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On February 5, 2021, the Fish Wildlife Service (“FWS”), under the Biden administration, announced that it was delaying the effective date of a rule promulgated by the Trump administration regarding “incidental takes” and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (“MBTA”). On January 7, 2021, the Trump administration published a final rule interpreting the MBTA as not prohibiting incidental takes, and this rule was set to take effect on February 8, 2021. The Biden administration delayed the effective date until March 8, 2021, and it has requested additional public comments on the rule through March 1, 2021. 86 Fed. Reg. 8716, published February 9, 2021.
The bald eagle was declared the national symbol of the United States in 1782. Ironically, in the lower 48 states, this species was threatened with extinction in the 1950s and
2/10/2021
Wood duck boxes installed at local pond
Josh Johnson, left, John Sanna, center, and Angel Conroy installing a wood duck box at Valley Falls Pond on Jan. 31. The boxes will provide shelter and protection for the colorful waterfowl.
John Sanna has waited five years for the right weather conditions to freeze the ice enough at Valley Falls Pond so that he could go out and install wood duck boxes, and on Sunday, Jan. 31, the Cumberland native saw his opportunity.
Along with several family members, Sanna installed seven of these boxes, meant to provide shelter for wood ducks, which thrive in swamps and marshes, at the pond located at the border of Lincoln, Cumberland, and Central Falls. Last week he said he was hoping to get back out and install more boxes in Cumberland but wasn’t sure if the ice would be too thin for him to do it safely.
Bald eagles in WNC: Numbers rebound, with most counties having nesting pairs
Special to the Times-News/USFWS
ASHEVILLE - With 32 nests discovered over the past 16 years, bald eagles are more common in Western North Carolina than they have been in decades, providing a thrill for those fortunate enough to see them and a challenge to keep that positive trend going.
For years, bald eagle populations struggled with habitat loss and chemical contamination, leading to a string of conservation efforts.
In 1940, Congress passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act, prohibiting the selling, killing or possession of any part (feathers, talons, etc.) of the bird. The law was amended to include golden eagles, and is still in effect.