The Back Story
For Shirley Carpenter it was one of the most thrilling experiences in her life. For MDC biologist Jeff Cantrell it was a college internship that turned into a lifetime career in conservation. For Missouri, it was an effort to restore the bald eagle to nesting success in the state.
In 1980, the Missouri Department of Conservation partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield on a 10-year program to bring back our iconic national bird. Overharvest, habitat loss and damage, and the use of the insecticide DDT had severely impacted eagle populations in the lower 48 states. DDT spread through the ground and into the waters where eagles consumed fish. As a result, the eggshells became so thin that they would collapse under the female when she sat on them.
Hacking Towers
Hacking towers were constructed at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and Schell-Osage Conservation Area. According to Cantrell, these were a controlled way to raise and release bald eagles in a simulated wild environment. Eagle eggs successfully incubated by bantam chicken hens were placed in the towers. A total of 74 eaglets were reared, released, and monitored during the program.
Volunteers
Shirley Carpenter and her late husband Don volunteered at the Schell Osage tower. Their home video captured the work of picking up the frozen fish, preparing it with vitamins, and bringing it out to a secluded, restricted area, where they would hike in, climb the wooden tower, haul up the fish, and feed the eaglets. They had to be quiet during the process so the eaglet would not imprint on them. They could see the eaglet, but the eaglet could not see them. They did this twice in 1989 and documented their thrilling adventure. Shirley is a frequent visitor at nearby Lake Springfield and considers the eagles she watches today; direct descendants of the eagle she helped feed. She refers to them as “my eagles.”
MDC biologist Jeff Cantrell was a college intern during the project. He appreciated the conservation ethic, learned a lot from mentors at the agencies, and notes the success of nesting and winter eagle populations in the state. Jeff has brought outdoor knowledge to a variety of groups and conservation programs including Eagle Days, where special events each winter help people enjoy watching bald eagles.
Eagle Watch
MDC Avian Ecologist Janet Haslerig coordinates the MDC’s Eagle Watch Program and notes that we now have more than 600 eagle nests in Missouri. To help monitor their status and continue the conservation legacy, citizen monitors volunteer to track the nests statewide and report their findings. For a minimal time investment of three nesting visits during the season, citizen monitors have enjoyed learning more about our national bird, watching a variety of wildlife in action, and meeting new people along the way.
If you would like to experience the thrilling work of helping conserve bald eagles, check out our Eagle Watch Program and contact Janet at EagleWatch@mdc.mo.gov
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