Indiana's residential eagle may be flightless, but that hasn't
stopped him from helping others soar. C-52, a rescued bald
eagle, is considered a symbol of Indiana's successful bald eagle
reintroduction program. As recently as twenty years ago the Bald
Eagle was dangerously close to becoming extinct throughout the
lower 48 states - Indiana included. Today, they're back from the
brink and doing better than ever. In 1782, the Bald Eagle was
named our national symbol as it represented strength, courage
and freedom. Today it can easily be considered a symbol of
survival. In June 2007, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services
removed the bald eagle from the endangered species list more
than sixty years after it was first protected by federal law.
Habitat loss, over-hunting and the now banned pesticide DDT were
largely to blame for the eagles rapidly declining numbers
between 1870 and 1970. In Indiana, bald eagles were expatriated
by 1900 due to the loss of wetland habitats. As breeding pairs
continued to decrease in size