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Contact: Yvonne Menard, 805-658-5736
During the October "From Shore to Sea" lecture Dr. Peter Sharpe, wildlife biologist from the Institute for Wildlife Studies (IWS), will discuss the multiagency efforts to return bald eagles to their historic range on the Channel Islands. Dr. Sharpe will give an overview of this history of bald eagles on the Channel Islands and the cause of their eventual disappearance from the islands. Using a combination of still photography and video, Sharpe will illustrate the efforts that IWS has made to restore bald eagles to the Channel Islands over the past 32 years. He will also give an update on the current status of the population of resident bald eagles, including some recent milestones such as the earliest known record of a bald eagle chick hatching on the Channel Islands and the first bald eagle chick naturally hatched on West Anacapa Island in over 60 years. Sharpe received his Ph.D. in zoology from Colorado State University in 1998. He has been directing the bald eagle reintroduction program on the Channel Islands for the non-profit IWS since 1997. In addition to directing the bald eagle projects, Sharpe has taken part in the research and management of other wildlife found on the islands, including the island fox, golden eagle, osprey, and loggerhead shrike. This talk will be held on October 10, 2012. The From Shore to Sea lecture series is sponsored by Channel Islands National Park to further the understanding of current research on the Channel Islands and surrounding waters. The lectures occur at 7:00 pm on the second Wednesday of March, April, May, September, October, and November at the Channel Islands National Park Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center, 1901 Spinnaker Drive in the Ventura Harbor. The programs are free and open to the public. ### The bald eagle restoration efforts on the northern Channel Islands are funded by the Montrose Settlements Restoration Program (MSRP), a multi-agency program dedicated to restoring natural resources harmed by DDTs and PCBs released into the environment by Montrose Chemical Corporation and other industrial sources in Southern California in the mid 20th century. MSRP included 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. Further information on MSRP can be found at: www.montroserestoration.gov The Institute for Wildlife Studies, a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wildlife species, is involved in conservation projects around the world. IWS has conducted bald eagle restoration on Catalina Island for over 25 years, as well as efforts on the northern islands within Channel Islands National Park. A live EagleCAM can be found at: http://chil.vcoe.org/eagle_cam.htm |
Last updated: February 28, 2015