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“This represents America”

Posted February 07, 2015 10:00 pm

By Pete Spitler The Herald Tribune

MODOC -- With spring-like weather and large crowds, the Kaskaskia Eagle Fest celebrated its fourth year on Saturday at the Jerry F. Costello Lock and Dam.

The event - which is a collaborative effort between a number of sponsors and agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Randolph County Economic Development, Lower Kaskaskia Stakeholders, CLIFFTOP and the Kaskaskia River Port District - drew an estimated 1,000 people to the area.

"This eagle event this year has been, what I believe and what I know, to be the largest special event we've ever held here at the Lock and Dam," said James Hill, former Kaskaskia River Project manager. "We've held many, but this is the largest, no question. In talking with some of the rangers, they're thinking 1,000 people here (Saturday)."

The event included a bald eagle presentation by officials with the World Bird Sanctuary, a "Physics in Flight" demonstration by Natural History Educational Company founder Bob Tarter, spotting scopes for the public and interpreted walks both upstream and downstream from the Lock and Dam.

Visitors could also tour the Lock and Dam and leash-trained dogs, and their owners, were welcome to enjoy the sunshine and temperatures in the upper 50's.

"People love nature, people love eagles," Hill said on why the event draws people. "Eagles are big wherever they're promoted, whether that be Alton, Clarksville, Mo., wherever.

"We have the only accessible eagle-watching location south of St. Louis."

Hill also elaborated on the event's prominence in Randolph County.

"It's a nice setting, there's a lot of things to do and people love eagles, that's really what it's about," Hill said. "It's the eagles that sell the event."

JoHanna Burton and Matt Levin, both with the World Bird Sanctuary, presented a brief history and facts about bald eagles. Levin held McGwire, a 17-year-old bald eagle, throughout the presentation.

Burton is a naturalist with the organization and Levin is a volunteer.

"Giving people the up-close experience with one of these animals really drives home the point that they share this planet with us," Burton said in an interview with the media after the presentation. "They're not just some abstract 'Oh, there are bald eagles.'

These eagles are practically in our backyard and (the presentation) helps people realize these birds are out there and we need to be aware of them, especially with how eagles were affected by DDT."

DDT was used to treat malaria and typhus during the second half of World War II and was made available as an agricultural insecticide after the war.

Indiscriminate spraying of DDT led to a threat to wildlife, particularly birds, and a large public outcry resulted in the banning of its agricultural use in the U.S. in 1972.

"(Bald eagles) were endangered and they're still considered threatened," Burton said. "(The presentation) helps raise awareness for how we affect our environment around us.

"Nature is not just out in the woods. Nature is in your backyard and there's a lot of little things people can do in conservation efforts that maybe they don't realize."

Burton said those efforts include turning off the water when you brush your teeth, turning off the lights when you leave a room or carpooling.

"All those simple little things, when everybody does them, have a big impact on the environment," she said.

The bald eagle gets its name from the all-white or "bald" head of the adult bird. It is sometimes called the American eagle, Washington eagle or white-headed eagle.

It was designated as the national bird in 1782. The federal government changed the status of the bald eagle from "endangered" to "threatened" in 1995 to reflect the increase in nesting pairs.

According to information from the DNR's Division of Natural Heritage, Illinois is an important wintering area for bald eagles and supports an estimated winter population of 2,500 to 3,000 birds.

Peak numbers occur during January and February, with wintering eagles found mostly along major rivers.

"This represents America," Burton said. "The eagles are found nowhere else in the world but North America.

"You can't go over to Europe and find another bald eagle. They are here, they are us and they represent our country."

In a separate presentation, Tarter brought out several animals for a demonstration on how they fly. A flying gecko, flying squirrel, fruit bat, yellow-naped green Amazon parrot, Harris' hawk and Eurasian eagle-owl were displayed to the crowd.

The "Physics in Flight" presentation was a first for the Eagle Fest.

"The majority of our exhibits are captively bred from quality breeding programs," Tarter said. "The example of the yellow-naped green Amazon parrot was one of those where someone from the public donated it, but all of my animals come from captive-breeding programs.

"Because we have to ask so much of them to be good programming animals. The bobcat has been a part of the program for years - I've had him since he was 6 weeks old."

Tarter also spoke of the ease of working with Elliott, who was the Eurasian eagle-owl in the presentation.

Elliott remained calm throughout his portion of the event, which included interacting with the crowd.

"Every animal and every person has a different personality," Tarter said. "I was just so lucky that I was able to get him for my programs."

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