National Eagle Repository
Encyclopedia
The National Eagle Repository is operated and managed under the Office of Law Enforcement of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
located at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
outside of Denver, Colorado. It serves as central location for the receipt, storage, and distribution of Bald
and Golden eagle
s that have been found dead. Eagles and eagle parts are available only to Native Americans
enrolled in federally recognized tribes for use in religious and cultural ceremonies.
and Regulations in 50 CFR 22. Passed in 1940 and amended in 1962 to include golden eagles, the Bald Eagle Protection Act prohibits the take, transport, sale or barter, and possession of eagles or their parts without a permit. Native Americans who wish to obtain Bald or Golden Eagles or their parts must apply through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's Migratory Bird Permit Office which services the applicant's state of residence. Orders are filled on a first come, first served basis, with a waiting list of about 6000 applicants for approximately 2000 eagles the repository receives, on average, each year. Applicants additionally receive a Fish and Wildlife Service permit which allows them to possess eagles or their parts for religious purposes. Conservation agencies, zoological parks, rehabilitators, and others who may legally possess and transport deceased eagles and their parts are encouraged to send them to the repository so they may be used by Native Americans. Most of the birds died in bird strike
, particularly with cars, on overhead power lines or were confiscated from poachers
.
s and other feathered headdresses. Some continued hunting and considered it legal on reservation grounds
as hunting and their cultural self determination was guaranteed in treaties. In the early 1970s the National Eagle Repository was operated out of Pocatello, Idaho
and in the 1980s distribution was out of the USFWS Forensic Lab in Ashland, Oregon
. The office collected birds and distributed them further. But the process was slow and the numbers of birds low.
In 1985 a law suit over the prosecution of Dwight Dion Sr., a member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe
, for poaching and selling of four bald eagles reached the Supreme Court
. In United States v. Dion
the court upheld the conviction and confirmed that historic treaty rights
could be amended and abrogated by legislation of congress
.
President Bill Clinton signed an executive memorandum on April 29, 1994, after meeting with 300 tribal leaders at the White house. He reformed the National Eagle Repository and obliged all federal agencies to send dead eagles to the repository. Following this memorandum, in 1995 the repository moved to the Denver area and got its own offices at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
located at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located adjacent to Commerce City, Colorado, approximately northeast of downtown Denver...
outside of Denver, Colorado. It serves as central location for the receipt, storage, and distribution of Bald
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
and Golden eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
s that have been found dead. Eagles and eagle parts are available only to Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
enrolled in federally recognized tribes for use in religious and cultural ceremonies.
Mandate
Distribution is authorized by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection ActBald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act is a legislation in the United States of America that protects two species of eagle. The Bald Eagle was chosen as a national emblem of the United States by the Continental Congress of 1782 and was given legal protection by the Bald Eagle Protection Act of...
and Regulations in 50 CFR 22. Passed in 1940 and amended in 1962 to include golden eagles, the Bald Eagle Protection Act prohibits the take, transport, sale or barter, and possession of eagles or their parts without a permit. Native Americans who wish to obtain Bald or Golden Eagles or their parts must apply through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's Migratory Bird Permit Office which services the applicant's state of residence. Orders are filled on a first come, first served basis, with a waiting list of about 6000 applicants for approximately 2000 eagles the repository receives, on average, each year. Applicants additionally receive a Fish and Wildlife Service permit which allows them to possess eagles or their parts for religious purposes. Conservation agencies, zoological parks, rehabilitators, and others who may legally possess and transport deceased eagles and their parts are encouraged to send them to the repository so they may be used by Native Americans. Most of the birds died in bird strike
Bird strike
A bird strike—sometimes called birdstrike, avian ingestion , bird hit, or BASH —is a collision between an airborne animal and a man-made vehicle, especially aircraft...
, particularly with cars, on overhead power lines or were confiscated from poachers
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
.
History
After the legal protection of the bald eagle, Native Americans had no access to feathers and other parts of the birds they need for certain religious and cultural activities. The best known use is in war bonnetWar bonnet
Feathered war bonnets were worn by honored Plains Indian men, sometimes into battle, but most often for ceremonial occasions, and were seen as items of great spiritual and magical importance...
s and other feathered headdresses. Some continued hunting and considered it legal on reservation grounds
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
as hunting and their cultural self determination was guaranteed in treaties. In the early 1970s the National Eagle Repository was operated out of Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock...
and in the 1980s distribution was out of the USFWS Forensic Lab in Ashland, Oregon
Ashland, Oregon
Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Ashland County, Ohio, point of origin of Abel Helman and other founders, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other...
. The office collected birds and distributed them further. But the process was slow and the numbers of birds low.
In 1985 a law suit over the prosecution of Dwight Dion Sr., a member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe
Yankton Sioux Tribe
The Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota is a federally recognized tribe of Yankton Dakota Sioux , located in South Dakota....
, for poaching and selling of four bald eagles reached the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
. In United States v. Dion
United States v. Dion
United States v. Dion, 476 U.S. 734 , was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States which held that, pursuant to the Eagle Protection Act, American Indians were prohibited from hunting eagles...
the court upheld the conviction and confirmed that historic treaty rights
Treaty rights
Treaty rights are certain rights that were reserved by Indian tribes when they signed treaties with the United States government. By signing treaties, tribes traded vast amounts of their land and resources in exchange for reserved areas of land and things like protection , health care, education,...
could be amended and abrogated by legislation of congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
President Bill Clinton signed an executive memorandum on April 29, 1994, after meeting with 300 tribal leaders at the White house. He reformed the National Eagle Repository and obliged all federal agencies to send dead eagles to the repository. Following this memorandum, in 1995 the repository moved to the Denver area and got its own offices at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.
Literature
- Bruce E. Beans: Eagle’s Plume: The Struggle to Preserve the Life and Haunts of America’s Bald Eagle. Scribner, New York 1996, ISBN 0-684-80696-7
- Alison Renteln: The cultural defense. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-19-515402-3.
- Jody Millar: The Protection of Eagles and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. In: Journal of Raptor Research, No. 36 (2002), p. 29–31.
- James Brooke: Agency Struggles to Meet the Demand for a Sacred Treasure. In: New York Times, November 25, 1996.
External links
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: National Eagle Repository.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Questions and Answers about the National Eagle Repository.