Julie Veronica Basque | freelance reporter
A crowd of nearly 100 people cheered on an immature bald eagle as it soared over the McKenzie River on Thursday evening.
But it wasn’t just any eagle; this one was released by the Cascade Raptor Center after it had recovered for six weeks from five pellet gunshot wounds.
The raptor was found and rescued on Feb. 15 near Deerhorn Road by a man named Greg Montgomery, according to the center’s Web site. Montgomery saw the young eagle stuck in the McKenzie River and saved it by offering the injured bird a catcher’s mitt that it could grab onto. The Cascade Raptor Center was called after the bird was on the bank. The eagle was taken to the center to be treated for a broken ulna in his wing and also for pellets that were lodged near his spine and neck.
Laurin Huse, assistant director of the center, has been involved in the bird’s recovery since the rescue. She said she has been the eagle’s “primary handler”, monitoring its food and flight ability. Huse also explained to the crowd prior to its release that the eagle, estimated to be two years old, was “so ready to get out of here.”
Bundled in layers for the cold and damp afternoon, several families arrived to watch the eagle’s release. Asa Clevenger, 9, attended with her neighbor Kara Steffensen, who also brought her son. Both children had visited the raptor center before, but this was their first eagle release.
“It’s so sad to see beautiful animals caged,” Steffensen said. She said it was good to let animals out of their cages. Asa said she knew much about birds of prey because she “took an animal class.”
There were also many members and center volunteers in the crowd, such as the Macluan family. This would be the first release for Rob, Phyllis and their 8-year-old daughter Tala, but the family has been a sponsor for a kestrel hawk, Todo, for three years. “We wanted to get involved with an organization that rescued wildlife,” Phyllis Macluan said.
Founded in 1987 as a wildlife hospital, the raptor center is dedicated to helping birds of prey rehabilitate and raising awareness of wildlife through public education. Center director Louise Shimmel said there has been a rise in the number of birds in the hospital and this could be viewed two different ways. Because there are more birds being rehabilitated, it is a sign that many types of birds, including the bald eagle, are making a strong comeback in population. Or, sadly, the growing number in the rehabilitation center could also be tied into the economic crisis.
Shimmel speculated that perhaps people have more time on their hands since losing their jobs or even worse, people are angered and are taking out Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
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eir frustration on birds. Either way, shooting bald eagles is not only a federal offense, Shimmel said, it is “morally and ethically wrong.”
Shimmel also said the eagle’s release was in honor of her friend Linda Williamson, who recently died. Williamson had also been part of the center since its conception and was a true believer in the center’s mission. Huse, the center’s assistant director, said the ceremony was “very special.”
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