[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 502 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 502

 Designating June 20, 2016, as ``American Eagle Day'' and celebrating 
the recovery and restoration of the bald eagle, the national symbol of 
                           the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 20, 2016

  Mr. Alexander (for himself and Mr. Durbin) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Designating June 20, 2016, as ``American Eagle Day'' and celebrating 
the recovery and restoration of the bald eagle, the national symbol of 
                           the United States.

Whereas the bald eagle was chosen as the central image of the Great Seal of the 
        United States on June 20, 1782, by the Founding Fathers at the Congress 
        of the Confederation;
Whereas the bald eagle is widely known as the living national symbol of the 
        United States and for many generations has represented values such as--

    (1) freedom;

    (2) democracy;

    (3) courage;

    (4) strength;

    (5) spirit;

    (6) independence;

    (7) justice; and

    (8) excellence;

Whereas the bald eagle is unique only to North America and cannot be found 
        naturally in any other part of the world, which was one of the primary 
        reasons the Founding Fathers selected the bald eagle to symbolize the 
        Government of the United States;
Whereas the bald eagle is the central image used in the official logos of many 
        branches and departments of the Federal Government, including--

    (1) the Executive Office of the President;

    (2) Congress;

    (3) the Supreme Court;

    (4) the Department of Defense;

    (5) the Department of the Treasury;

    (6) the Department of Justice;

    (7) the Department of State;

    (8) the Department of Commerce;

    (9) the Department of Homeland Security;

    (10) the Department of Veterans Affairs;

    (11) the Department of Labor;

    (12) the Department of Health and Human Services;

    (13) the Department of Energy;

    (14) the Department of Housing and Urban Development;

    (15) the Central Intelligence Agency; and

    (16) the United States Postal Service;

Whereas the bald eagle is an inspiring symbol of the spirit of freedom and the 
        sovereignty of the United States;
Whereas the image and symbolism of the bald eagle has played a significant role 
        in art, music, literature, architecture, commerce, education, and 
        culture in the United States, and on United States stamps, currency, and 
        coinage;
Whereas the bald eagle was once endangered and facing possible extinction in the 
        lower 48 States, but has made a gradual and encouraging comeback to the 
        lands, waterways, and skies of the United States;
Whereas the dramatic recovery of the national bird of the United States is an 
        endangered species success story and an inspirational example to other 
        environmental, natural resource, and wildlife conservation efforts 
        worldwide;
Whereas, in 1940, noting that the species was ``threatened with extinction'', 
        Congress passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 668 et seq.), 
        which prohibited killing, selling, or possessing the species, and a 1962 
        amendment expanded protection to the golden eagle, thereby establishing 
        the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act;
Whereas, by 1963, there were only an estimated 417 nesting pairs of bald eagles 
        remaining in the lower 48 States, with loss of habitat, poaching, and 
        the use of pesticides and other environmental contaminants contributing 
        to the near demise of the national bird of the United States;
Whereas the bald eagle was officially declared an endangered species in 1967 
        under the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-
        669; 80 Stat. 926) in all areas of the United States south of the 40th 
        parallel due to the dramatic decline in the population of the bald eagle 
        in the lower 48 States;
Whereas the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) was signed into law 
        in 1973 and, in 1978, the bald eagle was listed as ``endangered'' 
        throughout the lower 48 states, except in Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, 
        Washington, and Wisconsin, where it was designated as ``threatened'';
Whereas, in July 1995, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced 
        that bald eagles in the lower 48 States had recovered to the point where 
        populations of bald eagles previously considered ``endangered'' were now 
        considered ``threatened'';
Whereas, by 2007, bald eagles residing in the lower 48 States had rebounded to 
        approximately 11,000 pairs;
Whereas the Department of the Interior and the United States Fish and Wildlife 
        Service removed the bald eagle from Endangered Species Act protection on 
        June 28, 2007, but the species continues to be protected under the Bald 
        and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 (16 U.S.C. 668 et seq.), the 
        Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.), and the Lacey 
        Act and the amendments thereto (16 U.S.C. 3371 et seq.);
Whereas the trained, educational bald eagle ``Challenger'' of the American Eagle 
        Foundation in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, was invited by the Department of 
        the Interior to perform a free-flight demonstration during the official 
        bald eagle delisting ceremony held at the Jefferson Memorial in 
        Washington, DC;
Whereas experts and population growth charts estimate that the bald eagle 
        population could reach 15,000 pairs, even though a physical count has 
        not been conducted by State and Federal wildlife agencies since 2007;
Whereas caring and concerned agencies, corporations, organizations, and people 
        of the United States representing the Federal, State, and private 
        sectors passionately and resourcefully banded together, determined to 
        save and protect the national bird of the United States;
Whereas the recovery of the bald eagle population in the United States was 
        largely accomplished due to the dedicated and vigilant efforts of 
        Federal and State wildlife agencies and non-profit organizations, such 
        as the American Eagle Foundation, through public education, captive 
        breeding and release programs, hacking and release programs, and the 
        translocation of bald eagles from places in the United States with dense 
        bald eagle populations to suitable locations in the lower 48 States 
        which had suffered a decrease in bald eagle populations;
Whereas various non-profit organizations, such as the Southeastern Raptor Center 
        at Auburn University in the State of Alabama, contribute to the 
        continuing recovery of the bald eagle through rehabilitation and 
        educational efforts;
Whereas the bald eagle might have been lost permanently if not for dedicated 
        conservation efforts and strict protection laws like the Endangered 
        Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the Bald and Golden Eagle 
        Protection Act of 1940 (16 U.S.C. 668 et seq.), the Migratory Bird 
        Treaty Act of 1918 (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.), and the Lacey Act and the 
        amendments thereto (16 U.S.C. 3371 et seq.); and
Whereas the sustained recovery of the bald eagle population will require the 
        continuation of recovery, management, education, and public awareness 
        programs to ensure that the population numbers and habitat of the bald 
        eagle will remain healthy and secure for generations to come: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates June 20, 2016, as ``American Eagle Day'';
            (2) applauds the issuance of bald eagle commemorative coins 
        by the Secretary of the Treasury as a way to generate critical 
        funds for the protection of the bald eagle; and
            (3) encourages--
                    (A) educational entities, organizations, 
                businesses, conservation groups, and government 
                agencies with a shared interest in conserving 
                endangered species to collaborate and develop 
                educational tools for use in the public schools of the 
                United States; and
                    (B) the people of the United States to observe 
                American Eagle Day with appropriate ceremonies and 
                other activities.
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