record 47 nestlings hatched in our state. Biologists hope for a similar number this year, although large amounts of rain have washed sediment into our river systems, which could make it tougher for the eagles to find food. Nest watchers will play a vital role in monitoring the situation.