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Museums and Attractionsregional treasures

Finger Lakes

Bald EagleMuseum

Exhibit

A

by John Adamski

In 1965, the last known pair of bald eagles inNew York State nested at the south end ofHemlock Lake in the Livingston County townof Springwater. Tom Rauber, an amateur natu-ralist at the time, discovered the birds. His

research was an important contribution to the even-tual recovery of the endangered species, from whichthe New York State Department of EnvironmentalConservation (DEC) would pioneer a successfuleagle restoration program.

Fast-forward 48 years to the development of TheFinger Lakes Museum’s Discovery Campus inBranchport. Because of that restoration program –which may well be the greatest wildlife conservationsuccess story in American history – the DEC is nolonger engaged in bald eagle management. Morethan 300 nesting territories now exist across thestate, and the raptor was removed from the endan-gered species list in 2007.

As the DEC winds down its bald eagle research, itremains in possession of two rehabilitated birds thatare incapable of survival in the wild. The agency hasoffered to give them to The Finger Lakes Museum toestablish a live bald eagle educational exhibit.

This bald eagle, named Spirit, will be one of two birds featured in a new aviary at the Finger Lakes Museum.

Photo courtesy John Adamski

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Museums and Attractions

Entitled “From the Brink of Extinction,” the combined live-species and static exhibit will tell the story of Tom Rauber’s dis-covery and the passionate efforts of the men who dedicatedentire careers to the restoration of the bald eagle – not only inNew York, but across the country and in parts of Canada. And itall started right here in the Finger Lakes Region, where morethan 50 pairs of bald eagles are nesting today.

A permit to possess live bald eagles is not easy to come by.Even though they are no longer protected under theEndangered Species Act, they remain protected by the Bald andGolden Eagle Protection Act. Permits are issued by the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service (USFWS) for educational and rehabilitationpurposes only, and come with stringent conditions. The FingerLakes Museum is chartered by the New York State EducationDepartment and thereby qualifies.

Working with USFWS and the Association of Zoos andAquariums (AZA) guidelines, museum architects and exhibitdesigners are planning a bald eagle enclosure that will be built onthe Branchport Campus this summer. Both of the DEC’s birds – 4-year-old Jack and 6-year-old Spirit – can fly, so the aviary will belarge enough to accommodate their flight requirements.

But the most important element of this – and other aspectsof developing the Branchport Campus – is raising the funds thatwe need to match $2.3 million in economic development grantsthat were awarded to the project by New York State. Please visitthe website, www.fingerlakesmuseum.org, to contribute. Themuseum’s success depends on your gift!

John Adamski is a frequent contributor to this magazine andis president of the board of trustees of The Finger LakesMuseum. His 2008 article about the plight of the bald eagle inNew York State, called “From the Brink of Extinction,” won afirst-place Excellence in Craft Award from the New York StateOutdoor Writers Association. It can be found at this link:lifeinthefingerlakes.com/articles.php?view=article&id=432.

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Artist rendering of aviaryImage courtesy

Bohlen Cywinski Jackson ArchitectsPost and Beam HomesLocally crafted in our South Bristol New York shop5557 Rt. 64, Canandaigua, NY 14424

585-374-6405 • www.timberframesinc.comBuilding the Finger Lakes since 1977

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Beautifully inspired works of art by local artisans that will be auctioned.

All proceeds from the Auction benefit the Arc of Yates – Building on Our Dream

The mission of Arc of Yates is to assist individuals with developmental disabilities to lead self-directed meaningful lives.

Arts for the Arc Auction

Thursday, August 1, 2013131 Main Street, Penn Yan, NY

Auction - 5:00 P.M.

315-536-7447www.arcofyates.org