Eagle Day thrills birders
Reserve plans: DWR officials celebrated a fundraising landmark in their renovation efforts
FARMINGTON - Despite a biting arctic wind, hundreds gathered in Farmington on Saturday to watch dozens of bald eagles perch, eat, and soar through the clear morning skies.
"This is just fascinating. I've lived in Utah for 17 years, and I had no idea eagles gathered here," said William Wright, of Ogden. He and his wife, Gale, joined their seventh-grade granddaughter, Alix Wilson, on her weekend field trip from Syracuse Junior High.
Raising such awareness is one of the reasons the Division of Wildlife Resources has held Eagle Day for the past 17 years. The birds winter in Utah from November to March, eating carp and other fish at the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area. The population peaks during mid-February, and then the birds begin to return in March to their nests in Canada for the summer.
Utah is ranked in the top five viewing areas for bald eagles in the lower 48 states, according to Phil Douglass, DWR's northern region conservation outreach manager.
While DWR officials were happy to see the turnout, they had another reason to celebrate on this Eagle Day. The division came halfway to its goal of moving its learning center from the main entrance to an area north of Goose Egg Island, due to a $150,000 grant from EnergySolutions Environmental Foundation. A Shoshone ground blessing by Leland Pubigee, a member of the northwestern band of Shoshone, marked the occasion.
"As Indian people, we are happy to see you people preserving and taking care of mother nature and educating yourselves about it," said Patty Timbimboo-Madsen, a member of the northwestern band of Shoshone.
While DWR officials were excited to receive the money, they now need to raise the other $150,000 to move the classrooms.
Bob Hasenyager, DWR northern region supervisor, said he hopes to get the remainder from the state Legislature. He also hopes to have an entire nature center in the middle of the 300 acres north of Goose Egg Island. The venture would cost about $8 million and could take about four years to become a reality.
"With participation from the state and federal governments and private donations, not only is it very feasible, but it's advisable," Hasenyager said.
For now, the more than 200,000 students and visitors who come to Farmington Bay annually will have to stay on the main dirt road to view the wildlife there.
That's fine with Carrie Roberts. She lives in Farmington, but had never realized that eagles wintered so close to her home. She plans to return to the park when fewer people are there and when she can drive through the dikes to get a closer view of the birds.
"I'll definitely come back," she said. "This is just awesome."
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
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