More Freshwater

canary in the coal mine

In the Heroes of Conservation blog the story of NY Bald Eagles is illustrated. 173 Pairs of Bald Eagles nested in NY in 2009. NY is a state of 16 million people that was settled in the 1600's. Bald Eagles were extinct as a breeding bird in NY by 1975. How have these top of the food chain predators made such a comeback if the evil corporations pursuing their greedy profits have been able to circumvent all the anti pollution laws? In 1975 the NY DEC did a historical breeding study of the Bald Eagle in NY. The study found that as many as 72 pairs had nested in NY. That means in the pre DDT days the breeding population had been reduced to 72 pairs because of poor water quality, habitat loss, and shooting. Now that the population is over 100 pairs more than the pre DDT population I have to believe that there must be a tremendous increase in water quality over the pre WWII habitat measured by the 1975 study. The other top of the food chain avian predators such as the Osprey and the Peregrine Falcon are also reaching population numbers that make them common. What say you? Why was the extinction of the Bald Eagle the rallying cry for the environmental movement in the 1970's and the recovery not proof of the quality of today's environment?