[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 97 (Wednesday, June 17, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4252-S4253]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
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SENATE RESOLUTION 203--DESIGNATING JUNE 20, 2015, AS ``AMERICAN EAGLE
DAY'' AND CELEBRATING THE RECOVERY AND RESTORATION OF THE BALD EAGLE,
THE NATIONAL SYMBOL OF THE UNITED STATES
Mr. ALEXANDER (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Cochran, Mrs. Feinstein,
Mr. Corker, and Mr. Sessions) submitted the following resolution; which
was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 203
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
Government, including--
(1) the 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--
(1) the spirit of freedom; and
(2) 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 wildlife, environmental, and
natural resource 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,
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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 bald eagles residing in the lower 48 States
rebounded to about 11,000 pairs by 2007;
Whereas the United States Department of 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 of 1900 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 United States 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 by 2015,
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 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, the Bald and
Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940, the Migratory Bird
Treaty Act of 1918, and the Lacey Act; 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, 2015, 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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