Please help us to protect Arizona's bald eagles

PHOENIX -  At this time every year, wildlife officials ask for your help in protecting Arizona's bald eagles by honoring the closure of 15 eagle breeding areas in different parts of the state, some near popular recreation areas. Our state currently has 39 breeding pairs of bald eagles, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department and other land and wildlife management agencies close the breeding areas for part of the year, starting in December, in an effort to protect the birds' breeding attempts.

"We want to give these birds every chance to thrive," says James Driscoll, head of the Arizona Game and Fish Department Bald Eagle Management Program. "Human activity near active bald eagle nests can cause a breeding pair to leave its eggs uncovered, leading to a failed breeding attempt. It can take only 30 minutes for a breeding attempt to fail."

The bald eagle was federally listed as an endangered species in 1978. The birds have now recovered enough to be considered a "threatened species." Part of the reason for the comeback in our state is the Arizona Bald Eagle Nestwatch Program, which contracts with volunteers to monitor breeding areas, educate the public about breeding area closures and identify situations where intervention might be needed to save an eagle's life.

In December, Arizona bald eagles begin rebuilding nests in preparation for laying eggs. During this time, land and wildlife management agencies enact the seasonal breeding area closures on Tonto Creek, the Salt River, the Verde River, the San Carlos River, Lower Lake Mary, Lynx Lake, Luna Lake, Lake Pleasant, Roosevelt Lake and Talkalai Lake. Bald eagles nest, forage and roost at the rivers and lakes that have become some of Arizona's most popular recreation spots, and this time of year, that can be difficult for the birds.

However, Driscoll says, "With the public's help and cooperation, we can all take responsibility for ensuring that Arizona bald eagles breed successfully."

SEASONAL CLOSURES
Verde River
* Clarkdale Near Sycamore Canyon - No vehicle or foot entry from Dec. 1 to June 30; boating through is allowed. Please contact the Coconino National Forest, Red Rock Ranger District, for more information at (928) 282-4119.
* Camp Verde Below Beasley Flat - No vehicle or foot entry from Dec. 1 to June 15; boating through is allowed. Please contact the Prescott National Forest, Verde Ranger District, for more information at (928) 567-4121.
* Mule Shoe Bend - No stopping or landing from Dec. 1 to June 30; boating through is allowed. Please contact the Tonto National Forest, Cave Creek Ranger District, for more information at (480) 595-3300.
* Below Bartlett Dam and Needle Rock Recreation Area- No vehicle or foot entry from Dec. 1 to June 30; boating through is allowed. Please contact the Tonto National Forest, Cave Creek Ranger District, for more information at (480) 595-3300.

Salt River
* Horseshoe Bend to Redmond Flat - No stopping or landing from Dec. 1 to June 30; boating through is allowed. Please contact the Tonto National Forest, Globe Ranger District, at (928) 402-6200.
* Below Stewart Mountain Dam South Side- No vehicle or foot entry from Dec. 1 to June 30; boating through is allowed. Please contact the Tonto National Forest, Mesa Ranger District, at (480) 610-3300.

San Carlos River
* Below Peridot to San Carlos Reservoir - No vehicle, foot entry or floating through from Dec. 1 to June 30.  Please contact the San Carlos Recreation and Wildlife Department at (928) 475-4758.

Tonto Creek
* Below Gisela to 76 Ranch - No vehicle, foot entry or floating through from Dec. 1 to June 30. Please contact the Tonto National Forest, Tonto Basin Ranger District, at (928) 467-3200.

Lake Pleasant
* Lower Agua Fria arm - No vehicle, foot entry or boats from Dec. 15 to June 15. Please contact Lake Pleasant at (520) 501-1710 or the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Nongame Branch at (623) 236-7500.

Lower Lake Mary
* East Side - No vehicle or foot entry from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31; boating through is allowed, but no stopping or landing within the closure boundaries. Please contact the Coconino National Forest, Mormon Lake Ranger District, at (928) 774-1147.

Lynx Lake
* East Side - No vehicle, foot entry or boats from Dec. 1 to June 30. Contact Prescott National Forest, Bradshaw Ranger District, at (928) 771-4700 or Arizona Game and Fish Department's Nongame Branch (623) 236-7500 or Region III office in Kingman at (928) 692-7700.

Luna Lake
* North Side - No vehicle or foot entry from Dec. 1 to June 30. Please contact the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Alpine Ranger District, at  (928) 339-4384.

Roosevelt Lake
* Tonto Creek Arm - No boats allowed from Dec. 1 to June 15. Please contact the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Nongame Branch at (623) 236-7500.
* Salt River Arm- No boats allowed from Dec. 1 to June 15. Please contact the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Nongame Branch at (623) 236-7500.

Talkalai Lake
* North Side- No foot entry or boats from Dec. 1 to June 30. Please contact the San Carlos Recreation and Wildlife Department at (928) 475-4758.

TIPS FOR VISITING EAGLE AREAS

If you are visiting bald eagle country, an advance call to the local land management agency (U.S. Forest Service district, etc.) or the Arizona Game and Fish Department may help you plan your trip so you won't disturb bald eagles. By following these simple guidelines, we can all help ensure that our living wildlife legacy will last for generations to come:

* Enjoy bald eagles from outside the closures, especially during critical nesting times (December to June). These areas are posted with signs and/or buoys, and most have daily nestwatch monitors. Anyone approached by a nestwatcher and asked to cease an activity or leave a closed area should comply. A few good places to see bald eagles without disturbing them (during December and January) are at Lake Mary and Mormon Lake near Flagstaff or on the Verde River Canyon Train in Clarkdale.
* Bald eagles protecting an active nest will let you know if you are too close. If a bald eagle is vocalizing and circling the area frantically, then you are too close and need to leave the area quickly. Bald eagles incubating eggs or brooding small young should never be off the nest for more than 15 minutes.
* Pilots should maintain the FAA-recommended 2,000-foot AGL advisory when flying over bald eagle habitat along the Salt and Verde rivers, Lake Pleasant and Alamo Lake. These areas are designated on the Phoenix Sectional Aeronautical Map. Special brochures for pilots regarding this advisory can be obtained by calling the Arizona Department of Transportation or the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Nongame Branch.
* Help from anglers is especially needed. Monofilament and tackle has killed two nestlings and has been found in two-thirds of all bald eagle nests in the state. Every year we remove this potentially lethal material from nests and/or entangled nestlings. Ospreys, shorebirds, waterfowl and songbirds also succumb to this litter. Do not discard any type of monofilament along rivers and lakes, but recycle it at fishing stores. Keep your monofilament fresh; do not use old brittle line. Make sure to use the correct test line for the fish you are trying to catch. Also, do not cut the line when an undesirable fish is caught and return it to the water with the hook and line attached.

You can help bald eagle research and recovery efforts by reporting any harassment or intentional shooting of bald eagles. Call the Arizona Game and Fish Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-800-352-0700 or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement at (602) 835-8289.