PINEDALE — The Bureau of Land Management Pinedale Field Office is seeking volunteers to assist with a national mid-winter bald eagle survey on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016.

Volunteers should meet at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, at 1625 W. Pine St. in Pinedale, Wyoming, to be assigned survey routes along public roads in Sublette County, Wyoming, and receive instructions on survey methods and eagle identification.

Two-person observation teams are needed so that one person can safely drive while the other observes and documents eagles.

Since 1979, federal and state agencies as well as volunteers from the public have counted bald eagles throughout the U.S. every January.

By monitoring and estimating national and regional count trends, an index of the total winter bald eagle population in the lower 48 states has been established.

Wyoming counted 49 nesting pairs in 1990 and 97 in 2000.

Some Bald Eagle Facts from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

The Bald Eagle’s recovery is an American success story. It no longer needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act because its population is protected, healthy, and growing.  Here are some facts about the bald eagle and its journey to recovery.

Why the Bald Eagle almost went extinct in this country

Habitat was lost when virgin forests were cleared
Animals that eagles eat (like shorebirds and ducks) also declined because of overhunting
Eagles were shot because they were thought to threaten livestock
DDT, an insecticide with widespread use, built up in adult eagles and caused them to lay thin-shelled eggs that cracked before the chicks could hatch.

What we did to bring the Bald Eagle back

• We banned DDT
• We prohibited killing of eagles
• We improved water quality in many of our lakes and rivers
• We protected nest sites
• We restored eagles back to areas where they had been eliminated

Some bald eagle biology facts

• The Bald Eagle is truly an all-American bird; it is the only eagle unique to North America.
• Nests are sometimes used year after year and can weigh as much as 4,000 pounds
• Bald Eagles may live 30 years in the wild (even longer in captivity)
• Bald Eagles pair for life, but if one dies, the survivor will accept a new mate.
• In hot climates, like Louisiana and Florida, Bald Eagles nest during winter
• Bald eagles get their distinctive white head and tail only after they reach maturity at 4 to 5 years of age.