Live Bald Eagle Webcam Launches

Date: May 22, 2006
Contact: Yvonne Menard, 805-658-5725

SANTA CRUZ ISLAND, CA - Earlier this spring, the first chick to hatch unaided by humans on the Channel Islands in over 50 years made headlines across the country. Thrilled with the public interest in this historic event, federal agencies and the Ventura County Office of Education unveiled today a webcam that will bring live, streaming images of the chick and its parents into the schools and homes of millions of Americans.

The Santa Cruz Island Bald Eagle Webcam can be viewed via the Ventura Office of Education’s Website at: http://chil.vcoe.org/eagle_cam.htm.

The solar-powered camera, which runs daily between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., will allow viewers to watch the chick exploring the nest, feeding, and within two months, learning to fly. Viewers will need a computer with high bandwidth and Windows Media Player.

The Santa Cruz Island Bald Eagle Webcam has been made possible through the generous donation of time, expertise, and equipment from the Ventura County Office of Education along with funding and support by the Montrose Settlements Restoration Program and the National Park Service. The Nature Conservancy is graciously hosting the bald eagle webcam at the nest site on their property.

---

The Montrose Settlements Restoration Program (MSRP) is a multi-agency program dedicated to restoring natural resources – including bald eagles, peregrine falcons, seabirds, fish, and fish habitat – harmed by DDTs and PCBs released into the environment by Montrose Chemical Corporation and other industrial sources in Southern California in the mid 20^th century. MSRP is overseen by representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, California Department of Fish and Game, California State Lands Commission, and California Department of Parks and Recreation.

Santa Cruz Island is one of five islands within Channel Islands National Park. The western 76% of the island, where the bald eagle nest is located, is on property owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy. The eastern 24% of Santa Cruz Islands is owned by the National Park Service.