CEDAR CITY — Bald eagles typically migrate to Cedar City in the winter and fly north when temperatures rise. But one unique family of raptors calls the city home year-round. And a collaborative effort is underway to keep them here.
Danielle Finlayson, a wildlife biologist with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said the eagle couple roosted in a dead cottonwood tree behind the Iron West subdivision at least 17 years ago and never left.
The tree they inhabit grew in a canal on Iron County-owned land bordered by property owned by private individuals, the city and Southern Utah University.
Reportedly, they’re the only nesting pair in Iron County.
“We do have some nesting eagles in northern Utah, but even then, it’s only a couple,” Finlayson said. “So it’s a little bit rare to have a nesting pair this far south.”
In 2007, the DWR began tracking the nest, where they’ve laid eggs and successfully raised between one and three chicks nearly every year since, Finlayson said. Raising more than two eaglets at a time is uncommon.
“Usually, it’s one to two for eagles,” she said. “So three is a really good year. And so from 2007 to now, they’ve fledged a total of 21 chicks. … They’re doing pretty well. They’ve had a few years where their nests failed, but overall, that’s a pretty good number for that amount of time.”
Since Finlayson’s interview with Cedar City News, various sources have confirmed the eagles laid two or three eggs and are currently raising at least two chicks.
The pair have captured the attention of some of Cedar City’s human residents, like Tim Prindle, who told Cedar City News he and his family enjoy observing the eagle family each year.
Prindle began advocating for the birds several years ago and said he didn’t realize they were year-round inhabitants at the time. He was concerned about recreation, housing developments and, more recently, early work on the Iron West Soccer Fields encroaching on their nest.
“When this all started happening, I’m like, ‘Does anybody care?’ … I know that eagles aren’t endangered anymore, but they are protected,” he said.”They’re our national bird. They’re a symbol that’s very sacred to me.”
After speaking to a retired biologist from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Prindle learned that their nesting season, starting in the winter and lasting until later spring or early summer, is when they’re most vulnerable to external pressures. He contacted various people from local, state and federal governments or agencies, among others, looking for a way to protect the birds.
“I started to get a sense that capitalism is going to contribute to ongoing growth, and sometimes, there’s not a lot we can do to stop it — doesn’t matter what is in the way of progress,” he said. “And I don’t consider myself a tree hugger, but I care about wildlife. I care about our land. I care about our water.
“It’s amazing to me how many Americans, or people here locally, will spend charitable dollars for some bordering-extinct bird or tortoise or a penguin in the Arctic Circle,” he continued. “And when they have an opportunity in their own backyard, it kind of felt like they were, ‘yeah, it’s just a bird.”‘
Cedar City Mayor Garth Green told Cedar City News that when city staff first learned about the eagle, they were initially “a little nervous.”
“We’ve got a lot of money invested in that ball field, and we go, ‘Oh gee, what does this mean?’ So, I, of course, I run out and look at the thing (eagle’s nest), and I hesitate,” he said. “I was a little leery for fear that something was going to go wrong, and I didn’t want that.”
Green said he spoke with Prindle and downloaded information about eagles from the DWR, which led him to a decision he described as “wonderful” — building a pond near the nest.
“It dawned on me: ‘Well, wait a minute, nothing an eagle would like better than a pond with fish in it,'” he said. “Because he could have supper every night if we had fish in it.”
Additionally, Green said the city could use the pond to water the soccer field, saving culinary water for other uses.
“Let’s not only protect eagles. Let’s make a pond — make it big enough, deep enough to irrigate the entire 90 acres of ground,” he said.
Cedar City Leisure Services Director Ken Nielson said that while a specific design for the park is not completed, the city is interested in constructing a trail and sitting and viewing areas near the pond. This would help create a 330-foot buffer zone, as recommended by the Division of Wildlife Resources and other agencies, to protect the birds.
Green said these ideas changed his perspective.
“We were a little nervous about the eagles screwing up our project,” he said. “But I think that it’s going to be just fine. I think, actually, the eagles are going to enhance our project.”
The city is expected to begin work again next fall, after the birds’ breeding season concludes, and is “interested in protecting that nest and keeping the eagles happy there.”
“If we keep the perimeter distance away from the eagle’s nest … we can observe and experience the eagle experience,” he added.
‘A win-win scenario’
Jessica Kinross, an impact analysis biologist with the DWR’s Southern Region, said the division loves the public’s admiration for Iron West’s eagles.
“This is an opportunity to increase that appreciation while also protecting the nest and providing recreational opportunities,” she said via email. “We appreciate the coordination with Cedar City and their interest in helping preserve this species, which are a rare national treasure.”
While the park is an independent city project, Kinross said the DWR has contributed wildlife considerations for the planning process, like reviewing signage and writing a letter of support for the city’s application for the Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant.
Nielson said the application has since been completed, but, as of his interview with Cedar City News, the city hadn’t received word on a potential funding amount.
Dr. Bill Heyborne, biology professor and dean of Walter Maxwell Gibson College of Science at SUU, said he and other professors expressed support for the effort and assisted the city in developing a proposal to protect the site.
“I think it’s a great idea,” he said. “I think too often when nature is in the way of ‘progress’ — and I’m saying that an air quotes — nature loses out. So I think it’s great that this is going to become a priority.”
“The developer could have just come in and decided to remove everything as well, and kudos to them for instead deciding to work with the city and try to do something that would benefit not only the animals but also be an asset to the community,” Heyborne continued. “So, I think it’s a win-win scenario.”
Heyborne said he hopes the park becomes a model for future projects where development butts up against a natural resource, saying, “Maybe we can find ways to work together rather than having one come to pass at the expense of the other.”
Additionally, Heyborne said the park could be a resource to educators for field trips and other experiences.
“I teach a conservation biology course here at the university, and one of the elements of the course is to think about human-wildlife interactions and how we can minimize that or how can we create an interface between those two worlds that’s not harmful to the wildlife but also benefits humans,” he said. “So I think it would be a really great case study of how to do that.”
When asked how he felt about his advocacy potentially seeing results, Prindle said he wasn’t looking for public accolades.
“As long as it gets done and we protect these eagles and protect this as a sanctuary, that’s all that matters,” he said. “That’s all I care about. However, I do have an ego. So, to answer your question: I have privately shared this one with my surviving mother, my brother and my two boys — it makes me giddy.”
“Three years later, something is happening,” he added. “So, it’s incredibly cool, and it’s also a lesson that if somebody believes in something and others believe in it too, anything is possible. … I extend a sincere gratitude to every public official and every resident, every civilian, every other bird-watcher out there for their willingness to help, to listen to be supportive.”
However, Prindle said the “jury is out” on whether the eagles will be negatively affected by the upcoming soccer fields.
“I’m still concerned about that,” he said. “A hundred screaming kids during the summer months, which is when they’re trying to fledge: is that going to eventually be the downfall of them coming back?”
The city installed informational signs to educate the public about viewing etiquette. Prindle said it’s “incredibly important” that the public exercise caution when near the eagles.
“You have to enjoy it from afar,” he said. “This needs to be done with binoculars or a telescope. It’s incredibly important to get everybody to be aware that you can’t be running around anywhere near the trees. You shouldn’t have dogs off-leash.”
Kinross said the nest can be seen safely from the ground. She encourages visitors to follow the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Bald Eagle Management Guidelines and remain a “respectful distance” of at least 330 feet away during the breeding season.
Viewers should also avoid making loud noises and remain in or near their vehicles, which can act as “bird blinds,” the DWR states. And drones should not be flown near or over the nest.
According to Fish and Wildlife, drones can cause eagles to abandon their nests, causing egg failure or the death of chicks. People could also lose their drones to “a defensive eagle attack” or receive penalties under federal, state and tribal laws.
“Under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the first criminal offense is a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine for an individual or a $200,000 fine for an organization,” the agency writes. “The second offense becomes a felony, with a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine for an individual or a $500,000 fine for an organization. The act also provides for maximum civil penalties of $5,000 for each violation.”
Finlayson said that most native birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Act, with eagles receiving additional protection under the 1940 Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The legislation prohibits the taking, possessing, selling or purchasing of eagles or their parts, nests, or eggs, among other restrictions. Disturbing the birds is also illegal.
Other risk factors that could potentially impact Iron West’s eagles or others include lead poisoning contracted when they scavenge hunted carcasses containing lead bullet fragments or vehicles, Finlayson said. Birds of prey will feed on roadkill and might have a difficult time flying away from an approaching car with full bellies.
“There are a lot of eagles that get killed by cars,” she said, adding that motorists should slow down and be mindful of raptors at the road’s edge.
“They’re going to have a hard time getting out of the way,” she said.
Additionally, drivers can report roadkill to the DWR via the Utah Roadkill Reporter app, allowing the state to remove it more quickly so any animals that would normally feed on it will do so out of harm’s way, Finlayson said.
To learn more about avoiding conflicts with raptors and other wildlife, visit Wild Aware Utah’s website.
Photo Gallery
An eagle sits in a nest in Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 13, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News An eagle perches on a tree in Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 13, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News Cedar City Mayor Garth Green discusses a family of eagles in Cedar City, Utah, May 20, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News Two eagles perch, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 31, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News Work continues on the Iron West Soccer Fields, Cedar City, Utah, May 20, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News An eagle perches in Cedar City, Utah, May 20, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News A family of eagles occupies a tree in Cedar City, Utah, May 20, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News Cedar City resident Tim Prindle discusses a family of eagles living in Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 31, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News A family of eagles occupies a tree in Cedar City, Utah, May 20, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News An eagle perches in a tree near its nest, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 13, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News A family of eagles occupies a tree in Cedar City, Utah, May 20, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News A pair of eagles perch, Cedar City, Utah, May 20, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News A pair of eagles perch, Cedar City, Utah, May 20, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News This lot was donated to the city to build a new park in Cedar City, Utah, May 20, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News A pair of eagles perch, Cedar City, Utah, May 20, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News
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