Return of the Eagle: How America Saved Its National Symbol

by Greg Breining, Frank Oberle (Photographer)

Overview

This is the story of how a nation reversed a “silent spring” and saved the bald eagle from extinction. This bird of prey was declared the national symbol in 1782 but, by the 1960s, pollution and development had wiped out all but a few dozen. Grassroots movements started, the American consciousness was raised to all environmental threats, and federal laws were passed to keep the eagle population alive. This stunning book of full-color photographs and touching stories chronicles this inspiring success story with awe-inspiring shots of eagles in flight. There is also a one-of-a-kind directory to more than 150 areas in the nation where eagles are likely to be seen in the wild, soaring once again against the blue skies of freedom. This book is a monument to the efforts that combined animal instinct for survival with the power of the human spirit to change the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762747900
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/26/2008
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

About the Photographer/Author:
 
Frank Oberle, the premier photographer for this book, may be the most prolific bald eagle photographer in the country. Audubon, Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, Nature Conservancy, and National Wildlife are just a few of the publications in which his eagle images have appeared. Shooting photos like Oberle's takes as much patience as it does skill. Oberle's images capture perfectly the grace, artistry, and beauty of bald eagles.
 
Greg Breining has traveled around the world, from desolate Siberia to tropical Jamaica, in search of stories for books and magazines. He writes on subjects as diverse as bison, fossils, and canoes for Sports Illustrated, Nature Conservancy, Audubon, Sierra, and other magazines. Return of the Eagle is his seventh book.

Read an Excerpt

Incomparable for their grace, strength and beauty, eagles have been admired throughout the ages. Babylonians, Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans adopted the eagle as a symbol of earthly power and divine right. Native Americans revered our own native bald eagle for its power and keen eyesight. They coveted its feathers for headdresses and other ceremonial objects. And, of course, in 1782 the bald eagle was chosen as our national symbol.
 
The bald eagle's power and beauty impress us today, inspiring the legions of citizens who have helped to rescue this magnificent bird from the dark days of the 1960s, when the eagle's numbers in the lower forty-eight states had dwindled to fewer than 1,000 nesting birds and the bald eagle was declared an endangered species.