As the Barry Manilow songs goes, "Looks like we made it." And the best evidence of all can be found just across the Ohio River in Brown County.
Little more than four decades ago, birds of prey were an endangered species in our nation. Our national symbol the bald eagle, along with peregrine falcons and other large raptors were declining in numbers and seemed destined to disappear off the face of the earth. Most people had never seen a bald eagle, unless it was in a cage at the zoo.
DDT, a widely used pesticide was the primary culprit. It seemed the birds were eating fish and other small game which carried residual from the chemical. Eventually, the DDT built up in the bodies of the raptors, causing them to lay eggs with brittle shells which easily shattered. As the problem worsened, less and less eggs were capable of producing hatchling. Soon, the birds were reduced to a handful of breeding pairs. The magnificent animals were doomed.
Then came Silent Spring, the book which put a public spotlight on the issue and Americans began to take notice. DDT was banned, endangered species lists were created and penalties imposed for killing or harming the birds. Conservationists and naturalists began making efforts to save the birds from extinction. Those efforts included moving birds into new, suitable habitat and providing nesting boxes for falcons in urban spots that mimicked their natural habitat.
The efforts were successful, so successful in fact that today majestic bald eagles can be spotted soaring over the river after leaving their nest in Brown County and falcon chicks emerge almost annually from hatching boxes placed on tall smoke stacks at DP&L's Stuart Station. This year, falcons failed to produce babies in the boxes but the failure was one of nature, not of man this time.
Today, the peregrine falcon and the bald eagle have both been removed from the endangered species list, a testament to our ability to protect and preserve those creatures with which we share this earth. But their near demise should remain a vivid memory and a warning of what may happen if we fail to do so.
Reader Comments
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FactFinder wrote on Aug 19, 2008 12:05 PM:
" You should probably check your facts a little better. The theory that DDT caused the thinning of eggshells was debunked several years ago. "
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