June 20th is Bald Eagle Day. A resolution proclaiming June 20th Bald Eagle Day was approved by both houses of the U.S. Congress in 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2011. It is a day to celebrate the successful recovery of the bald eagle.
The National Eagle Center will be celebrating with special events on June 18th and 19th, 2014.
Kick-off our summer of Fishing for Eagles with kids’ activities
Join us for ’fish painting’ where kids can create their own fish art using rubber fish molds, paint and construction paper. Kids can practice casting and try out Fishing for Eagles.
Click the image above to download the coloring page!
Bald Eagle Day Coloring Contest
Children can enter our Bald Eagle Day coloring contest. Download a coloring page here. You can also get a coloring page at the National Eagle Center and at several local restaurants.
Entries must be received by June 18th and will be judged on June 19th. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners will be chosen. Age of the child will be considered in judging – please let it be the child’s work! Our Education staff will be the judges. Be sure to complete “Eagles are important to me because…”
Prizes:
1st place – Household membership to the National Eagle Center, plus a child size NEC t-shirt (choice of two colors).
2nd and 3rd place winners will receive a child size NEC t-shirt (choice of two colors).
Winning entries and honorable mention entires will be displayed at the National Eagle Center through July.
Background of Bald Eagle Day
In June, 2007 the bald eagle was finally removed from the Endangered Species list after more than 30 years. In 1963, there was just one nesting pair of bald eagles along the entire Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge – a stretch of more than 260 miles of prime bald eagle habitat! When the bald eagle was included in the 1973 Endangered Species Act, there were just 417 nesting pairs across the lower 48 states.
After banning the use of DDT, the federal government listed the bald eagle under the newly created Endangered Species Act. Increased habitat protection and breeding and release programs helped to bring this magnificent bird back from near extinction in the lower 48 states. Today bald eagle populations are once again healthy and even thriving all over the United States.
When the bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list in 2007, there were more than 11,000 nesting pairs in the continental US. In the state of Minnesota today there are more than 2,300 nesting pairs of bald eagles.
