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PNS - Thursday, January 9, 2025 - Today is a national day of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter. President-elect Trump's proposals are met with pushback from officials and experts and another Trump pick worries experts, citing a lack of experience.
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PNS - Thursday, January 9, 2025 - One of the most destructive firestorms in L.A. history kills 5, burns 2,000 buildings; All five living US Presidents in attendance at Carter memorial; farmers in Mississippi seek greater support amid rising costs; CO community health centers saved $17.3 million in Medicare dollars; Surge of people interested in running for office in battlegrounds post-election.
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By Kathleen Shannon - Producer, Contact - News
Big Sky Connection - Many think the bald eagle is the United States' official national bird. But in fact, it only received the status when President Joe Biden signed legislation in December. Once on the brink of extinction, about 700 pairs have breeding grounds in Montana. Comments by Aimee Delach (DELL-itch), senior policy analyst, Defenders of Wildlife.
Click on the image above for the audio. Bald eagle nests can be up to 12 feet high, 8 feet across and weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. (Adobe Stock)
Kathleen Shannon
PNS - January 8, 2025 - Montanans are celebrating the official designation of the bald eagle as America's national bird after helping in its recovery.
Once close to extinction, conservation efforts, including private land donations for nesting habitats, helped restore the state's bald eagle population to roughly 700 breeding pairs today. It was no small feat because the species reproduces slowly and some of its nesting habitat was lost to development.
Aimee Delach, senior policy analyst at Defenders of Wildlife, said the recognition for the birds was long overdue.
"There are almost 70 species of eagle across the world but the bald eagle is the only one that's found only in North America," Delach explained. "It really is our national bird, as far as its territory and range."
Delach acknowledged many people assumed the bald eagle was already the national bird. While it has been a symbol on the country's seal for centuries, it was never officially designated. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates there are roughly 300,000 in the U.S. today.
State wildlife agencies began aerial surveys of bald eagle nests in the early 1970s as the bird's numbers plummeted. Scientists believed pesticides like DDT were working their way up the eagle's food chain in a process known as biomagnification.
Delach noted the pesticides interfered with the bald eagle's calcium levels, which made eggshells weak and less likely to hatch.
"A species like a bald eagle, which eats a lot of fish, they're essentially getting a dose from everything that those fish have eaten in their lifetimes," Delach pointed out. "That biomagnification is why these pesticide issues show up worst in some of the 'top of the food chain' animals."
Delach said the federal government banned the use of DDT in 1972. One year later, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act and ever since, bald eagles have made major rebounds and are considered a premiere example of conservation success.
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PNS - Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - Vice President Harris delivers a eulogy for Jimmy Carter. President-elect Trump says he might use military action to take the Panama Canal and Greenland, and the White House announces two new national monuments in California.
