12 Eagles to Land in Channel Islands Park

In an ongoing effort to return American bald eagles to the skies above the northern Channel Islands, National Park Service officials are poised to release a dozen more young birds this summer.

The eagles, which are to be taken out to the islands by boat today, are expected to join seven that were released at the same time last year and are now inhabiting Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and Anacapa islands.

They are pioneers in a five-year effort to restore the majestic birds to the islands, 50 years after the species was driven off by widespread pesticide contamination.

Bald eagles, America’s symbol of freedom, are listed as a threatened species throughout the United States. They populated the Channel Islands for many years but disappeared decades ago after being exposed to the now-banned chemical DDT, which thinned the shells of their eggs and caused them to be crushed.

The eagles’ return “brings them closer to recovery, and is an important part of restoring the nationally significant ecosystem of the islands,” said Kate Faulkner, chief of natural resources at Channel Islands National Park.

Eight of the 2-month-old eaglets were trapped in the wild in Alaska, where bald eagle populations are stable, Faulkner said. Biologists captured birds only from nests that had multiple chicks, she said, because it is rare for an adult eagle to successfully raise more than one chick in the wild.

The other four came from the San Francisco Zoo’s captive-breeding program.

Biologists hope to release up to 12 young bald eagles each year for three more years, monitoring their movements and exposure to DDT. The birds are fed by park service officials until they can fly and forage on their own. For the next month, they will be kept in nesting boxes on a hill overlooking Santa Cruz Island’s Chinese Harbor.

After that, solar-powered satellite transmitters strapped to the eagles’ backs will help biologists keep track of their movements, feeding habits and physical health in their new environment.

Among last year’s flock of 12, four eagles died and one was roaming the western United States -- having been tracked as far as Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

“Juveniles are driven to explore,” Faulkner said. “Last year, what several decided to do was cross the ocean, but four of them never made it. We expect they just ran out of energy.”

One 4-month-old eaglet was found struggling in the water by two divers returning from a trip to the islands. The bird was treated at the Ojai Raptor Center and is now thriving on Santa Cruz Island, Faulkner said.

The eagle-release effort will cost $750,000 this year, and about $1 million over the next three years, said Yvonne Menard, spokeswoman for the national park.

Funding for the entire program is part of a $140-million settlement with Montrose Chemical Co., a Los Angeles County pesticide manufacturer that dumped an estimated 1,800 tons of DDT into the ocean from 1947 to 1971. About $30 million of the settlement, which was reached in 2000, is earmarked for restoration projects targeting the birds, fish and other wildlife damaged by the chemicals.

DDT still lingers in a 100-ton pool of pesticide on the ocean floor off the Palos Verdes Peninsula and has prevented 70% of the reintroduced eagles on Santa Catalina Island from reproducing naturally.

Biologists are hoping for a different outcome on the northern islands, and some evidence suggests they may be in luck. In 1970, only one brown pelican chick hatched on Anacapa, while today there are about 5,000 nesting pairs, Faulkner said.

“We know things are better out there than they were 50 years ago,” she said. “The question is: Is the system clean enough now for the eagles to successfully reproduce?”

Restoring bald eagles to the islands is a key part of the park service’s overall effort to return the area to its natural state. When the bald eagle disappeared half a century ago, golden eagles moved in, feeding mostly on thousands of feral pigs that roam Santa Cruz Island and also on native island foxes.

Plans are underway to rid the island of pigs later this year. Park officials hope that by eliminating the golden eagles’ main food source, the interlopers will leave for good.