were put in place so that the eagles could not be disturbed while nesting, and some volunteers would take part in “hacking,” or raising eaglets in a controlled and safe environment that allowed them to return to the wild.

“Eagles did a really good job of recovering themselves,” Rheude said. Since 2007, when eagles were removed from the endangered species list, most states ceased monitoring their eagle population. Rheude said that Wisconsin is one of the few states that continues to monitor its eagles yearly, aside from the year 2020 due to COVID-19 complications.

Rheude said that bald eagles thrive in areas with bodies of water, and because the eagle population has grown so much, they have begun to nest in areas that are unexpected. She said that eagles are nesting closer together than usual and in areas that are more populated by humans.

“Fortunately in Wisconsin there is no shortage of habitat for eagles to nest,” Rheude added. “It is a really great success story.”

Rheude said that there are no outstanding concerns for bald eagles to return to the endangered species list in the future, and there is still uncertainty at what point the bald eagle population will top out in Wisconsin with so much habitat to be occupied.