Pennsylvania Game News - September 2015 - 48

Pennsylvania could uP Penalty for killing eagles
Those who kill golden and bald eagles
could face stiffer penalties under Pennsylvania law.
The Pennsylvania Board of Game
Commissioners in June gave preliminary approval to a measure that would
increase to $2,500 the replacement cost
for killing bald eagles or golden eagles.
The bald eagle had been classified
as a state-threatened species until early
2014 when, it was removed from the
threatened list because its recovery met
objectives outlined in the state's baldeagle management plan.
While golden and bald eagles both

R. Matthew Hough spoke with excitement about the record numbers.
"Like many Pennsylvanians, I remember a time when bald eagles were absent
just about everywhere in the state, and
it truly is astonishing how things have
turned around," Hough said. "Through
our reintroduction program, our protection of eagles and effective management,
we've gone from three nests statewide to
what soon could be 300, all within the
span of my career with the Game Commission.
"It's an accomplishment of which all
Pennsylvanians can be proud," Hough
said.
Of the nests reported so far this year,
20 are new, which could mean they were
built and used for the first time this year
or, if they existed previously, they were
reported for the first time this year.
The Game Commission urges all eagle
nests be reported, and it's never too late to
report them. Even if nests were reported
in a previous year, it's important to report
them again if they were used again this
year, just so they don't fall off the list.
48

remain protected by federal and state
law, the fact that neither bird was classified as threatened meant that killing
a golden or bald eagle resulted at the
state level in $200 in replacement cost.
Replacement costs are restitution for
unlawfully killed wildlife and typically are
paid in addition to fines.
Commissioners said the $2,500
replacement cost emphasizes that
although golden and bald eagles are
recovered in Pennsylvania, they still
require further protection.
The measure will be up for final adoption at the Sept. 29 meeting in DuBois.

Perhaps the easiest way to report a
nest is to contact the Game Commission
through its public comments email address: pgccomments@pa.gov, and use
the words "Eagle Nest Information" in
the subject field.
Reports also can be phoned in to a
Game Commission Region Office or the
Harrisburg headquarters.
Nearly 1.4 million people viewed the
Game Commission's Eagle Cam online
this year. The livestream was turned off in
early July, a few weeks after both eaglets
fledged.
Hough said the number of viewers
illustrates the connection people have
with bald eagles, which has been important to its success.
"Without people who care, we
wouldn't have nearly the number of bald
eagles we have in Pennsylvania today. In
fact, we probably wouldn't have them at
all," Hough said. "When bald eagles were
in decline, it was people who led the way
for their recovery. The rest we left up to
the eagles, and they continue to prove
they'll be here for years to come."
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - September 2015
