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SPOTLIGHT
Charity continues work for needy teens Just over three years ago Oakland teenager Laura Graham turned her idea for a teen charity, 1Closet into one of the largest teen clothing providers for foster and shelter agencies tin the East Bay. Graham’s idea to create a partnership with high schools now has more than 17 schools participating, both public and private, each holding 1-2 clothing drives a year. San Ramon Valley High School continues to provide strong support, with teens pushing total donations beyond $25K. This fall, Graham will attend The University of Arizona. 1Closet will continue as new Leadership Director Riley Glasson and co-
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On July 4th, members of the Kiwanis Club of the San Ramon Valley once again outdid themselves in organizing Danville’s Independence Day parade. This is a major fundraiser for the club, which in 2013 awarded nearly $42,000 to 40 separate organizations in the San Ramon Valley. This annual community event represents the best of the valley.
Bald Eagle recovery is a major success By James Hale
The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), our national bird and national animal of the United States of America, is truly one of our major success stories. It is featured on the United States Seal, presidential seal and flag, as well as many logos of federal agencies. Populations have recovered from the brink of extirpation in the continental United States in the late 20th century, and the species was removed from the federal government’s U.S. Endangered Species list on July 12, 1995 and transferred to the threatened species list. On June 28, 2007, the Bald Eagle was removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the Lower 48 States. Early estimates suggest the Bald Eagle population in the early 18th century may have reached 500,000 individuals. By the 1950’s only 412 nesting pairs occurred in the 48
contiguous states of the U.S. In 1974 only 20 or 30 pairs nested in California. The Bald Eagle is an apex predator at the top of the food chain. Biomagnification concentrated DDT to cause egg shell thinning and sterility. One Ornithologist wrote in 1930 that over 70,000 Bald Eagles were shot and killed in Alaska in the previous 12 years. Illegal shooting and hunting was one of the major causes of mortality due to the long- held misbelief that eagles predated livestock. Habitat loss, powerline electrocution, collisions in flight, human nest intrusion, and poisoning due to mercury, oil, and lead contributed to their decline. In 1967 the Bald Eagle was declared an endangered species. The banning of DDT and strict regulations has
allowed the species to recover. By the early 1980’s the total population was estimated at 100,000 individuals. By 1992 the population increased to about 115,000, with a resident population of 50,000 birds in the state of Alaska and 30,000 in British Columbia. Over 9,789 breeding pairs were reported in 2006 by individual states. Minnesota has an estimated 1,312 pairs with Florida at a close second with 1,166 pairs. Nearly half of the contiguous states have at least 100 breeding pairs of Bald Eagles. The Bald Eagle is not actually bald, but rather “white headed” from an older meaning. It derives it’s name from the Greek, hali=sea, aietos=eagle, leuco=white, cephalos=head, or white-headed sea eagle. They
This month’s Special Section:
Senior Services pages 8 - 10
are found near large bodies of water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting. They range from Alaska and Canada, through all of the contiguous United States, to northern Mexico. The sexes are identical in color, with the female being about 25% larger. Adults have white heads and tails at sexual maturity around 5 years of age. The body plumage is dark brown. The beak is See EAGLE page 4