{"id":2049,"date":"2018-02-22T16:13:04","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T00:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hancockwildlife.org\/?post_type=project&p=2049"},"modified":"2023-02-07T12:53:58","modified_gmt":"2023-02-07T20:53:58","slug":"beta-bald-eagle-tracking-alliance","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/hancockwildlife.org\/project\/beta-bald-eagle-tracking-alliance\/","title":{"rendered":"BETA – Bald Eagle Tracking Alliance"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_slider show_arrows=”off” show_pagination=”off” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_size__hover=”null” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover=”null” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover=”null” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover=”null” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover=”null” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover=”null” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover=”null” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover=”null” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover=”null” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover=”null” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover=”null” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover=”null” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover=”null” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover=”null” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover=”null” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover=”null” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover=”null” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover=”null” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover=”null” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover=”null” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover=”null”][et_pb_slide heading=”BETA Project” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”4.16″ header_font=”|600|||||||” body_font=”|600|||||||” body_font_size=”20″ background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”https:\/\/hancockwildlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/eagle-gang.jpg” parallax=”on” button_on_hover=”on” body_font_size_tablet=”20″ body_font_size_phone=”20″ global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” sticky_transition=”on”]Bald Eagle Tracking Alliance[\/et_pb_slide][\/et_pb_fullwidth_slider][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Initial Text” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]In our Lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia we believe that in addition to our 500 breeding\u00a0pairs of bald eagles, we have over 35,000 eagles annually passing through: where do our\u00a01000 breeders go after the young fledge and where do the other 34,000 eagles come from —\u00a0and go to when they leave here? Hosting the world\u2019s largest gathering of bald eagles, and\u00a0probably having more large predators than anywhere else in the world, we are finally taking\u00a0on the responsibility to find out more about them.<\/p>\n

This BETA Project, in cooperation with Simon Fraser University, and in Phase 1 is a 10 year\u00a0introduction to these eagle movements. As different age classes and geographically resident\u00a0eagles get tagged we hope to formulate additional questions and plan fact based managements recommendations. Is the population still expanding or now declining? Since so\u00a0many eagle are dying of pesticides and heavy metals can we determine where they are picking\u00a0up these contaminants? And since electrocution remains the largest local killer of our eagles\u00a0can we learn something about their local movements that would assist BC Hydro in where to\u00a0place perches above the killing wires?<\/p>\n

Trapping some of our local breeders and some of the thousands of migrants will be a start to\u00a0our better understanding of the world\u2019s largest gathering of bald eagles. Please support the\u00a0BETA Project: follow an eagle on its annual journey<\/a>. If you can contribute financially to the\u00a0Project please do so. The HWF team has devoted a large portion of our consulting dollars to\u00a0buying Trackers and our first grant application to Molson Breweries also resulted in a fine\u00a0support grant. At about $5000.00 cost per Tracker we need your support.<\/p>\n

See Donations and Classes of Support for following your favorite bird.<\/a><\/strong>
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,1_4,1_4,1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Ydenberg” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]Ronald C. Ydenberg, Ph.D.<\/strong>
\nCentre for Wildlife Ecology
\nSimon Fraser University
\nydenberg@sfu.ca
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Bird” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]David M. Bird, Ph.D.<\/strong>
\nAvian Science and Conservation Centre
\nMcGill University
\ndavid.bird@mcgill.ca
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Hancock” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]David Hancock<\/strong>
\nHancock Wildlife Foundation
\nSurrey, BC 604 761-1025
\ndavid@hancockwildlife.org
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Elliot” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]Myles Lamont, <\/strong>RpBio, AScT, EP, CWB<\/strong>
\nDirector of Research Programs
\nSurrey, BC
\nmyles@hancockwildlife.org
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,1_4,1_4,1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Bloom” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]Peter Bloom, Ph.D.<\/strong>
\nBloom Biological, Inc.
\nSanta Ana, CA
\npetebloom@bloombiological.com
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Varland” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]Daniel Varland, M.Sc.<\/strong>
\nCoastal Raptors
\nHoquiam, WA
\ndanvarland@coastalraptors.org
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Lanzone” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]Todd Kaztner, Ph.D<\/strong>
\nU.S. Geological Survey
\nBoise, ID
\ntkatzner@usgs.gov
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Kaztner” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]Keith Bildstein, Ph.D.<\/strong>
\nHawk Mountain Sanctuary
\nAllentown, PA
\nbildstein@hawkmtn.org
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,1_4,1_4,1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Bildstein” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]Dr. Michael Seear<\/strong>
\nDept Medicine, UBC
\nVancouver, BC
\nmseear@cw.bc.c
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Seear” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]John Elliott, Ph.D.
\n<\/strong>Canadian Wildlife Service
\nDelta, BC
\njohn.elliott2@mcgill.ca
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Kaztner” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”BETA Intro” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Executive Summary:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The bald eagle (Haliaetus leucocephalus<\/a>) is the most conspicuous and now perhaps the most numerous top predator in the Pacific Northwest, and perhaps on the continent. From summer until early winter, many estuaries are occupied by hundreds and in some cases even thousands of eagles. They come to scavenge salmon, but who are these birds and where do they come from? Answering this question in any sort of detail requires that individual birds be tracked over long periods. The difficulties inherent in studying free-living top predators are especially challenging for migratory raptors as they move long distances and spend a lot of time in remote areas, but is becoming possible with the advent of new tracking technologies. Cellular technology allows devices to update frequent batches of telemetry data at considerably low cost compared to satellite devices. If cellular coverage is unavailable, the unit can store data points until it returns to a coverage area. Such a unit would enable bald eagles to be tracked over long periods of time, even in remote areas. We are seeking a total of $200,000 CDN to enable the purchase a number of these units and to cover other ancillary costs of the study.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Context of the project<\/strong><\/p>\n

Top predators have powerful effects on entire ecosystems. This phenomenon is well illustrated by the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park, carried out by the US Fish & Wildlife Service in the mid-1990s, 70 years after wolves were exterminated in the park. Following the reintroduction, the population of their primary prey – elk – fell by almost half. This much was to be expected, but the scale and extent of the other effects wolves induced were truly surprising. Gallery forests along streams grew up astonishingly quickly and biodiversity increased, enabling the return of the beaver, absent from Yellowstone since the wolf was exterminated. The dam building activities of these ecosystem engineers soon altered hydrology, which increased nutrient availability that in turn supported higher breeding success by riparian birds, as well as the return of butterfly species not seen in decades.<\/p>\n

These effects can be traced back to the fact that elk altered their foraging behavior once there were wolves. Prior to the reintroduction, elk grazed and browsed almost everywhere with near impunity. But afterward they had to become more cautious, and avoided the places that had become most dangerous. Released from grazing and browsing pressure, the vegetation on these places rebounded, which in turn led to the changes listed above. The return of the wolf made Yellowstone a much healthier ecosystem, showcasing how top predators are vital to ecosystem health and functioning. Conservation requires good knowledge of the behavior of top predators to understand whether and how they exert these effects in other ecosystems.
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Top Predators” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]Bald Eagles as Top Predators<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like those of many other raptors, numbers of bald eagles (Haliaetus leucocephalus<\/a>) have increased steadily since the 1973 ban on DDT, increasing as much as 10- or 20-fold in various places. On the West coast of British Columbia where we wish to pursue our study, the bald eagle breeding population has skyrocketed. For example, David Hancock, a member of the Bald Eagle Tracking Alliance (BETA), watched his three southern Fraser Valley nesting pairs in the 1960s grow into approximately 500 nesting pairs in his adult lifetime.<\/p>\n

The central idea behind the work proposed here is that the population recovery of these raptors can be thought of as a continental-scale analogue of wolf reintroduction into Yellowstone. The ecosystem effects might be as profound, or even more so, than those of Yellowstone\u2019s wolves. Many raptors are migratory, and so extend the effects of their presence on a continental scale. And unlike wolves they are not confined to remote or wilderness areas. Many inhabit rural, suburban and even urban areas.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]