Firefighters in Montana are in the middle of a controversy about an eaglet that apparently was killed when a tree containing a bald eagle nest was cut down. They were working to suppress a wildfire on an unnamed island in the Missouri River near Cascade, Montana south of Great Falls and said they had to cut down the tree because it was burning.
However local residents said the tree was not burning and warned the firefighters about the eagle nest which had been in the tree for more than a decade and most years was occupied by bald eagles.
If the residents are correct and the tree was not burning, it sounds like a condition that can sometimes afflict firefighters called “sport falling”. If the firefighters, employees of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, are right and the tree was on fire, then apparently they concluded that it was very important to cut down the tree with the bald eagle nest, even though it was on an island surrounded by the Missouri River.
More details are at the Great Falls Tribune.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Jim.
It makes me wonder what the firefighters were protecting? Was it worth putting themselves at risk? I hope a manager asked these questions of the IC.
A situation like this one will always have a degree of controversy. No matter which side of the debate you fall on, at the end of the day, the eagle is our nation’s symbol. The bald eagle is also protected not only by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, but also by the aforementioned Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Felling a tree with a nest, on an island, is going to result in a lot of scrutiny.
Yowsa.
Hard to believe what people get worked up about.
The Bald Eagle is sheltered by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BaGo Act) , a federal law. Killing a Bald Eagle has criminal and civil penalties (16 U.S.C. 668c; 50 CFR 22.3). A willful act that turned out to be a felony could result in imprisonment for 2 years and/or fines up to $250,000 for an individual and/or $500, 000 for an organization. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service oversees federal wildlife protection laws and has a long history of enforcing this particular statute.
Well, if the tree was on fire, the nest quite possibly was going to come down anyway. But crews suppressing a fire on an island in the middle of the Missouri River doesn’t sound like a good use of their time, let along the safety issues associated with taking down any tree.