Golden Eagles and the AEF

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Non-releasable Golden Eagle, Victory – cared for by the AEF. © American Eagle Foundation.

The AEF has two Golden Eagles: Tecumseh and Cheyenne.
How many Golden Eagles has the AEF released into the wild?

The chart below was compiled by Bob Hatcher, Consultant to American Eagle Foundation & Retired TWRA Endangered Species Coordinator (1978-2001) and Scott Somershoe, State Ornithologist, TWRA, January 2014.

During 1995-2006, 47 Golden Eagles were released at two hack sites in Tennessee, as shown below: one site, no longer in use, was on Lake Chickamauga; the other site is still in use on Douglas Lake. AEF was involved with both programs. This includes 37 Golden Eagles during 1995-2000 on Chickamauga Lake, a former Bald Eagle hack site. Two anonymous Chattanooga donors fully funded the project during 1998-2000. During 2001-06, AEF released 10 more Golden Eagles on Douglas Lake at an existing Bald Eagle hack site.

Note the “source” for the Golden Eagles: many were translocated to Tennessee from Montana and Wyoming for release in Tennessee.

Golden Eagle hacking has now been discontinued in Tennessee.

A heartwarming and successful Golden Eagle release story from AEF’s archived news blogs can be seen here.