Naval Facility Steps Up Efforts to Protect Eagles

Seven years ago, officials at the Naval Support Facility Indian Head in Charles County began to notice a problem: Bald eagles -- an American symbol and an endangered species -- were dying on their watch.

Officials recorded 12 bald eagle deaths at the facility between 2001 and 2005. The birds were flying into power lines and breaking their necks, or they were landing on towers and being electrocuted. Some Navy officials worried that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service might impose penalties if the deaths continued.

After making structural changes in the towers to make it less likely that the birds would be electrocuted, the base has not reported an eagle death since April 2005. Also during that time, eagles were taken off the endangered species list. But no one is resting easy.

Navy officials and researchers from the College of William and Mary hauled two baby eagles from their nest on the base Thursday to tag them and run blood tests. Their efforts were among the first steps in a three-year, $72,000 study mandated by the Fish and Wildlife Service to make sure that the eagles at the facility stay healthy.

The eagle deaths at Indian Head, although not unique, illustrate the larger problem faced by the birds, said Bryan Watts, director of the Center for Conservation Biology at William and Mary.

"Eagles need waterfront property. We [humans] want waterfront property," he said. "That's really the long-term hope here is that we can coexist in the bay."

The Chesapeake Bay is a hot spot for bald eagles. With tall trees and lots of coastline, the bay's shores have become a permanent home for many of the birds. In winter, the Northern birds migrate to it, as do the Southern birds in summer.

"It really speaks to how important this region is for eagles," said Libby Mojica, a research biologist with William and Mary. "It's supporting eagles all over the country."

The Naval Support Facility Indian Head has eight active eagle nests and two inactive nests. Each of the active nests with two parents can have from one to three eaglets, Watts said.

Navy officials are hopeful that their testing will reveal any unwanted chemicals, such as DDT and mercury, that the eagles at the facility might have ingested. They also said they are hopeful that testing might expand to include Global Positioning System technology, if the funding is available and the timing is right.

"With the war going on, [the environment is] usually pretty low on the list," said Seth Berry, a natural resources specialist for the Naval Support Facility Indian Head. "Unless you can attach it to something required by law."