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Great American Eagles Grace Dollywood
by Raquel Amberson
http://www.roweagle.com
The American eagle, the proud national symbol for the U.S.,
hasn't always received a welcome reception by the nation's
citizens. This bald eagle is an efficient bird of prey was
once thought of as a "varmint" by the early pioneers. The
settlers wanted to destroy these "varmints" that were eating
their fish supply and attacking their domestic animals.
Today, the word varmint, also referred to as raptor, no
longer applies to this graceful bird; however hawks and owls
still hold these stigmatized titles.
The misperception about the American eagle ironically was
greatly improved thanks in part to the pesticide DDT. When
this killer pesticide was introduced into the environment
after World War II, many food chains were affected,
including the chain that ended with raptors. As the animals
along the lower part of the chain ingested DDT, raptors also
were infected once they ate those tainted animals. As
result of the DDT in the eagle's system, the wondrous birds
laid eggs with dangerously thin shells. These poorly formed
eggs rarely made it through safely and soon our national
eagle was placed on the endangered species list.
We all know that there are a large number of conservation
groups that are actively working to restore the balance of
nature and increase the populations of endangered species.
The American Eagle Foundation is one group that is focused
on increasing the numbers of bald eagles. This non-profit
foundation is sponsored by the Dollywood Theme park located
in the heart of America at Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The
American Eagle Foundation has its Headquarters at Dollywood
and began operations there in 1985. The Foundation is
dedicated to restoring the eagle population and protecting
wild eagles. Dollywood and the American Eagle Foundation
are the caretakers of over 60 raptors who have been injured
and cannot be re-released into their normal habitat. Some
of these birds participate in an active and successful
breeding program. Hundreds of eaglets, young eagles, have
been released through this breeding program.
"Eagle Mountain Sanctuary" is a Foundation sponsored program
at Dollywood. Millions of people every year visit this
sanctuary to view these grand birds and watch impressive
demonstrations called "Wings of America". As trained eagle
handlers demonstrate daily these birds - such as eagles,
owls, vultures and falcons, the public is gaining insight as
the importance of respecting and preserving this worthy
national bird.
The spokesperson for the Foundation is none other than Dolly
Parton, founder of Dollywood. Dolly has traveled
cross-country speaking on behalf of the Foundation and its
goal to preserve eagles. As result, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service awarded the "Partnership Award" to Dolly in
recognition of her efforts toward bald eagle preservation
and support of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
American Eagle Foundation's own Challenger, a trained eagle
that's allowed to fly free and then return to its handler,
is a traveling "spokesbird" for the Foundation. Challenger
has appeared at many important sites such as the White
House, the State Department, other federal agencies, and
even the World Series. This is a grand time for America's
bald eagle, a wonderful symbol of freedom and incredible
agile grace.
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