Subject: [Tweeters] Re: Golden Eagle Killing in Eastern Oregon
Date: Jan 5 08:36:36 2012
From: Scott Downes - downess at charter.net


Tweets,
Minor typo on my part. In my hurried typing this morning the take permit is 3 eagles over 5 years.

Scott Downes
downess at charter.net
Yakima WA
----- Original Message -----
From: Scott Downes
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 8:10 AM
Subject: re: Golden Eagle Killing in Eastern Oregon


Tweeters,
Rather than getting caught up in the hype of the MSNBC article, I'd like to direct you to the link below outlining the submission of the application for the take permit. I do a lot of work with wind and golden eagles and in fact a coworker of mine-well known raptor biologist that has done raptor banding at Bonney Butte for many years- did the golden eagle work on the West Butte project that is the subject here. If you dig deeper you will find that the "take permit" is actually applauded by some conservation groups as to get this "take" permit they have to set up an avian conservation plan to assure no net loss of eagles, thus in some ways eagle conservation as a whole will be helped.

http://www.fws.gov/pacific/news/news.cfm?id=2144374933

If you go to the link and obtain and read the application you will also see that the site is very low in eagle use relative to many other areas in Eastern Oregon and Washington. The take application is not for targeting eagles but rather to work with USFWS in the event that the project might kill one through a turbine strike. It is a federal crime to kill an eagle without a take permit and the developer was seeking assurances (its more of a bank and financial thing) that by working with the USFWS on a conservation plan and obtaining a take permit they would be exempted from prosecution for up to 3 eagle deaths per year. Essentially a take permit is a formal agreement saying that if the developer agrees to minimize and mitigate eagle deaths in a way agreeable to the USFWS that the USFWS would give some assurances to the developer that they would not be prosecuted if an eagle death accidentally happens. There is almost no project in eastern Washington or Oregon where the chance of an eagle death is zero as even in non-breeding areas birds do migrate through the area.

I have no problem with people believing that even one death to eagles by any human cause isn't ok, that's what comments to the proposal are for under the link above. However, can we please not react to stories from mainstream media that certainly don't produce all of the facts.

Thanks.

Scott Downes
downess at charter.net
Yakima WA