Eagles get a new home in the sky - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

The bald eagle is a symbol of our country's strength and freedom.

Less than 20 years ago, the Bald Eagle was on the brink of extinction.

It's made an incredible comeback since, and one family of eagles will continue to thrive thanks to a collaboration of four south Georgia organizations. 

Colquitt County farm owner Joel Norman says he first discovered a young pair of eagles 5 years ago. "Well they're part of our national heritage and they're beautiful birds and only just a few years ago were there any in this area whatsoever."

But separate lighting strikes destroyed Abe and Mary's first two nests.

"We're going to try to reestablish the eagles in this area. Setting up the pole. Hopefully get them to populate in this area," said Colquitt EMC Human Resources Manager Doug Loftis.

Colquitt EMC worked for almost four hours today setting up what they hope to be the eagles new home.

"It's a very thought out process. A lot of businesses in Southwest Georgia have volunteered time and equipment and supplies to have this happen. They pole was sent out here. Moultrie Tech has helped erect the nest together. We have a crew out here ready to set up the pole this morning," said Loftis.

Chet Powell with Georgia Wildlife Rescue Association originally called Colquitt EMC who said they were willing to set up the 90 foot pole, but first they had to find one. "Than we got in touch with Langdale Forest Products in Valdosta and they were kind enough to locate this pole and get here. And just getting it here was a major undertaking."

And after setting up the nest, digging the hole, and dropping the pole, Powell says it could not have been placed any better. "It's not just the money involved, it's the logistics. Moving something this big and massive. It's what they do for a living although they don't normally work with one this big."

Powell says he plans to visit the site several times over the next few days to see if their plan actually worked.

Learn more about the Georgia Wildlife Rescue Association on their facebook page .

Digging Deeper:

Wildlife experts say the Bald Eagle is the biggest success story of the Endangered Species Act.

In 1995, the bird was taken off the list and transferred to the list of threatened species. But why should we spend the time and money to protect them?

Whenever most of us think of the Bald Eagle, we think of freedom.

"Well they're part of our national heritage and they're beautiful birds and only just a few years ago were there any in this area whatsoever," said Norman.

But even though our national bird is no longer on the Endangered Species list, several organizations are going a long way to protect them.

"We're going to try to reestablish the eagles in this area. Setting up the pole. Hopefully get them to populate in this area," said Loftis.

The Georgia Wildlife Association, Colquitt EMC, Moultrie Tech, and The Langdale Company collaborated Thursday to build a new home for a pair of eagles.

"Unfortunately after they built their first nest, lightning struck that tree and it died within a year. And bald eagles normally use the same nest year after year," said Powell.

Colquitt County farmer Joel Norman says these eagles need all the help they can get. "Always try to protect them because they are part of a very fragile ecosystem. You can kill them out too easy."

But Colquitt EMC says this is not something they do very often. "This is probably the first project in this area we've done repopulating the eagles' nests and setting up a poll with a nest on top. First time we've done this," said Loftiss.

Powell says it's been a rough year for those who help those wild animals in need. "A lot of Wildlife Rehabilitators just couldn't afford to do it. They work out of their own pocket and off contributions. We've helped out where we can, but we've pretty much depleted our funds this year."

Powell says to make sure the eagles take to their new home, he will continue to monitor the site over the next few days.

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