Sweet mercy. Brian, the bald eagle line is the funniest thing I've seen in FY 2006.

If blad eagles an't adapt to us spraying them with DDT we should move past the tree hugging wackos and get a new mascot.

Like a pitbull or something sweet like that.

Rob, I am just trying to defend America from those that would declare war on Bald Eagles.

Thanks to the greens we have all these cases of malaria and an infestation of bald eagles.

Man, this link is going to make someone mad.

To think we would name awards after some stupid bird that can't stand up to a little DDT.

Screech, screech!

The article also attacks global warming. First Bald eagles, now penguins. If I was a sparrow I'd stay away from the next CRA meeting.

Check this link:

http://www.nrdc.org/bushrecord/airenergy_warming.asp

Mr. Bush believes in global warming, but Steve Frank does not. Why won't he support the president?

Has Steve Frank commented yet on this entry?

Editorial: Eagles' fate up in the air
Pesticides remain serious threat

April 17, 2006

Wildlife biologists rejoiced Wednesday over the birth of a fluffy bald eagle chick on Santa Cruz Island.

And, why not? It has been more than 50 years since a pair of adult bald eagles — due to the devastation of DDT poisoning — hatched a chick on any of the northern Channel Islands.

The chick emerged from its shell some 35 days after the egg was first spotted in a treetop nest by sharp-eyed biologists. The hatching thrilled the folks at the Institute for Wildlife Studies, who have been working since 2002 to reintroduce bald eagles to the island. And, there was even more good news Thursday with the discovery of another nest, possibly containing a second egg.

Bald eagles were once plentiful on the islands located off the Southern California coast, but the national bird began to disappear as DDT deposits from chemical plants, farm fields and backyards began washing into the ocean and, in turn, polluting the food chain. The now-banned pesticide causes female eagles to lay eggs with abnormally thin shells, which break before the chicks can hatch.

Up until Wednesday, the institute has had mixed results with the program. After all, catching dozens of bald eagles and moving them thousands of miles is relatively easy. The hard part is waiting for the adult birds to reproduce in a region where large quantities of DDT — most embedded in an array of marine sediments — still exist.

Yes, the birth of one, and now possibly a second, bald eagle is a good sign, although it's too early to declare the program a success. However, it does provide us with a chance to reflect on the unforeseen consequences pesticides can have on future generations.

In agriculture-rich Ventura County, which ranks eighth in pesticide use among the state's 58 counties, farmers and growers, in 2004, applied 7,283,033 pounds of pesticides to their crops.

Clearly, we are still dumping and spraying — into the air we breathe and the water we drink — too many pesticides that are harmful to people, the environment and wildlife.

As the near demise of the bald eagle shows, it's time we started paying closer attention.

Who cares what the "red" star thinks about DDT or other issues?

I don't think Frank really believes this stuff, he just posted it to start a conversation.

this website rocks