NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) - The carcasses of dead bald and golden eagles found in Nebraska are collected and recycled, so Native Americans can use them for religious purposes.
The North Platte Telegraph reports (https://bit.ly/1nwRtQ2 ) the state is part of an unusual federal recycling program that provides parts of eagle carcasses to Native Americans who hold valid permits.
The feathers and other body parts of eagles are considered sacred by some Native Americans. But federal laws designed to protect the birds make it illegal for most people to possess any part of a golden or bald eagle.
Lauren Dinan with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said the state recently sent 37 eagles to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Eagle Repository in Commerce City, Colo.
That group of birds included some from last year that the state Game and Parks Commission had been keeping in a freezer in Lincoln.
“People aren’t even supposed to disturb eagles,” Dinan said. “That’s why if a dead one is found, we ask that it be left alone and reported to us. Because these species can’t be hunted, we can’t assume someone caught with a feather just stumbled across that feather.”
Eagles are commonly found in Nebraska near hydropower plants because the lakes below the plants don’t freeze and offer prime fishing. Bald eagles are often found in the winter at the Kingsley Dam near Ogallala, Neb., the J-2 power plant near Lexington, Neb., and Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, S.D.
The national repository distributes the eagles or parts of them to people who have applied for them.
Repository officials said there can be a wait of up to five years for loose feathers, wings, tails and whole eagle carcasses. But requests for talons, heads or trunks can often be filled immediately.
Besides Native Americans, there are few other exceptions to the ban on possessing eagle feathers or carcasses. State and federal conservation agencies, zoos and groups that help rehabilitate eagles can possess them.
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Information from: The North Platte Telegraph, https://www.nptelegraph.com
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