Bald eagles productivity summary 1994-1996 Lake Clark National Park and Preserve Cook Inlet Coastline

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Although the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)is not listed as endangered or threatened in Alaska, it is protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle protection Act, which states that "no person shall take...any bald eagle,...alive or dead, or any part, nest or egg thereof...". It goes on to define take as "to pursue, shoot at, poison, wound kill, capture, trap, collect, molest, or disturb...". Eagles along the Lake Clark coastline are subject to disturbance and molestation through oil development and logging and mining activities on private and Native Corporation inholdings. Bald eagles are known to be susceptible to human disturbance on their nesting grounds (Gerrard and Bortolotti 1988). Bald eagles can, to some degree, tolerate the increased energy expenditure that may result from human disturbance; however, high levels of disturbance will cause reproductive failure and changes in behavioral patterns (Stalmaster 1987). By monitoring eagle productivity, park managers can determine the reproductive status of the park's coastal population and determine if the population is increasing or decreasing. If eagle productivity declined over several years park managers could use this information to investigate possible causes.