US to abandon Bald Eagle Project on Catalina
 

The eagles ingest the DDT by eating sea lion carcasses and other food. Because the insecticide causes the eagles' eggs to break easily, researchers collect the eggs and hatch them in incubators, then return the chicks to their nests.  

Monday's announcement — made jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — said the preservation emphasis would now be on the northern Channel Islands, where the birds might be able to reproduce on their own. 

"The hope is that the birds on the northern Channel Islands, farther from the source of contamination, will be able to reproduce without the human intervention required on Catalina," said Kate Faulkner, resource manager for the National Park Service. 

Mark Delaplaine, the federal consistency coordinator for the Coastal Commission, said his agency had several options ranging from agreeing with the decision to filing suit to reverse it, the most likely being some kind of mediated settlement. 

Baker said the monitoring of the eagles on Catalina would still be conducted by the Institute for Wildlife Studies, but without federal funds. He said the fate of the Catalina eagles would be reevaluated in about two years.  

The overall restoration project includes conducting peregrine falcon surveys, improving seabird habitat and eradicating nonnative seabird predators. The restoration efforts are part of the Montrose Settlements Restoration Program. Since 1991, money for the eagle project has come from the $140-million settlement paid by Montrose, other chemical companies and about 100 municipalities.  

Cancun travel guide
Isla Mujeres, Cozumel 

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Cancun travel guide
Isla Mujeres, Cozumel