| PIGEON FORGE, TN
A
six-week old bald eaglet hatched at the Columbus Zoo by non-releasable
eagle parents "Barbara" and "George" arrived at McGee Tyson Airport
today at 1:52 PM on ComAir (Delta) Flight #5413. The eaglet was received
by the American Eagle Foundation headquarted at Dollywood (formerly
National Foundation to Protect America's Eagles) and will be cared
for by the Foundation until it gains its freedom into the wilds of
the Great Smoky Mountains on July 4, 2000. The
eaglet is scheduled for a July 4th release on Douglas Lake by
the American Eagle Foundation to help repopulate eagles in East
Tennessee and to celebrate the "delisting" of the bald eagle
from Endangered Species Act protection. The federal government
is expected to make a formal announcement about the official
delisting of the bald eagle on that date. Upon
arrival at the airport, the eaglet was taken out of its sky
kennel carrier, given a physical check-up and banded. It
was then taken to the Foundation's artificial nesting tower
located on Douglas Lake in Dandrige, TN. Future information
and updates about the release of the eaglet will be make
available on the Foundation's "www.eagles.org" website. The
name of the eaglet will be announced at the Foundation's
3rd annual "Concert For America's Eagles" on Saturday,
June 17, 2000 at Governor's Palace Theatre in Sevierville,
Tennessee. A rare door prize to be awarded to two Concert
ticket holders will be the special opportunity to witness
the release of the Columbus Zoo eaglet into the wild. The
public can support the work of the American Eagle
Foundation, including the eaglet release project
on Douglas Lake, by purchasing tickets to the benefit
concert. The 12 noon to 3 p.m. show will feature
performances by entertainers from ten of the best
shows in the Smokies...including host James Rogers,
Louise Mandrell, Ron Blackwood and The Blackwood
Quartet, Billy Baker (as Elwood Smooch), The Comedy
Barn, Country Tonite, Randy Parton, Lou Vuto's Tribute
to Elvis, Eddie Anders and Boots, Boogie & Blues. Right after the show, concert goers can also enjoy a "Taste
Of The Smokies" featuring fine foods served by 24 of the areas best
restaurants for a $20 ticket price. Concert
and Taste tickets can be purchased by calling the American Eagle
Weekend 2000 ticket line at 865-436-0171 or the Governor's Palace
Theatre box office in Sevierville, TN. Individual donations may
also be made and mailed to: American Eagle Foundation, P.O. Box
333, Pigeon Forge, TN 37868, or given by credit card through the
Foundation's "www.eagles.org" website. The
American Eagle Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated
to the care, recovery and protection of the bald eagle and
its habitat. It was founded in 1985. As part of its educational
outreach to the public, it operates the "Eagle Mountain Sanctuary" bald eagle aviary on the
Dollywood entertainment park, which is the largest presentation of non-releasable
bald eagles in the world. All eagles in the exhibit are permanently
disabled and can no longer survive in the wild. The Foundation also
presents a "Wings Of America" birds of prey educational show on the
park featuring trained non-releasable eagles, hawks, owls, falcons,
vultures and condors. The
Foundation's eagle release project on Douglas Lake is a cooperative
effort involving the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service and the Dollywood entertainment park.
For
more information contact: Al Cecere, President of American Eagle
Foundation.
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