PIGEON FORGE, TN
- Sunday, August 4, 2002
"Ground
Zero" Named By New York School to Honor September 11th Heroes
PIGEON
FORGE, TN - Taking wing on a summer breeze, a baby bald eagle named
Ground
Zero will
soar into the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains on Sunday morning,
August 4th, in honor of the victims of the September 11th tragedy.
Sired by the non-profit American Eagle Foundation's non-releasable
breeding pair, Liberty and Justice, at the Dollywood Entertainment
Park this spring, Ground Zero was named by students at Our Lady of
Lourdes School in West Islip, New York as part of the Foundation's
"Name An American Eaglet Contest."
"We are proud of the
students and their teachers for supporting our work and coming up
with such an appropriate name for the eaglet. It should be a
breathtaking experience to see this majestic young bird, and
symbol of our nation's heritage, finally take wing on August
4th while reflecting upon all it represents," said Al Cecere,
President, American Eagle Foundation.
As a
part of the contest, students and teachers from Our Lades of Lourdes
will
be allowed to
witness the historic release of Ground Zero. Before the eaglet is
set free, a special prayer will be said for the families of the
9/11
victims and those Americans who bravely defend our nation's Freedom.
The eaglet release will be filmed for an upcoming
Jeff Corwin TV special for the Animal Planet channel.
Two
Golden eaglets will also be released from the same hacking tower on Douglas
Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee on August 4th. The birds were produced
at the Foundation's Dollywood based and sponsored eagle center in
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
The
Foundation's mission is to educate the public about the plight of the American Bald
Eagle and restore the majestic species to America's skies. Part of that
work is accomplished through caring for and breeding non-releasable Bald
eagles, Golden eagles and other birds of prey. Young birds hatched
in captivity are released into the wild. Also, injured or
orphaned birds are rehabilitated for reintroduction.
The non-profit American
Eagle Foundation is federally licensed to provide care to over 65
birds of prey daily, including 35 eagles. These birds are non-releasable
due to permanent physical disabilities or accidental imprinting on
humans. Many of the non-releasable eagles residing at the facility
have successfully reproduced while in the care of the Foundation staff.
The organization operates the largest Bald Eagle breeding facility
in the world, and has released dozens of captive-hatched eaglets into
the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains area. They have also been
a party to releasing hundreds of other eaglets into the wilds of Tennessee
in cooperation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Tennessee
Wildlife Resources Agency , and have supported numerous
public education and eagle recovery and protection projects in various
states.
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