At the Second Continental Congress in 1782, the American Bald Eagle was chosen to be the symbol of the United States of America. With outstretched wings, the eagle was given a place of honor at the center of the Great Seal of the United States, representing strength and freedom for our fledgling country.
Unique to North America, the bald eagle’s talons can exert over 400 pounds of pressure. It boasts a wingspan over seven feet wide and stands up to three feet tall. It soars to heights beyond 10,000 feet and reaches speeds over 100 miles per hour. With their keen eyesight, eagles can spot prey up to three miles away. Talk about a symbol of strength and freedom!
For all its strength and power, one short-sighted breach of its ecosystem nearly brought the mighty bald eagle to its demise. Between World War II and the Vietnam War, eagle numbers in the lower 48 states were reduced from an estimated 100,000 to just around 400 nesting pairs.
Used to eradicate mosquitoes and other pest insects, DDT does not become inert after it kills its target. It accumulates and concentrates in fatty tissues, so its toxicity intensifies exponentially at every stop along the food chain. From mosquitoes and other insects to frogs, fish, rodents, and small birds, then on to the top of the chain where it finds the mighty eagle.
Though not very successful at eliminating the insects for which it was intended, DDT was effective at weakening the shells of birds’ eggs and disrupting the development of their young resulting in failed generations of eagles and other birds.
So, although DDT was not intended to eliminate the eagle – or the robin, the phoebe, or the warbler for that matter – it nearly did before it was finally outlawed in 1972. Without government intervention the American Bald Eagle might now be extinct or exist only in captivity.
Public outcry inspired by love, appreciation, and respect for the eagle, helped spur legislation outlawing DDT. Other federal and state laws were also enacted to protect eagles’ habitat and restore them to their former numbers. In 2007 the eagle was removed from the Endangered Species List, and in 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recorded 71,000 nesting pairs of eagles in the lower 48. An epic recovery had taken place.
Through this incredible journey over the past century, the American Bald Eagle has come to symbolize resilience despite adversity.
Like the bald eagle, Americans, too, are resilient.
For example, every four years we must survive another electoral cycle. For months we endure alarmist reporting, invasion of our personal spaces, an assault of misinformation – from mud-slinging politicians to intentionally confusing referendums.
Then we are required to make an important choice with limited options. Big money buys politicians, the truth has become subjective, and a vast number of those who can vote don’t because they don’t believe it will make a difference.
Now, half of the voting population must come to terms with defeat. It’s an unavoidable consequence of our two-party system. And, even if you’re on the side that won, we all need to recover from the negative rhetoric in which we have steeped for the past year.
As we move forward, I encourage all sides to embrace the American Bald Eagle and its story of recovery as our symbol of strength, freedom, and, most of all, resilience. Hard decisions require strength. Democracy demands freedom. Recovery takes time.
Let’s all emulate the eagle’s gift for seeing long distances – the big picture if you will – and have the strength to make decisions that will have the greatest benefit for the longest time.
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