Eagle programs are for everyone

New family program added to popular guided excursions, volunteer monitoring and data collection LACKAWAXEN — A new family program that will get participants “up close and personal” with a bald eagle is just one of the many public programs planned for this winter by the Eagle Institute in the Upper Delaware region. Bald eagles have begun their annual southward trek toward the Upper Delaware Region and the Eagle Institute and its volunteers are ready for them and for the thousands of people who will come to see them. In addition to the new family program on Jan. 17, eagle watching programs, guided habitat excursions and data collection are activities planned for the first few months of the new year. All Institute programs are designed to protect the bald eagle and its habitat and to educate eagle watchers about the “safest and least intrusive” way to view bald eagles. The non-profit organization, which operates out of a winter field office in Lackawaxen, has been providing educational programs and collecting data for more than 10 years. Nearly 50 volunteers are trained in “Eagle Etiquette” to assist the eagle watchers and to collect critical data about the wintering eagles. New this year is the first Northeast Pennsylvania EagleWatch program planned for Sunday, Jan. 17, from 1 to 4 p.m. This free program will offer participants an up-close look at a number of birds of prey, including a bald eagle, when Bill Streeter of the Delaware Valley Raptor Center delivers his “Close Encounters With Birds of Prey” program. His hour-long program starts promptly at 2 p.m. Other activities include an eagle craft project for children, eagle photography and art and guided educational excursions (for a nominal donation) along the Lackawaxen River. The program will be held at state Route 590 and Scenic Drive, in Lackawaxen. Other public programs for the season include: Eagle Mid-Winter Count: Saturday Jan. 9-Sunday January 10: Help the Eagle Institute collect data for the national mid-winter eagle count. Pick one spot or visit multiple locations throughout the day. Downloadable forms at our website: www.eagleinstitute.org or report your sightings on our public EagleWatch Forum. The annual Narrowsburg, N.Y. EagleFest: Festival is scheduled on Saturday Jan. 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and includes eagle watching, live birds of prey, lectures, exhibits and more. Guided Eagle Excursions: Join us on a guided bus excursion to search for eagles, learn about eagle habitat needs and help us collect data. Attend informative program before you board the heated bus. First-come, first-served, fees and starting times, locations vary. Call or e-mail for more information. Saturday, Jan. 23: Join the Northeast PA Audubon Society and the Eagle Institute on a heated bus for this guided excursion. Meet at the Eagle Institute field office in Lackawaxen; dress warmly in layers and wear waterproof boots; bring binoculars, camera, and a bagged lunch. Contact 570 228-1704 or e-mail jthirion@aol.com to reserve a place. Snow date: Jan 24. There’s a prepaid non-refundable $10 fee for bus transportation unless NEPA Audubon cancels the trip for inclement weather or low registration. Saturday, Jan. 30: Discover the unique connection between man-made power and one of the most popular winter eagle habitats in the northeast US during this program and excursion co-sponsored by PPL. Meet at PPL’s Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center, Route 6, Hawley at 9 am. Free. Registration required by calling 570-251-6196. Hudson River EagleFest; Held Saturday, Feb 6, this cooperative venture explores eagles on the Hudson in this day-long event. Live birds of prey programs, presentations, children’s activities, warming tents at eagle viewing locations along the Hudson. George’s Island State Park, Montrose, N.Y. Call : 570-685-5960 or 914-762-2912 or www.teatown.org Saturday, Feb 13: Did you know that eagles mate for life? Celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend with this guided excursion to popular eagle viewing sites. Meet at Eagle Institute office for 10 a.m. departure. $10 per person. First come, first served. Saturday, Feb 21: Catch a glimpse of the wintering eagles before they head back north to their breeding habitat. Meet at Eagle Institute office for 10 a.m. departure. $10 per person. First come, first served. In addition to the programs, Eagle Institute volunteers will once again staff popular public viewing locations each weekend in January and February. This year volunteers will be available in at Delaware River viewing locations in Narrowsburg, NY, Lackawaxen, PA, and Minisink Ford, NY, and on the Mongaup Falls and Rio reservoirs in Sullivan County, NY. Still more As of the first weekend of January, volunteers are staffing five public viewing locations in the Upper Delaware watershed where eagles frequently congregate. The volunteers are equipped with binoculars and spotting scopes and will be looking for and recording data about the eagles such as their behavior, habitat conditions, approximate age and where they are from (color-coded leg bands can reveal their state of origin). Volunteers also are trained to answer visitors’ questions about eagle biology and characteristics, statistics and data and other helpful info, such as how to get to the other viewing locations. The Eagle Institute winter field office, at 176 Scenic Drive in Lackawaxen, is located just across the Roebling Bridge from Minisink Ford, N.Y. and will be staffed Fridays through Sundays and by appointment during the week. Visitors can stop at the field office before they begin their eagle watching adventures to learn where eagles are being sighted, road conditions, etc. and to watch an informational video. Hot chocolate and coffee are available. Public programs and viewing assistance are growing in popularity as a low- or no-cost outdoor recreational opportunity that is close to home. “An added benefit for most people - once they see an eagle in the wild and so close to home - they gain a sense of stewardship and pride,” said Lori McKean, founder and director of the Eagle Institute. “This is especially important now that the eagle has been removed from the endangered species list and some believe it no longer needs protection. On the contrary, without the special protection afforded by the endangered species legislation, protection of the eagle and its habitat is more and more the responsibility of individuals and organizations like ours. Education is now the key to protection and to making sure we don’t go down that ‘endangered’ road again,” she added. Additional details about these programs can be learned by visiting the Web site at www.eagleinstitute.org , e-mailing eagleinstitute@yahoo.com or calling 570-685-5960 or 845-557-6162.