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“Above all other birds it is the soaring eagle, with its size and weight, that gives the most abiding impression of power and purpose in the air,” declared Edwin Way Teale in Atlantic Monthly in 1957. Unique to North America and revered for its majestic appearance, legendary strength and longevity, the bald eagle became the national emblem of the United States in 1782 and continues to be an easily recognized symbol of patriotism.

Once endangered in all of the lower 48 states, bald eagles came dangerously close to extinction. However, due to increased awareness, protective legislation and widespread conservation efforts over the past fifty years, the bald eagle population is making a remarkable comeback, and eagle watching is becoming a popular pastime for nature lovers across the country, especially in Arkansas as well as parts of Missouri.

Kelly Farrell, Park Interpreter for DeGray Lake Resort State Park in Bismarck, Arkansas, has seen hundreds of bald eagles during her numerous jaunts as an eagle-watching tour guide. “It never gets old,” she remarked. “They are amazing and captivating each and every time I get a glimpse.”

Park Interpreter Sarah Keating of Lake Dardanelle State Park concurred. “The feeling of seeing this majestic bird soaring across the lake for the first time is still awe-inspiring even to me. Therefore, any time you can help a visitor experience a ‘first’ like this is truly gratifying.”

Bald eagles follow seasonal food supplies, so they travel south along the Mississippi Flyway from around Canada, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois when the northern waters begin to freeze. Migratory patterns vary according to John Morrow, Park Interpreter at Petit Jean State Park. “Some eagles are here year-round, and some are coming in from Canada and the far northern states. Some don’t migrate at alllike in Alaska, where they are almost as common as dirt.”

Eagles begin to arrive in Arkansas as early as mid-October and stay all winter long, departing around February and as late as mid-March. Over 1,700 eagles may winter in The Natural State, depending on weather conditions. Wintering eagles favor the Ouachitas and Ozarks for the excellent habitat replete with open waters, food and shelter. “The locations they choose are usually remote with little disturbance, and good winter roosting areas are available,” commented Park Naturalist Merle Rogers of Roaring River State Park in Cassville, Missouri.

Mainly fish eaters, bald eagles are attracted to the area’s abundant lakes, undeveloped shorelines, countless streams and wild rivers. “When the lake’s surface water temperature falls to 41-42 F, there is a mass die-off of shad, a small fish that is a favorite among eagles,” revealed guide Jay Viator of Belle of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs. “Young, immature bald eagles, not yet skilled at catching fish, frequent chicken barns in the area to eat dead chickens thrown out by farmers,” he continued.

In addition to fish and carrion, eagles feed on turtles, waterfowl and small mammals, which they hunt themselves or pirate from smaller raptors. “They are lazy birds!” exclaimed Park Interpreter Lori Anderson of Petit Jean State Park. “They want to find food without much work. Being the largest bird around, the eagle will steal food that other birds catch.”

While bald eagles are unscrupulous when it comes to finding meals, they remain faithful mates. At age 4 or 5, an eagle reaches sexual maturity and shifts its focus to both finding a mate and raising offspring. The typical courtship ritual includes aerial somersaults during which the pair whirls through the air with locked talons. Eagles can live up to 30 years in the wild, and they mate for life.

Producer Gary Cooley of Ozark Mountains Website, Inc., named His Place Resort on the White River just outside of Mountain Home as the premier place for watching an eagle pair that returns each year to nest.

“These eagles are fascinating to watch. The male brings sticks and other nesting materials to the female, who promptly throws them away. Then the bickering starts between the two birds,” he shared.

The peak months for eagle watching are December through February, and January is Eagle Awareness Month in Arkansas. When embarking on an eagle-watching expedition, keep the following in mind:

Get out early.
Eagles soar in thermal updrafts, so the best time to see one in the air is when the temperature is rising during mid- to late morning.

Stay behind a blind.
A tree or car acts as an effective blind. Eagles sometimes are shy creatures. People walking around or towards a perched eagle will chase it off its roost, and flying away drains energy needed by the eagle to survive in winter temperatures.

Look near the waterways.
For the most part, eagles stay 3/4 of the way up trees while fishing from the banks. Their white heads and tail feathers are easy to see against the trees along the shore. Many resorts or marinas on lakes have pontoon boats for rent.

Look into a guided tour.
There are many half- or full-day tours with expert guides available. For inexperienced boat operators, running the river in low water can be very challenging.

Report any nest sightings.
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission monitors all eagle nests in the state as part of nationwide conservation efforts. Anyone who observes a bald eagle nest is asked to report it to the AGFC’s Wildlife Management Division at 877.873.4651.

Be mindful of the law.
Possession of an eagle feather or other body part is a felony with a fine of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment. Exceptions apply only to certain Native American tribes with appropriate legal documents.

Use your resources.
Go to for a complete list of eagle-watching tours and eagle-related events, including DeGray’s 25th Annual Eagles Et Cetera Festival to be held on January 23-25, 2004.

For information on more eagle-watching opportunities, contact your local park rangers or naturalists.

About the Author

Jeannette Balleza is Co-Owner of Vulcan Creative, a creative agency specializing in identity with integrity. Vulcan Creative consults with clients on communication strategy and concept development and refinement for graphic design and web site development projects. Go to http://www.vulcancreative.com for more information and to request a free initial consultation.

Climate modification is a multi-faceted and complex subject. In this article, we take a look at the relationship between climate modification and volcanoes.

Climate Modification and Volcanoes

The climate modification debate is a nasty one. Parties pick their positions, dig in and refuse to listen to the rants of the other side. Lost in the yelling is the simple fact that climate modification is a natural phenomenon to some extent. For proof, we need merely look at the materials kicked out by volcanoes.

It is an undeniable fact of the earth record that volcanoes have changed the climate during certain periods. Small explosions don’t have much impact, but large explosions send massive amounts of material and gases into the atmosphere. The gases include carbon dioxide, the ultimate bugaboo greenhouse gas. Beyond these gases, however, volcanoes can kick out so much debris and ash that the material in the atmosphere can actually block out the sun or reduce the warming effect.

Mount St. Helens is the most studied and well known recent eruption. Unless you have been meditating in a cave for the last 20 years, you know that the volcano exploded on May 18, 1980. The eruption was powerful enough to flatten everything for 17 miles, immediately turning 10 million trees into so much firewood. The huge volcanic ash cloud stretched halfway across the United States, but barely had an impact on global temperatures.

In contrast, the eruption of the El Chichon volcano in 1982 had a measurable climate impact. El Chichon is located in Mexico and was a much smaller eruption than Mount St. Helens. Still, the average temperature around the globe cooled by one degree. What scientist learned is the climate modification impact of volcanoes is highly dependent on the type of explosion. The materials from Mount St. Helens fell out of the atmosphere quickly, while El Chichon belched enormous amounts of sulfur that remained in the atmosphere for much longer.

One of the problems with climate modification is it occurs over a relatively long period of time. Since we started paying attention to the situation, we have not had a chance to see the impact of a major eruption. The stuff we see on television is really small potatoes compared to historically eruptions of note. For example, Mount St. Helens threw roughly a half a cubic mile of material into the air. In 1815, a volcano in Indonesia belched 24 cubic miles of material into the atmosphere. Obviously, one has to imagine it impacted the climate of the earth.

Is there a relationship between climate modification and volcanoes? Undoubtedly. From what we see, however, the relationship is generally of a short duration and not an explanation for the rising temperatures we are seeing currently.

Rick Chapo is with www.solarcompanies.com - a directory of solar energy companies. Visit www.solarcompanies.com/articles to read more solar power articles.

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A deciduous shrub from the Staff-Tree Family (Celastraceae)

The burning bush grows well in most areas of Sellersville , Bucks County Pa. Burning Bush, a non-native species from China and Korea, has escaped from the ornamental plantings into urban and rural areas. It travels by way of its seed. This plant is found in forests and brushy areas. This vase-shaped shrub has great red fall foliage, which glows for weeks in early to mid-autumn. Burning Bushes can be sheared into hedges or globes in landscape plantings. Hedges from burning bushes can be very dense giving good screening even in the winter. If left unpruned, the compact form of Burning Bush will grow to about 12 feet tall and 15 feet wide, and the winged form will grow to about 15 feet tall and 20 feet wide. In our area it propagates naturally in shaded areas. We obtain some of our stock from seedlings we gather from a small farm cemetery on our property. It even regrows after transplanting from the empty holes where roots are exposed. Burning Bush is adaptable to a variety of soil conditions. Fertile to sterile, organic to clay, acidic to alkaline, rocky to sandy this plant proves its strenght. It does not like wet soils, but does well in dry soils. Its small fiberous roots are near the surface and responds well to root pruning. Balling and burlapping this shrub does little damage for the plant can take abuse and recover quickly. If you have a brown thumb, then this plant is for you. You can see more of Bill’s planting tips and articles at http://www.seedlingsrus.com or http://www.zone5trees.com