Just like the nation which has adopted it as a symbol, the bald eagle has had its share of triumphs and setbacks.
During Saturday's Eagle Watch at Kinzua Dam, hundreds gathered to catch a glimpse of the elusive and majestic bird. People stood along the dam bridge and the shores of the tailwaters peering across the waters.
Kinzua Cachers held a Geomeet during the event and Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer David Donachy presented a program about the eagle.
There were several sightings on the day, Donachy said, which he noted would have been impossible when some of the attendees were children. Due to a number of factors, he said bald eagles greatly declined.
This process started when Europeans began to settle in North America, Donachy said, which is the only continent where the birds are found. Bringing with them the habit of farming, he said settlers cut down on the habitat of the eagles by clearing forest for their fields.
"Back through history, many cultures have adopted the eagle as a symbol for its strength and free spirit," Donachy said. "They're also cool to look at."
According to Donachy, George Washington first introduced the bird as a symbol for America during a prisoner of war exchange during the Revolutionary War.
As farming evolved, Donachy said it posed new threats to bald eagles. The use of DDT kept crops free from insects, he said, but it also had unintended consequences.
Fish ate the contaminated bugs, Donachy said, and eagles ate the fish. Though the birds didn't die outright, he said the DDT softened the shells of their eggs which would break when the parents sat on them.
The 1960s brought greater environmental awareness, Donachy said, with Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring" helping launch the movement. DDT was banned, he said, and the healing process began.
While eagles in the state were largely spared from environmental harm, Donachy said other states had to undertake programs to reintroduce the animals to their land. Pymatuning was the only place in Pennsylvania where bald eagles remained, he said, and the state Game Commission brought some to Haldeman Island and Shoholo Falls from Saskatchewan, Canada.
Today, Donachy said there are 217 known nests in the state. Within Warren County, he said officials know of 14 nests.
