Arizona’s bald eagle populations continue to grow each year thanks to the cooperation of outdoor recreationists who obey closures of public spaces during breeding season.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is reminding outdoor recreationists this holiday season to help protect the state’s 67 breeding pairs of bald eagles.
If you received a drone as a holiday present, for instance, Arizona Game and Fish is reminding you to refrain from using it anywhere near the list of closures as bald eagles begin rebuilding nests in December in preparation for laying eggs.
Kenneth Jacobson, AZGFD bald eagle management coordinator, said it’s important to remind drone operators and motorized paragliders that bald eagles are sensitive to even short durations of low-flying aircraft activity near their nests, and just a few minutes of disturbance can lead to a nesting failure.
The bald eagle management efforts are supported by the Heritage Fund, an initiative passed more than 20 years ago to provide for wildlife education and conservation through Arizona lottery ticket sales.
