Eagles enthrall, educate

By The Gazette Editorial Board

How many live video productions from Iowa can claim viewers from more than half the nations of the world and counting?

We don't know, but it's good bet to say the bald eagle show from a nest perched 80 feet above the Decorah Fish Hatchery is exceptional. It's the only one involving eagles that is being monitored by uninterrupted livestream audio and video, as far as Bob Anderson knows.

And it shows the world that a Decorah man and other Iowans spread their wings to discover ways of protecting wildlife.

When the upgraded equipment was activated last year, www.luther.edu/eaglecam/ “became an overnight sensation,” Anderson, director of the sponsoring Raptor Resource Project, told us. After the first of three eagle eggs was hatched Saturday, viewership spiked.

Last year, people from 102 of the world's 195 countries logged on to the site, which is provided through Luther College. Even before last weekend, the number of unique computer visitors already had doubled from last year's 86,000.

Anderson hopes the attention raises awareness and support of wildlife preservation. “The bald eagle, once a species on the brink of extinction, is now nesting in our backyards. It speaks volumes for our ability to make environmental adjustments,” such as banning the chemical DDT.

Iowans should recall that Anderson led the successful effort to reintroduce peregrine falcons to Mississippi River bluff areas. The non-profit Raptor Resource Project works to preserve and expand populations of falcons, eagles, ospreys, hawks and owls by creating and maintaining nest sites. Cameras monitor many of them.

Anderson lectures throughout the Midwest. He works for Excel Energy, which funds much of his work. The Raptor Resource Project gets no state tax funding. “But I work closely with the Department of Natural Resources and have to get permits; the DNR has been very cooperative to work with.”

Anderson believes he may have the “most unique job on the planet. Not many people put cameras in nests and get paid for it.” We're glad he's got the job.