[/av_textblock] [av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” custom_class=”] National ‘Name an American Eaglet’ contest to be held
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2003 — The American Eagle Foundation staff (headquartered at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee) banded a Bald Eaglet on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 and placed it into an artificial nesting tower located on Douglas Lake in East Tennessee. The activities of the young bird and its parents had been closely watched by thousands of people from around the world for the past six-weeks via an Internet video camera. Over 80,000 elementary schools were invited to watch and learn. A national ‘Name An American Eaglet’ Contest is being held to name the eaglet. The eaglet is scheduled for release into the wild in late July 2003.
Full text of Press Release:
PIGEON FORGE, TENN., June 25, 2003
A six-week-old non-releasable Bald Eaglet hatched in a nest located at Dollywood’s Eagle Mountain Sanctuary aviary has been taken to an artificial nesting tower over-looking a secluded cove on Douglas Lake in East Tennessee.
The bird was banded by wildlife officials (Pete Wyatt of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and American Eagle Foundation staff) today and will be released in late July.
A national ‘Name An American Eaglet’ Contest is being held to name the bird, and the winner will be announced on July 4th (WWW.EAGLES.ORG).
The Bald Eaglet is being cared for with minimum human contact by staff members of the non-profit American Eagle Foundation, headquartered at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. In late July, after spending about six weeks in the nesting tower, the bird will be released into the wild and tracked with a radio transmitter to help monitor its progress. It received a physical check-up by University of Tennessee veterinarians Mike Jones and Kimba Marshall last week.
The eaglet was sired by non-releasable parent eagles ‘Liberty’ and ‘Justice.’ The pair has produced young for the past eleven years. The hatching and rearing of the youngster was viewed by thousands of people and students from a live video camera over the Internet at the Foundation’s WWW.EAGLES.ORG and WWW.NESTINGEAGLES.COM websites.
“Through the miracle of Internet and video technology, thousands of folks from around the world have been able watch this majestic eaglet hatch and grow over the past six weeks”, said American Eagle Foundation president Al Cecere. “It’s been amazing to witness the dedication of the parents tending to their baby.”
Supporting members of the non-profit organization are being offered a chance to participate in a ‘Name An American Eaglet’ Contest. On July 4, 2003, one lucky member will be awarded the regal right to name the young bird hatched by Liberty and Justice, plus the rare privilege of being on hand to witness its release into nature. The winner of this special honor will be selected through a random drawing. Anyone becoming a member on-line by July 1, 2003 will be eligible to enter.
Last year’s winner was Our Lady of Lourdes School from Long Island. They named their eaglet ‘Ground Zero,’ and a few of the students and teachers attended the release last summer. The Foundation’s breeding eagles can also be annually adopted on-line, which makes a great gift for anyone, especially for birthdays, and those serving in the Armed Forces.
“More than 80,000 schools from across the United States were invited by the Foundation to watch this fascinating nest-watch adventure and enjoy the special learning benefits it provides,” said Cecere. “It has given them a heart-warming perspective of our National Bird.”
The parent eagles are housed at the American Eagle Foundation’s education, breeding and rehabilitation center based at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The birds live in captivity and can no longer survive on their own because of permanent physical disabilities caused by gunshot injuries to the eye, foot and wing. However, the young that they hatch and rear are released into the wild to assist eagle repopulation efforts in the Southeastern United States.
The Foundation is widely recognized as a national leader in Bald Eagle conservation, recovery and public education. Established in 1985, it is dedicated to the care and protection of the Bald Eagle and its habitat. The Foundation has educated millions of people, hatched and released dozens of eaglets into the wild, and rehabilitated numerous injured eagles and other birds of prey.
“For the benefit of future generations, we must all do our part to keep America’s eagles flying strong and free into the twenty-first century and beyond,” said Cecere.
MEDIA ALERT/PHOTO OPPORTUNITY:
Local media invited to view eaglet being banded at Douglas Lake hack tower on Wednesday morning, June 25, 2003. Contact American Eagle Foundation president Al Cecere to coordinate.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Al Louis Cecere, President, American Eagle Foundation
al@eagles.org and WWW.EAGLES.ORG
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