Reintroduced Bald Eagles
Bald eagles were once numerous on California's Channel Islands. Because of eggshell thinning caused by DDT and other factors, the last known successful bald eagle nesting in the northern Channel Islands was in 1949. By the 1960s, bald eagles could no longer be found on any of the Channel Islands.
The Institute for Wildlife Studies started a program in 2002 to reintroduce bald eagles to the Channel Islands, funded by money from a $25 million fund to deal with the lingering effects of tons of DDT dumped by the Montrose Chemical Corporation of California into the ocean near Santa Catalina Island. Since June 2002, 46 young bald eagles have been released on Santa Cruz Island. On 17 March 2006, wildlife biologists for the Institute announced that for the first time in over 50 years there has been a successful hatching on Santa Cruz Island.
In April 2007, the Nature Conservancy announced another successful chick hatching. The chick broke free of its shell on 13 April 2007.
Read more about this topic: Santa Cruz Island
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