Eagle Days Set to Take Flight

St. Louis, MO – Eagle Days is set to take flight in just a few short weeks! Eagle-lovers of all ages are invited to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, 10950 Riverview Drive, St. Louis, MO 63137, Jan. 15 and 16, 2011 to watch eagles fishing, riding ice floes, soaring overhead or roosting in nearby trees. Eagle Days runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, with an educational program, featuring a live eagle, repeated every 20 minutes from 10 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.

Visitors are welcome to view eagles through spotting scopes staffed by trained volunteers. In addition, Eagle Days features activities to entertain and educate the whole family. Programming includes a hands-on exhibit of local birds presented by St. Louis Audubon, a full-size replica of an eagle’s nest and warming tent activities including children’s art courtesy of The Green Center. All activities are free.

Nature and history will intersect, as visitors enjoy Lewis and Clark living history demonstrations at both Bridge entrances. The Missouri Bridge entrance will feature re-enactors from the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles, Missouri. Visitors can glimpse how Lewis and Clark and their crew lived, cooked and traveled during their historic voyage more than 200 years ago. The Illinois side will feature re-enactors from the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site. Both entrances will showcase life-size replicas of boats (called ‘pirogues’) used during the expedition.

Visitors are encouraged to dress warmly, wear comfortable shoes (eagle viewing occurs at the center of the Bridge, a half-mile walk from each Bridge entrance), and leave their pets at home.

Free parking is available at two satellite lots in Missouri, the St. Louis Welcome Center at Riverview and I-270 and North Riverfront Park, off of Riverview south of the waterworks. A free shuttle will be available from both locations. Free parking is also available at the Illinois Bridge entrance. Parking at the Missouri Bridge entrance costs $5.

During the winter, the Mississippi River hosts one of North America's largest concentrations of bald eagles, who are drawn to areas of open water in search of fish, their preferred food. The Chain of Rocks rapids to the south of the Bridge are ideal fishing waters. The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, a historic Route 66 crossing owned by the City of Madison, Illinois and renovated in 1999 by Trailnet, makes an ideal viewing platform.

The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge is the centerpiece of The Confluence, a network of conservation, heritage and recreation attractions along America’s Great Rivers. For more information on The Confluence Partnership or Eagle Days, visit www.confluencegreenway.org.

Eagle Days is made possible through a partnership with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IL DNR), Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and The Confluence Partnership.

Sponsors to date include: The Boeing Company, Cargill Ag Horizon, ConocoPhillips Wood River Refinery, Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, Pettus Foundation, and Metro East Park and Recreation District.