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Santa Rosa Lake to host Midwinter Eagle Count Jan. 15, 2025

USACE-Albuquerque District public affairs
Published Jan. 3, 2025

Santa Rosa Lake, N.M. – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff at Santa Rosa Lake will host a midwinter eagle survey at the lake, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. The event is free and open to the public and no previous experience is required.

Participants are asked to meet at the USACE Santa Rosa Lake Project Administration Office, located at 2528 Joe & Louie Page Road, Santa Rosa, N.M., 88435, at 8:00 a.m. From there staff and participants will disperse into groups to count eagles around the lake. The event will end at 4:00 p.m. Participants can bring their own lunch if they wish.

Please dress warmly and consider current weather conditions. If available, feel free to bring your own binoculars, spotting scopes, and/or cameras for the survey.

The purpose of the eagle count survey is to gather individuals to help count eagles along standard, non-overlapping survey routes as part of a nationwide midwinter bald eagle survey. It is also a great opportunity to encourage shared environmental stewardship efforts with the public to promote wildlife conservation.

National Wildlife Federation officials have asked participants in each state to count eagles along standard routes to provide data on count trends. The basic objectives of the survey are to index the total wintering bald eagle populations in the lower 48 states, determine eagle distribution during a standardized survey period, and identify previously unrecognized areas of important winter habitat.

The annual midwinter survey represents a unique source of long-term, baseline data. Unlike nesting surveys, this provides information on both breeding and non-breeding segments of the population at a potentially limiting time of the year. The count has become a national tradition since 1984. In addition to providing information on eagle trends, distribution, and habitat, the count has helped to create public interest in bald eagles and their conservation.

Please contact Park Ranger Paul Sanchez at the Santa Rosa Lake Project Office (575-472-3115) with additional questions.

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Contact
Paul Sanchez
575-472-3115
paul.d.sanchez@usace.army.mil

Release no. 25-002