30 April 2013

FWS Action a Disgrace to Eagles

by Jim Wiegand

On April 26 the Fish and Wildlife Service released a statement that claims their Eagle Conservation Plan Guidance "fosters protection for bald and golden eagles." This is true, but so what? The carefully chosen word "fosters" is just another indication of posturing by an agency that went bad some time ago. The word foster means to encourage. How about this agency coming clean and using the words "does protect the bald and golden eagles"? The word "foster" is no better that the word "voluntary" which is used to describe the "voluntary regulations" this agency has for the wind industry.

The FWS Bald and Golden Eagle Conservation plan is a disgrace. How could any plan be developed when so many facts have been hidden? How could any plan be developed when so many fraudulent studies have been created? This plan should be called for what it really is, "the eagle extermination plan" because it is nothing but a legal shell game which allows the wind industry to legally kill bald and golden eagles. The "no net loss" criteria used by the FWS is a convenient excuse to hand out their kill or "take" permits. It all is just more of the same "encouragement" with "voluntary regulations."

With encouragement and voluntary regulations the FWS has helped the wind industry destroy the historical habitat for the California condor. If it were not for the feeding stations keeping them from the turbines the condor population would now be extinct except for in captivity.

With encouragement and voluntary regulations The FWS has allowed the wind industry to develop the central Flyway habitat with many thousands of wind turbines. This region includes the Prairie Pothole Region sometimes referred to "North America’s duck factory." Encouragement and voluntary regulations have allowed the prairie's ponds and potholes to be invaded by huge deadly turbines and no one has been told about the terrible toll.

With the encouragement and voluntary regulations the profiteers looking to score our tax dollars have nothing to stop them.

Jim Wiegand is an independent wildlife expert with decades of field observations and analytical work. He is vice president of the US region of Save the Eagles International, an organization devoted to researching, protecting and preserving avian species threatened by human encroachment and development.