Bald eagle is taken off the endangered species list

The US government officially removed the bald eagle form the Endangered Species Act "threatened" list. I have mixed emotions about this. I am happy that the bald eagle population has made such a successful come back. It is certainly a victory for environmentalists in the US. However I am worried about what the future holds with out the protection of the Endangered Species Act.

The bald eagle is still protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act but the question is what about bald eagle habitat. Living in Minnesota I have seen first hand that eagles can adapt and live in concert with people. I know of several eagle nests that are located in very populated areas in the Twin Cities. However I do not believe that this is an acceptable excuse to destroy eagle habitat. Even if the eagles can live fine next to freeways, destroying their habitat to build log cabins, shopping malls, golf courses or for whatever reason, means destroying habitat for many other animals. So even though the eagle may adapt, what happens to the beaver, porcupine or owl that may have shared that land. Living in the suburb of a major metropolitan area I have seen a lot of sprawl and we need to find better ways to coexists with the natural world.

If you want more information on the delisting here is a link to an article on CNN.