For decades, the National Wildlife Federation has taken the lead in working to save the bald eagle from extinction. We have worked to support Endangered Species Act legislation in recent years and headed up the fight in the mid-1990s to change the eagle’s status from endangered to threatened.

Today, eagle populations soar at more than 9,700 breeding pairs in the continental United States. We celebrate that the time has come for the bald eagle’s complete removal from the list of endangered species. This decision is a testament to the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act as it is currently enforced. View the June 28th press statement "Bald Eagle Flys off Endangered Species List."

Take action today to continue supporting endangered species!

Advocacy Through Film

NWF launched its campaign to save the bald eagle in 1970 with the documentary film "Everybody's Eagle," giving many Americans their first extended view of eagles in their natural habitat, as well as nesting and soaring through the sky. The film was seen by hundreds of thousands, and generated a groundswell of support for protecting the eagle.

The Federation produced and distributed a second film, "We Can Save the Bald Eagle," in 1977. This film, explained the primary reasons for the eagle's plight, and recommended ways people could get involved to help save the eagle.

Stopping the Killing

In 1971, the Federation launched its reward program, offering $500 (later increased to $1,000 in some cases) for information leading to conviction for harming or killing a bald eagle.

Over the years, the Federation has also worked with the Pacific Gas and Electric Company in California, as well as six other utility companies, to help pioneer the development of power line structures that are not harmful to eagles when they attempt to roost.

Helping Establish Habitats and Refuges

Beginning in 1974, the Federation conducted a series of fundraising and promotional campaigns in cooperation with Southland Corporation and other commercial enterprises to raise funds for the purchase of eagle habitat. This program resulted in the creation of:

• the Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge in South Dakota,
• the Ferry Bluff Eagle Sanctuary in Wisconsin,
• the Oak Valley Eagle Refuge in Illinois, and
• the Three Sisters Bald Eagle Preserve in California

Local communities have found these refuges to be an economic asset.

The Federation's Rocky Mountain Natural Resource Center has taken a leading role in establishing a bald eagle refuge at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal near Denver.

Conducting and Supporting Bald Eagle Research

In January 1979, the Federation launched its famous midwinter bald eagle survey. This project brought together 2,600 volunteers, who counted 9,834 bald eagles. By 1993, the Raptor Research and Technical Assistance Center in Boise, Idaho reported a national count of 12,076 bald eagles. Today, numbers are at around 14,000.

In 1979, the Federation initiated an annual bald eagle banding project in the Chesapeake Bay region, a prime eagle nesting and breeding habitat.

Early on in its fight to save the eagle, the Federation established a computerized eagle data bank, bringing together into one repository extensive information to aid researchers. This project was designated an official bicentennial program by the U.S. Bicentennial Commission, and led to the establishment of the Federation's Raptor Information Center.

The success of the Raptor Information Center led the Federation to establish the Institute for Wildlife Research in 1982 as an umbrella organization that includes research centers on bears and felines, as well as raptors.

Increasing Public Awareness

In 1982, the theme of NWF's Wildlife Week was the bald eagle. Posters, activity guides, and other materials were sent to thousands of teachers across the country. NWF staff also went on an educational tour with a live bald eagle to 26 major metropolitan areas, sharing eagle awareness with schools, environmental organizations, and radio and television stations.

Legal Action

In the mid-1980s, NWF waged a lawsuit which led to banning the use of lead shot in waterfowl hunting. Lead shot can poison bald eagles and other raptors who consume dead or injured game birds.

The Federation successfully carried out a lawsuit in 1987 which stopped the construction of a dam in Arizona that would have destroyed bald eagle habitat.

NWF carried out extensive litigation in the Great Lakes region against the EPA to ban toxic pollution of the Great Lakes, which causes reproductive failure and birth defects in bald eagles.

Protecting the Eagle's Status

In 1990, the NWF vigorously opposed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's proposal to reclassify the eagle as threatened as opposed to endangered. Due in part to our efforts, the proposal was ultimately withdrawn.

Happily, by the mid-1990s and continuing through today, eagle populations have continued to steadily rise, no longer warranting its classification as either endangered or threatened.