PIGEON FORGE, TN
- Wednesday, July 3, 2002
WHAT: The non-profit
American Eagle Foundation headquartered at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge,
TN will be removing three eaglets from their captive nests at Dollywood
early Thursday morning (July 4th, 2002) and place them in an artificial
nesting tower in Dandridge, Tennessee overlooking Douglas Lake. The
eaglets (one Bald Eaglet and two Golden Eaglets) will be weighed and
banded prior to placement in the hack tower. All three birds were
hatched at the Foundation's captive breeding center at Dollywood.
Over
the past three months the Foundation has conducted a national "Name An American Eaglet
Contest" that will give the winner an opportunity to name a
Bald Eaglet scheduled for release into the wild in late July. The
Foundation will announce that winner to the nation early Thursday
morning. The eaglet to be named was hatched and raised by Bald Eagle
parents Liberty and Justice in one of the Foundation's breeding nests
at Dollywood.
The
eaglet has been residing in the hacking tower at Douglas Lake with
an adult Bald Eagle "tutor" since early June. That eaglet
is scheduled for release into the foothills of the Great Smoky
Mountain area on July 23, 2002.
The winner of the contest
will be invited to be present and witness the release. Thousands of
school children and other interested persons from around the world
were able to daily view this eaglet being cared for and raised by
its natural parents via video streamed video cameras on the Internet
at the Foundation's website, www.eagles.org,
and also at a related website, www.nestingeagles.com.
The story of this eaglet and the eagle cam was recently reported in
newspapers nation-wide.
WHEN: Thursday,
July 4, 2002. The eaglets will be removed from their nesting compartments at
the Foundation's off-park breeding facility at 7:30 a.m. and placed
in the hack tower at 9 a.m. EST.
WHERE: The eaglets
will be removed from their nests at the Foundation's eagle breeding
facility on Middle Creek Road in Pigeon Forge, TN. They will be placed
in a hack tower over-looking Douglas Lake in Dandrigde, TN.
MEDIA INVITED FOR PHOTO
AND INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY:
Local news media are invited
to photograph the above-mentioned Foundation activities, including
banding, weighing and placement of the eaglets into the hack tower.
If your TV, radio or newspaper organization would like more information
about this story and/or is interested in participating in this photo
opportunity, please contact Al Cecere, President of the American
Eagle Foundation for instructions about times and places to meet.
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