Animals
BLACK BEAR MANAGEMENT
The Chippewa National Forest and adjacent lands contain habitats which support black bears. Our employees and the public need to be aware of and prepared for bear encounters. It is important for field personnel and the public to learn how to conduct themselves appropriately in bear country since they are responsible for their own safety. Chippewa National Forest Leadership has chosen to take a shared stewardship approach to bear conflict management by integrating recreation, wildlife, and law enforcement in bear management operations.
Current Closure Order
BALD EAGLE MANAGEMENT:
The grace, strength, and beauty of the bald eagle has been admired through the ages. It is difficult to believe that this majestic bird, our national symbol, faced extinction just a few decades ago.
Bald eagle populations were at an all time low in the 1960's. At that time less than 12 pairs were documented on the Chippewa National Forest. Today, the Forest supports one of the highest breeding densities of bald eagles in the continental United States. The return of the bald eagle is one of America's greatest wildlife conservation success stories.
BALD EAGLE NATURAL HISTORY
With a wingspan of seven feet, the bald eagle is the largest bird of prey in northern Minnesota. An adult bald eagle is easily identified by it's striking white head and tail. A young bald eagle will have a brown body with brown and white mottled or flecked wings. The tail will also be mottled with a dark band at the tip. This coloration can easily be confused with a golden eagle. Though golden eagles are not residents of Minnesota they do migrate through in the spring and fall.
Bald eagles mate for life and return to the same area to nest each year. Large white pines on the Forest make excellent nesting sites, although oak and other tree species are also used. Nest building begins as early as February. Because nests are often reused year after year, the addition of new nest material makes bald eagle nests among the largest of all birds. Nests can reach 10 feet in diameter and weigh over 4000 pounds!
Bald eagles generally lay one or two eggs (occasionally three). Incubation lasts about 35 days. The female is the primary incubator but the male also helps! Once hatched eaglets remain in the nest up to 14 weeks, at which time they will leave the nest. Young bald eagles go through an exploratory phase, though they may stick close to home and be seen around their original hatching location for a few years. By year 3 or 4 they will attain their adult plumage, pair up with a mate, and find their own nest location.
Threats to bald eagle populations include lead poisoning from ammunition in hunter-shot prey, collisions with motor vehicles and stationary structures, and development-related destruction of shoreline nesting, perching, roosting and foraging habitats. Bald eagles are especially sensitive to disturbance during incubation and rearing of young. For this reason bald eagle nest sites are kept confidential. If you know of an eagle nest location, please use caution and watch them only from a distance.
BALD EAGLE MANAGEMENT
The Chippewa National Forest has monitored bald eagles since 1963. There are currently around 500 nests on the Chippewa National Forest. This is 12 times more total nests then 1963!! A subset of the 500 nests are monitored every year via ground based surveys to verify nest activity and status. Aerial surveys have also been conducted, in recent years, to detect bald eagle nests and record activity and productivity.
On August 9, 2007, the bald eagle was removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species. The two main factors that led to the recovery of this spectacular bird were the banning of the pesticide DDT and habitat protection for nesting, feeding, and roosting sites by the Endangered Species Act.
Although bald eagles are delisted, they are still protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the Lacey Act. In the state of Minnesota the bald eagle is also listed as a species of “special concern”.
EAGLE VIEWING
People often make a special trip to the Chippewa National Forest to observe bald eagles. The best opportunity to view wildlife, such as bald eagles, is at dawn and dusk around large lakes and major rivers. Keep an eye out for openings with tall white pine. These trees are often prime perch sites.
In the spring and summer start your bald eagle viewing expedition while boating on larger lakes such as Cass, Winnibigoshish, and Leech. Watch along the shorelines for bald eagles perched in trees on calm days, and soaring overhead on windier days. Canoeing on the Boy River, Mississippi, or Big Fork Rivers almost always guarantees a bald eagle sighting.
You can easily reach open viewing areas at Federal Dam at Leech Lake or Winnie Dam at the east end of Lake Winnibigoshish. Cass Lake and Knutson Dam and campground provide an expansive view of the lake. Another great place for bald eagle viewing is the section of Mississippi River that winds along Highway 2 between Cass Lake and Deer River. A great viewing area occurs about eight miles of west of Deer River, where the river meets the highway.